27 / A Home Becomes a Shrine

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A Home Becomes a Shrine

Many people heard about ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s talk at the Church of the Messiah in Montreal, and they were eager to meet Him. A crowd gathered at the Maxwell home that evening. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá spoke with so much energy and intensity that His taj (tall, brimless hat) fell from His head. Still, He continued to speak with vigor for more than half an hour:

The people of this continent possess great capacity; they are the cause of my happiness, and I ever pray that God may confirm and assist them to progress. . . . No matter how much man may acquire material virtues, he will not be able to realize and express the highest possibilities of life without spiritual graces. . . .

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Jesus Christ said, “Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.”. . . Before his first or physical birth man . . . had no knowledge of this world; his eyes could not see; his ears could not hear. When he was born . . . he beheld another world. The sun was shining with its splendors . . . the seas surging, trees verdant and green, all kinds of creatures enjoying life here. . . . For the perfect man there are two kinds of birth: the first, physical birth, is from the matrix of the mother; the second, or spiritual birth, is from the world of nature. . . . freedom from attachment to this mortal and material life. This is the second, or spiritual, birth of which Jesus Christ spoke in the Gospels. . . .

When a divine spiritual illumination becomes manifest in the world of humanity. . . . the banner of international peace will be upraised. . . . All humanity will appear as the members of one family. . . . The lights of the love of God will shine; eternal happiness will be unveiled; everlasting joy and spiritual delight will be attained.1

After His talk, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá left the group and went to His room. But the people longed to hear more. Kindly, He came out and spoke to them again, explaining the immortality of the human spirit. Then some people asked to meet with Him individually in His room.

‘Abdu’l-Bahá gave several public talks in Montreal and addressed more gatherings at the Maxwell home. He had planned to stay in Canada for only a few days, but He lengthened His visit to more than a week. During that time, thirty-four articles written about Him

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appeared in the Montreal daily newspapers. One day He remarked, “The value and greatness of these travels are not known now but will be apparent later on. As we had no other intention except to offer devotion to the Threshold of the One True God, we were assisted and the brightness of divine favor and grace appeared.”2

One afternoon, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá encouraged everyone to join Him for a Persian lunch cooked by one of His companions. He told this story:

To be grateful for the blessings of God in time of want and trouble is necessary. In the abundance of blessings everyone can be grateful. It is said that Sul¬án Ma¥múd cut a melon and gave a portion of it to Ayáz who ate it cheerfully and expressed gratitude. When the Sul¬án ate a little of the same melon, he found it bitter. He asked, “How did you eat such a bitter melon and show no sign of disliking it?” Ayáz answered, “I had eaten many sweet and palatable things from the hands of the Sul¬án and I thought it very unworthy of me to express dislike on eating a slightly bitter thing today.” Thus man, who is immersed in the blessings of God, should not be grieved if he experiences a little trouble. He should not forget the manifold divine bounties.3

‘Abdu’l-Bahá moved from the Maxwell home to the Hotel Windsor. The Maxwells tried to convince Him to stay, but He said, “A traveler should stay in a hotel.” Perhaps He did not want to burden the household, because He was very careful about His personal expenses. Once when Ma¥múd asked if he should call a carriage, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá preferred to take the streetcar, saying, “This saves expense. There is a

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difference of one dollar in the fare.” Yet He was generous with others. He gave each of the Maxwells’ servants one British pound.4

One afternoon, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and His companions took a car ride to the foot of Mount Royal, outside the city limits. This was a popular place for recreation. They traveled to the top in the “Mountain Elevator”—steam-powered cable cars that offered an alternative to the winding roads, footpaths, or wooden staircase. The ride cost five cents for adults and three cents for children. As they traveled up the steep slope, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá said, “This cable car is like a balloon flying in the air.” At the top, they walked along the East-End Lookout, an elegant wooden structure. From there they had a glorious view of the whole city stretching out below.5

When May and Sutherland had visited ‘Akká in 1909, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had seen May holding one of His grandsons in her arms. He asked her, “You love that baby?”

She replied, “Oh! I love him.”

‘Abdu’l-Bahá asked, “Would you like to have a baby?”

“I should be so happy to have one—”

They spoke some more on the subject, and May said, “I choose whatever God chooses—I have no choice but His.”

“That is the best choice, the Will of God is the best choice.” ‘Abdu’lBahá said, “I will pray for you, that God will send you that which is best for you. Be sure of this, that God will send you that which is best for you—” He repeated that several times.

May and Sutherland’s daughter, Mary, was born in 1910. ‘Abdu’lBahá wrote, “In the garden of existence a rose hath bloomed with the utmost freshness, fragrance and beauty. Educate her according to the

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divine teachings so that she may grow up to be a real Bahá’í and strive with all thy heart, that she may receive the Holy Spirit.”6

While ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was in Montreal, May told Him, “At the time that I visited ‘Akká I despaired of ever having the blessing of children. Praise be to God! My supplications and your prayers at the Holy Shrine of Bahá’u’lláh were accepted and I was blessed with a dear baby.”

‘Abdu’l-Bahá told her, “Children are the ornaments of the home. A home which has no children is like one without light.”7

Mary Maxwell was two years old when ‘Abdu’l-Bahá visited her home. She would often sit on ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s lap, and He would stroke her curls, saying, “She is precious! She is precious!”8

One day while He was staying in the Maxwell home, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá told His companions, “Today I was resting . . . in my bedroom and the door opened. The little girl came in to me and pushed my eyelids up with her small finger and said, ‘Wake up, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá!’ I took her in my arms and placed her head on my chest and we both had a good sleep.”

When May complained to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá that Mary was naughty, He said, “Leave her alone. She is the essence of sweetness.”9

May talked with ‘Abdu’l-Bahá about the work of Maria Montessori, an Italian physician who had opened a preschool in Rome in 1907. Dr. Montessori encouraged students to learn by following their own interests. She then trained teachers from around the world in her methods. Later, May hired a Montessori teacher and started Canada’s first Montessori school in her home, for Mary and eight other children.

In contrast to the strict traditional schools of the time, May encouraged Mary’s inquisitive spirit. She said that her daughter loved

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everything about nature: “She knows about toads, frogs, lizards, snakes, mud eels, and I don’t know what slimy creatures. All this knowledge she has gained at first hand, straight from the source by watching these creatures—catching them—keeping them for a time and feeding them—and then making people read her all about them in books.”10

As ‘Abdu’l-Bahá prepared to leave Montreal, He told the Bahá’ís, “I have sown the seed. You must water it. You must educate the souls in divine morals, make them spiritual and lead them to the oneness of humanity and to universal peace.”11

Even though ‘Abdu’l-Bahá stayed in other homes in America and in Europe, the Maxwell home is the only one considered a Bahá’í shrine. When Mary Maxwell grew up, she married ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s grandson, Shoghi Effendi. She later gave the house to the Bahá’ís of Canada. She said, “Things arise in historic perspective as time goes by. This is the only private home in Canada where ‘Abdu’l-Bahá stayed. After His visit, it was always considered blessed by having been used by Him. For future generations, it will eventually grow in importance and sacredness, because He, the Centre of the Covenant, the Greatest Mystery of God, stayed here.”12

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