I fondly remember the first time I met Hoda. It was with my husband, when we went to visit Hoda and Marcos at their home in Salt, Girona. I couldn’t tell you the exact date, but it was sometime during the first trimester of 2015, approximately. While my husband was talking with Marcos, I had the joy of spending a lovely time with Hoda.
The purpose of our visit was to talk about the possibility of her offering a service within the National Institute Board, given her broad and valuable experience. We spoke at length about her availability, the importance of the training process, and what such a service entailed… I clearly remember how she accepted that challenge with great humility and a sincere attitude of learning. She herself said that she did not know the Spanish community very well and that this was a national-level service, but her dedication, her faith, and her trust in God were greater than any doubts.
We also had the chance to connect on a more personal level. We talked about our personal experiences, her roots, her family, her friendships, and the beautiful life of love and service she shared with Marcos. She spoke to me about her hopes, her vision for the future… and in that conversation, her luminous soul was revealed.
From the very first moment, I was captivated by her smile, her warmth, her closeness… and above all, the sincere love she radiated. It was a very special feeling, as if we had known each other our whole lives, even though it was the first time we met. We left their home with hearts overflowing with joy and a deep gratitude to God for allowing us to meet two souls truly in love with Bahá’u’lláh.
After that encounter, we were fortunate to cross paths in various spaces of service. I always saw her as an example: in every consultation she would return to the Writings, she knew clearly which message could inspire the conversation, and she had a prodigious memory for recalling the Texts. Her way of consulting was serene, focused, always full of love and purpose.
And although it was deeply painful to see her in her final days in this world, even then she was for me an example of devotion and faith. She accepted God’s Will with serenity, and until the very end continued sharing the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh with her friends, accompanying them on their spiritual path, praying with them in her own home. She left a profound mark of love and light on everyone.
Words fall short to express everything I experienced and felt with Hoda. But what I can say is this: Hoda, you are and will always be in my heart. And I firmly believe that these words of Bahá’u’lláh are fulfilled in you:
“…if the soul has walked in the ways of God, it will, no doubt, return and be gathered into the glory of the Beloved.”
Glòria Sant