Part 15 (1/2)
The followers of the Most Great Name, citizens of the great republic of the West; const.i.tuting the majority and the oldest followers of His Faith in a continent wherein, in the words of 'Abdu'l-Baha, ”the splendors of His (Baha'u'llah's) Light shall be revealed” and ”the mysteries of His Faith shall be unveiled,” addressed by Him in His Tablets of the Divine Plan as the ”Apostles” of His Father; the recipients of the overwhelming majority of these same Tablets const.i.tuting the Charter of that Plan; conquerors of most of the territories, whether sovereign states or dependencies, already included within the pale of the Faith; the champion-builders of a world administrative system which posterity will regard as the harbinger of the World Order of Baha'u'llah, must, if they wish to retain their primacy and enrich their heritage, insure that, ere the opening of the second phase of this World Crusade, the names of the first American Baha'i conquerors to settle in virgin territories and islands will, as befits their primacy, be inscribed on the Scroll of Honor, now in process of preparation, and designed to be permanently deposited at the entrance door of the Inner Sanctuary of Baha'u'llah's Most Holy Tomb, that the limited area of land required for the erection of four future Baha'i Temples, in Rome, Stockholm, Panama City and Johannesburg, will be bought, that the landscaping of the grounds of the Temple in Wilmette will be completed, and that the translation and the publication of the aforementioned pamphlet in the specified languages will be accomplished.
The two years that lie ahead, three months of which have already elapsed, will swiftly and imperceptibly draw to a close. Tasks even more onerous, equally weighty and requiring in a still greater measure the expenditure of effort and substance, lie ahead, which will brook no delay, which will carry the Faith to still higher levels of achievement and renown, which will enlarge, through the forging of fresh instruments, the framework of a steadily rising world Administrative Order, and which will eventually, if worthily discharged, seal the triumph of the most prodigious, the most sublime, the most sacred collective enterprise launched by the adherents of the Cause of G.o.d in both hemispheres since the early days of the Heroic Age of the Faith-an enterprise which in its vastness, organization and unifying power, has no parallel in the world's spiritual history.
AN APPEAL TO ALL ENGAGED IN THE CRUSADE
To them, and indeed to the entire body of the followers of Baha'u'llah, engaged in this global Crusade, I direct my appeal to arise and, in the course of these fast-fleeting years, in every phase of the campaigns that are to be fought in all the continents of the globe, prove their worth as gallant warriors battling for the Cause of Baha'u'llah. Indeed, from this very hour until the eve of the Most Great Jubilee, each and every one of those enrolled in the Army of Light must seek no rest, must take no thought of self, must sacrifice to the uttermost, must allow nothing whatsoever to deflect him or her from meeting the pressing, the manifold, the paramount needs of this preeminent Crusade.
”Light as the spirit,” ”pure as air,” ”blazing as fire,” ”unrestrained as the wind”-for such is Baha'u'llah's own admonition to His loved ones in His Tablets, and directed not to a select few but to the entire congregation of the faithful-let them scatter far and wide, proclaim the glory of G.o.d's Revelation in this Day, quicken the souls of men and ignite in their hearts the love of the One Who alone is their omnipotent and divinely appointed Redeemer.
Bracing the fearful cold of the Arctic regions and the enervating heat of the torrid zone; heedless of the hazards, the loneliness and the austerity of the deserts, the far-away islands and mountains wherein they will be called upon to dwell; undeterred by the clamor which the exponents of religious orthodoxy are sure to raise, or by the restrictive measures which political leaders may impose; undismayed by the smallness of their numbers and the mult.i.tude of their potential adversaries; armed with the efficacious weapons their own hands have slowly and laboriously forged in antic.i.p.ation of this glorious and inevitable encounter with the organized forces of superst.i.tion, of corruption and of unbelief; placing their whole trust in the matchless potency of Baha'u'llah's teachings, in the all-conquering power of His might and the infallibility of His glorious and oft-repeated promises, let them press forward, each according to his strength and resources, into the vast arena now lying before them, and which, G.o.d willing, will witness, in the years immediately lying ahead, such exhibitions of prowess and of heroic self-sacrifice as may well recall the superb feats achieved by that immortal band of G.o.d-intoxicated heroes who have so immeasurably enriched the annals of the Christian, the Islamic and Babi Dispensations.
On the members of the American Baha'i Community, the envied custodians of a Divine Plan, the princ.i.p.al builders and defenders of a mighty Order and the recognized champions of an unspeakably glorious and precious Faith, a peculiar and inescapable responsibility must necessarily rest. Through their courage, their self-abnegation, their fort.i.tude and their perseverance; through the range and quality of their achievements, the depth of their consecration, their initiative and resourcefulness, their organizing ability, their readiness and capacity to lend their a.s.sistance to less privileged sister communities struggling against heavy odds; through their generous and sustained response to the enormous and ever-increasing financial needs of a world-encompa.s.sing, decade-long and admittedly strenuous enterprise, they must, beyond the shadow of a doubt, vindicate their right to the leaders.h.i.+p of this World Crusade.
Now is the time for the hope voiced by 'Abdu'l-Baha that from their homeland ”heavenly illumination” may ”stream to all the peoples of the world” to be realized. Now is the time for the truth of His remarkable a.s.sertion that that same homeland is ”equipped and empowered to accomplish that which will adorn the pages of history, to become the envy of the world and be blest in both the East and the West,” to be strikingly and unmistakably demonstrated. ”Should success crown” their ”enterprise,” He, moreover, has a.s.sured them, ”the throne of the Kingdom of G.o.d will, in the plenitude of its majesty and glory, be firmly established.”
Would to G.o.d that this community, boasting already of so superb a record of achievements both at home and overseas, and elevated to such dazzling heights by the hopes cherished and the a.s.surance given by the Center of Baha'u'llah's Covenant, may prove itself capable of performing deeds of such distinction, in the course of the opening, as well as the succeeding phases of this World Spiritual Crusade, as will outs.h.i.+ne the dedicated acts which have already left their indelible mark on the Apostolic Age of the Faith in the West; will excel the enduring, the historic achievements a.s.sociated, at a later period, with this community's memorable contribution to the rise and establishment of the world Administrative Order of Baha'u'llah; will surpa.s.s the magnificent accomplishments which, subsequently, as the result of the operation of the first Seven Year Plan, illuminated the annals of the Faith in both the North American continent and throughout Latin America and will eclipse the even more dramatic exploits which, during the opening years of the second epoch of the Formative Age of the Faith, and in the course of the prosecution of the Second Seven Year Plan, have exerted so lasting an influence on the fortunes of the Faith of Baha'u'llah in the Antilles, throughout the republics of Central America, in each of the ten republics of South America, in no less than ten sovereign states in the continent of Europe, and in various dependencies on the eastern and western sh.o.r.es, as well as in the heart of the African continent.
[July 18, 1953]
SAFEGUARDING AMERICAN PRIMACY
Overjoyed by remarkable achievements of American Baha'i Community, safeguarding primacy, enhancing prestige, setting magnificent example to sister communities East and West. a.s.sure three a.s.sembly members, also Lofoten valiant pioneer of abiding appreciation, fervent loving prayers.
[September 5, 1953]
TEMPLE SITE PURCHASED IN PANAMA
Heartfelt congratulations on acquisition of Temple site; notable achievement of World Crusade.
[Circa May 1954]
a.s.sEMBLIES MUST BE MAINTAINED