I have written something similar, for two voices:
Celebrating the Birth of Bahá’u’lláh: A Reading for Two Voices
Script
by Anne Perry with sections by David Hoffman
1: Who IS Bahá'u'lláh?
2: Who is Bahá'u'lláh?
Together: WHO is Baha’u’llah?
2. Mirza
Husayn 'Ali Nuri, known as Bahá'u'lláh - the Glory of God - was born at dawn on
the 12th of November 1817, in Tihran, the capital of Persia.
1: His father was a prominent and
wealthy man who had been a minister at the court of the Sháh.
2: Despite
little formal education, He showed signs in childhood of innate knowledge and
unusual nobility of character. His revelation has revolutionized the fortunes
of the world and ushered in a new and glorious age in human history.
1: Eventually, Baha’u’llah
was the title given to Husayn Ali, which means “The Glory of God.”
2: In a similar way, “Christ”
is a title given to Jesus of Nazareth.
1: Exactly. .
. . Bahá'u'lláh's early life reflected
his well-to-do circumstances. Yet unlike many privileged children, He developed
no attachment to wealth and ease.
2. Bahá'u'lláh’s mother was
so enthralled with Him that she could not contain her amazement at His
behavior. “This child never cries,” she would say; “He is so unlike other
babies who . . . are forever restless. .
. .”
1: Another
story recalls a dream that Bahá'u'lláh related to His father. In His dream, He
was in a garden while huge birds attacked him on all sides. Yet the birds were
unable to harm Him. He then went to sea, where He was attacked by birds and
fish, but again wasn't harmed. His father summoned a famous seer to interpret
the dream, and was told that His son would become the founder of a great Cause
and would be attacked by the leaders and learned men of the world. But they
would be unable to harm Him, and He would be victorious over them all.
2:
Bahá'u'lláh developed a fine sense of justice and fairness, wisdom and
spiritual insight, at a very young age. It was said that He could resolve
problems nobody else could, and His deep knowledge of the Qur'án astounded
many.
1: His generosity was also
noted. As a young man He became known as “the Father of the Poor" for His
extraordinary generosity.
2:
Throughout 40 years of imprisonment and exile, Bahá'u'lláh was beset by enemies
in the government, the clergy and even within His own family. Several attempts on His life left their marks
upon Him. Yet Through it all, He remained as He had been in His childhood: a
person of deep spiritual insight and wisdom. To Bahá’ís, He is the One through
whom the light of God has illuminated the world in our age.
1: To Him Isaiah, the
greatest of the Jewish prophets, alluded as the . . . "Everlasting Father," the
"Prince of Peace," the "Wonderful," the "Counsellor.”
2: Of Him David had sung in his Psalms,
acclaiming Him as the "Lord of Hosts" and the "King of
Glory."
1: To Him the Bhagavad-Gita of the Hindus referred
as the "Most Great Spirit," the "Tenth Avatar," the
"Immaculate Manifestation of Krishna."
2: He alone is
prophecied by Buddha Himself, that "a Buddha named Maitreye, the Buddha of
universal fellowship" should . . . arise and reveal "His boundless
glory."
1: To Him Jesus Christ has referred as the
"Prince of this world," the "Comforter" . . . the
"Spirit of Truth" Who "will guide you into all truth."
2: To Him Muhammad, alluded as the "Great
Announcement," and declared His Day to be the Day whereon "God"
will "come down" and "The Spirit shall arise and the angels
shall be ranked in order."
1: The Báb, Forerunner of Baha’u’llah, extolled Him as the "Crimson,
all-encompassing Light," as "Lord of the visible and invisible,"
as the "sole Object of all previous Revelations.”
2: And what did Baha’u’llah say of the station
of His own Revelation?
1: "He it
is," Baha’u’llah writes referring to Himself, "Who in the Old
Testament hath been named Jehovah, Who in the Gospel hath been designated as
the Spirit of Truth, and in the Qur'án acclaimed as the Great
Announcement,” affirming the unity of
the Messengers of God.
2: He also affirmed: “I am the royal Falcon on the arm of the
Almighty. I unfold the drooping wings of
every broken bird and start it on its flight.”
1: He is the one who can help us change this
troubled and divided world into one where there is unity—unity of race
2: of Gender
1: of religion, of social class . . . 2: of science and faith . . .
1: Baha’u’llah suffered forty years as a
prisoner and exile in order that love and justice might be established in the world.
He gave us the blueprint for a new civilization.
2: Because He suffered, we are free to proclaim
the oneness of the world of humanity for which He stood so long and
faithfully.
1: He was subjected to every kind of infliction,
but never ceased to proclaim the reality of the Word of God and the oneness of
humanity.
2: And that is why we celebrate Baha’u’llah. .
. .
No comments:
Post a Comment