The French Teacher in the Master's Home

Bahá’u’lláh wrote: “The wise are they that speak not unless they obtain a hearing, even as the cup-bearer, who proffereth not his cup till he findeth a seeker ….” A delightful story is told of a Mademoiselle Letitia, who had come from a poor family in Haifa to live in the Master’s home in ‘Akká to teach French to the children. She was happy there, though she was a Catholic and the nuns in the convent watched over her. One day, when a French pilgrim came for a visit, her services as translator were needed, as no one else knew French. Mademoiselle became embarrassed and later confessed to the nuns. For a number of days thereafter she looked very stern. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá noticing this, called her to Him and reassured her: “Letitia, tell the good nuns that they need have no fear. I asked you to interpret for me because there was no one else to speak French, not because I desired to teach you. We have so many Bahá’ís, who come here, begging with all their hearts and all their love for instruction, that only to them do we give our precious teaching.

“You would have to beg and beg and beg before I would give it to you, and even then I might not do so; for it is not so cheap as to be bestowed where it is not wanted.

“Stay in the home if you like, or go if you are not happy here. We are glad to have you if you care to stay, but free your heart of all fear that we will try to make a Bahá’í of you.”

Source: Annamarie Honnold, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, pp. 57–58.

Collected from bahaistories.com (Subject: teaching).

Various. *bahaistories.com archive*. https://bahaistories.com/subject/teaching