Verily He answereth him who prayeth unto Him, and is near unto him who calleth on Him. – ‘Abdu’l-Bahá

Uplifting the human spirit

All over the world, Bahá’ís and their friends, co-workers and neighbors are inviting people to devotional gatherings. The purpose is to create a space for sharing things that uplift the human spirit — things like music, poetry, prayer, song, stories, or even just thoughts and reflections — anything that we find inspirational. Read some Bahá’í Prayers.

One of the aspects of a devotional gathering is that it has no one set of rules to follow. It can be as formal and structured or as informal and spontaneous as we wish. No two are exactly alike. Since the central goal of the Bahá’í Faith is to promote the oneness of humankind, there is often great diversity in the readings and prayers and songs at these gatherings. The similarity is that they all speak to the human soul.

These meetings usually take place in people’s homes, or other settings.

Praying and reflecting together on spiritual principles is an essential part of life. Devotional gatherings stimulate a spiritual awareness within our inner selves and create stronger, deeper bonds in our neighborhoods and among our friends.

In the highest prayer, men pray only for the love of God, not because they fear Him or hell, or hope for bounty or heaven…. When a man falls in love with a human being, it is impossible for him to keep from mentioning the name of his beloved. How much more difficult is it to keep from mentioning the Name of God when one has come to love Him…. The spiritual man finds no delight in anything save in commemoration of God. – ‘Abdu’l-Bahá

Anyone can hold a devotional gathering

Most importantly, these devotionals can be held by anyone, either by hosting one in your own home or helping to host a gathering elsewhere. The Bahá’í teachings seek to empower each of us to create an uplifting and spiritual atmosphere in our own communities.

You are welcome to join a devotional gathering near you, and to simply sit, meditate and enjoy the atmosphere, or to play a more active role. An attitude of prayer and reverence is universal to all religions and the need to reflect on our lives is appreciated by people of varied backgrounds.

These devotional gatherings are open to all.