It is stated in the New Testament that Jesus Christ was once
drinking the juice of grapes and said he would drink no more except in the
presence of the Father. This means that the spirit needs food for strength as
well as the body. The appearance of the Holy Manifestations is for the purpose
of causing the heavenly table to descend. This Table means the divine virtues
and characteristics and is the means of strengthening the spirit and life.
Therefore we hope that as this heavenly table has descended from the Kingdom of
Abha in this marvelous period the believers and friends of God will have a
great portion of it so that they will be the cause of eternal life and the
means of enlightening the hearts of the people of the World.
In short, I hope you will ask God to bless you as being the
real sons of the Kingdom. Because the sons of the Kingdom are of two kinds. One
is the real son and the other is the material one. Judas Iscariot and Peter
were both sons of the Kingdom but Peter was the real son, Judas was the
material son. Consequently he was deprived. The real sons of the Kingdom are
those souls who act according to the instructions and teachings of Baha’u’llah,
the Blessed Perfection. They are drunken with the cup of Providence and are
illuminated by the divine Light. They are honored by all the perfections and
virtues of humanity, and are characterized with attributes which embellish the
essence of man in such a manner that all the people even the enemies testify of
their good actions, attractions, separation from the world, purity, sanctity,
knowledge and belief.
In conclusion I most humbly supplicate that God will admit you as the real sons of His Kingdom in such manner that you may be an honor to the Cause of God. And that all the people being astonished may say: 'These young men are not the same. When they started for Acca they had a station but on their return they possess another station. They are baptized by the providence of God, by the fire of the love of God, and by the Holy Spirit. They have received a second birth. They have found eternal life.
~ ‘Abdu’l-Baha (From a table talk; excerpt from the transcript of a talk given by William Copeland Dodge relating the account of his pilgrimage to ‘Akka in 1901) (To listen to and read the entire talk please visit Baha’i Talks, Messages and Articles)
