On Christmas night 1912, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá visited a Salvation Army shelter in London
bahaistories.com archive · Read original
Studio narration for this story is coming — it’ll be generated by the cloud-TTS pipeline (voice: auto-selected from the source author).
When in Bahá'í history
London (today: London, UK)
On Christmas night 1912, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá visited a Salvation Army shelter in London. A thousand homeless men were enjoying a special Christmas dinner. He spoke to them as they ate, reminding them that Jesus had been poor and that it was easier for the poor than the rich to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. The men were enthralled. Some were so impressed that, in spite of their hunger and the rare dinner set before them, they forgot to eat. As He left the shelter, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá gave the warden of the shelter some money with which to buy a similar dinner on New Year’s night. The men rose to their feet to cheer Him as He went, waving their knives and forks in the air. They hardly knew the decades of persecution that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had suffered for Bahá’u’lláh trials greater than even these men knew.
Source: Source unknown
Collected from bahaistories.com (Subject: christmas).
Discuss this story
For adults
- Read the closing lines once more. What single phrase stays with you?
- What does the setting of this account contribute to its meaning?
- If you were to share this story aloud at a devotional gathering, which sentence would you read first?
For teens
- If you were in Bahá'u'lláh's place, what might you have done?
- What does this story teach about devotion?
Reflection
- How does devotion show up in your life right now — and where is it being asked of you?
- Read the passage a second time, slowly. What did you notice that you missed the first time?
- Sit quietly for a moment after reading. What does this story stir in you?
Comprehension quiz
Which source is "On Christmas night 1912, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá visited a Salvation Army shelter in London" 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?
Cite this story
Various. *bahaistories.com archive*. https://bahaistories.com/subject/christmas
Record yourself reading this story
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