O Lord! In this Most Great Dispensation Thou dost accept the intercession of children in behalf of their parents. This is one of the special infinite bestowals of this Dispensation. Therefore, O Thou kind Lord, accept the request of this Thy servant at the threshold of Thy singleness and submerge his father in the ocean of Thy grace, because this son hath arisen to render Thee service and is exerting effort at all times in the pathway of Thy love. Verily, Thou art the Giver, the Forgiver and the Kind!
The Fasting Verses (cont.)
13 years ago
7 comments:
This is a quote I've wondered about before. I'd loved to hear more about what you understand it to mean. In what ways can children intercede on behalf of their parents? How is this capacity different than in times past? What does it even mean to intercede, especially if it's not their will?
Hmm...good question, and interesting viewpoint. I actually did not really look at it as children interceding on behalf of parents whose free will dictates otherwise than to submit to the Lord. Rather, I took it to mean that it is an invocation to God, from a child for his/her parent/s. (In much the same way as one might pray for a dear friend's healing when sick or worried.) It happens so often that when we are troubled or conflicted, we momentarily forget that the good Lord is our succor and if only we sought refuge, our fears and unease will be dispelled. That frame of mind, however takes time to reach, for different people, different lengths of time. It is easier for others though at such times to see just what it is needed: a prayer for them, so God may envelope them in His care and that warmth may remind them of what they had momentarily forgotten. At any rate, as you can tell, this is the meaning I have read into it. I was looking for a prayer for my parents and the Baha'i book of prayers literally opened to this prayer :).
What might it mean to intercede, if it were not in their free will? I wonder.... Perhaps, one could liken it to a role reversal? Just as from the vantage point of adulthood, parents can see that certain acts their children commit would be to their own peril and step in on their behalf. Similarly, I suppose that to some people it might be expressly clear that there is only course of action, that of submission, when faced with difficulty or even when not. And if their parents', or anybody else's acts for that matter, reflect a different course of action resulting from their choices, then they can only pray that they see the light and lead them towards it gently.
It would interesting to discuss this at greater length and hear your thoughts, when I've thought more about it :)
Dear ones, I enjoyed very much reading your thoughts on this prayer. I say it every morning and evening for my parents and feel so connected to them when I say it.
I looked up 'intercede', and one definition reads: 'to act or interpose in behalf of someone in difficulty or trouble, as by pleading'. This last word, pleading, seems to resonate well with the prayer, in which we ask for God to accept our request to submerge our parents in the ocean of His grace.
Sometimes when I'm swimming in the ocean, I think about prayers such as these and it makes me so happy because I'm reminded of how huge, vast, and all-encompassing the ocean is. The ocean of God's grace..
Something that always strikes me about this prayer is that God's acceptance of our prayer to submerge our parents in the ocean of His grace is closely connected with our act of arising to render Him service and 'exerting effort at all times in the pathway of [His] love.' We ask Him to accept our prayer because we are arising to serve Him. This keeps us on our toes, doesn't it! How beautiful that our efforts to serve have a direct connection with the grace that God bestows on our parents ;)
Here's a beautiful quote by the Bab about praying for parents:
"It is seemly that the servant should, after each prayer, supplicate God to bestow mercy and forgiveness upon his parents. Thereupon God's call will be raised: 'Thousand upon thousand of what thou hast asked for thy parents shall be thy recompense!' Blessed is he who remembereth his parents when communing with God."
What bounties. A boundless ocean of bounties..
That's a beautiful thought Leila! :) That God's boundless grace and generosity awaits us, we need only arise and be ready to serve Him. The prayer you've mentioned in the end also makes me think that in some sense we derive our first knowledge and connection with God through our parents. And it seems fitting then that we should remember them in every communion with God and seek His mercy to be bestowed upon them through our service.
That's beautiful, Amritha, that it is through our parents that we have been connected to God.
By the way, today was the first time I read through your blog and really enjoyed it!
Thank you! :) I'm glad you stopped by. You bring out very beautiful and thought-provoking perspectives that it seems too little to say I enjoy reading your blogs as well!
well, well, glad everyone is getting all connected :)
A few last thoughts on this - I think in general, prayer has huge effect, whatever it is that we're praying for. Specifically, though, I think Baha'u'llah does say that when it comes to parents in particular, we have the ability, through our own service and prayers, to affect the spiritual growth of their souls. And this might have to do with some of the things you both said about the special relationship we share with our parents.
Abdu'l Baha talks about our responsibility to our parents in this quote (though it talks more about how our responsibilities remain even after they pass away):
"...a father and mother endure the greatest troubles and hardships for their children; and often when the children have reached the age of maturity, the parents pass on to the other world. Rarely does it happen that a father and mother in this world see the reward of the care and trouble they have undergone for their children. Therefore, children, in return for this care and trouble, must show forth charity and beneficence, and must implore pardon and forgiveness for their parents. So you ought, in return for the love and kindness shown you by your father, to give to the poor for his sake, with greatest submission and humility implore pardon and remission of sins, and ask for the supreme mercy."
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