Mary Lucas, a pilgrim to 'Akka in 1905, found that the Master gave away all the…
bahaistories.com archive · Read original
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When in Bahá'í history
'Akká (today: Acre, Israel)
Mary Lucas, a pilgrim to 'Akka in 1905, found that the Master gave away all the many gifts which were sent to Him. 'A story is told of a beautiful silver service which was presented to Him, and He did not even look at it. One and another received portions of it until piece by piece it disappeared.
'A significant incident is that of a wealthy woman who offered Him a sum of money before she left 'Akka. He refused to accept it, and as the lady pleaded for the privilege of placing it in His hands, He said, at length: "I never accept anything for Myself, but if you wish you may bestow it upon a poor man...for the education of his son." So the money was used for this purpose.'
Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 77
Collected from bahaistories.com (Subject: generosity).
Discuss this story
For adults
- What stands out about 'Abdu'l-Bahá's response in this account?
- What might 'Abdu'l-Bahá's example ask of us in our own circumstances?
- Where do you see generosity appearing — visibly or quietly — in this passage?
For teens
- What is one quality you'd want to carry forward from this account?
- Which line in this story surprised you the most?
Reflection
- If you could bring one quality from this story into your next conversation, what would it be?
- What single image from this story will stay with you?
- How does generosity show up in your life right now — and where is it being asked of you?
Comprehension quiz
Which source is "Mary Lucas, a pilgrim to 'Akka in 1905, found that the Master gave away all the…" drawn from?
Where does this story take place?
What period of Bahá'í history does this story belong to?
Which historical figure is featured most prominently in this story?
Which virtue does this story most clearly illustrate?
Cite this story
Various. *bahaistories.com archive*. https://bahaistories.com/subject/generosity
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