This sacred day when the sun illumines equally the whole
earth is called the equinox and the equinox is the symbol of the divine
messenger. The sun of truth rises on the horizon of divine mercy and sends
forth its rays on all. This is the beginning of the spring. When the sun
appears at the equinox it causes a movement in all living things. The mineral
world is set in motion,, plants begin to sprout, the desert is changed into a
prairie, trees bud and every living thing responds, including the bodies of animals
and men.
The rising of the sun at the equinox is the symbol of life
and the human reality is revivified; our thoughts are transformed and our
intelligence is quickened. The sun of truth bestows eternal life, just as the
solar sun is the cause of terrestrial life.
The day of the appearance of God's messenger on earth is
ever a sacred day, a day when man commemorates his lord.
Among the ancient Persians this day was looked upon as the
holy day of the year - a day when hospitals and charitable institutions were
founded, collections for the poor were made and every effort put forth that it
might not be allowed to pass without leaving some divine trace and throughout
Persia one sees these historical traces.
(‘Abdu’l-Baha, from a talk in Paris, ‘Divine
Philosophy’)
