I Blog Poetry and Prose

The Soundtrack of Your Life: Day 2 - Blessed Is The Spot

Jamál (Beauty), 15 Sulṭán (Sovereignty) 176 B.E. - Sunday, February 2, 2020

Title: Blessed is the Spot
Artist: Elika Mahony

Lyrics1

“Blessed is the spot, and the house, and the place, and the city, and the heart, and the mountain, and the refuge, and the cave, and the valley, and the land, and the sea, and the island, and the meadow where mention of God hath been made, and His praise glorified.”

Bahá’u’lláh

I went to the Devotional Services at the Las Vegas Baha'i Center this morning. One of the songs that the choir sang was "Blessed is the Spot." There are two things I enjoy going to devotional Services for several reasons. First, is the lack of preaching, instead of preaching someone gives a talk on the topic of the service. Second, is the words of the sacred scriptures or prayers put to music. In this case, either the choir sings or a music video created by a Baha'i artist is shown. When I go to YouTube and search for "Blessed is the Spot", I find several videos, with different artist, singing this prayer.

Today's theme was Black History Month. One of the the speakers, who was black, talked about growing up in a Baha'i house hold and being exposed to people of different cultural, racial, and national backgrounds. Another speaker told the story of Hand of the Cause Louis Gregory. Mr. Gregory, a black man, was one of the early American Baha'is. He was a lawyer before selling his practice, so that he and his wife could go on a thirty year teaching trip across the United States. The Louis G. Gregory Baha'i Museum   is in Charleston, South Carolina.

A video talk by Masud Olufani, called Freeing Ourselves of the Stain of Racism  . Mr. Olufani, a Baha'i, also tells about becoming a Baha'i and what he discovered through the Baha'i scriptures, and through reading famous black writers and poets. In this video, he quotes the Baha'i scriptures that emphasize the unity of humanity, and the reason that Baha'is believe that racism is America's Most Challenging Issue.

I believe "Blessed Is The Spot" was a good choice for today's Devotional Service. This prayer shows that every place on Earth is blessed because one of God's names has been mentioned. Since every place on Earth is blessed, every human being--no matter what their culture, color, nationality, or religion--has been blessed by God.

Footnotes
1  http://www.bahaiprayers.org/