inhospitable the environment, however vast the distances that must be
traversed, however scarce the amenities of life, however irksome the means
of travel, however annoying the restrictions, however listless and
confused the minds of the peoples and races contacted, however trying the
setbacks that may be suffered, we must, under no circumstances, either
falter or flinch. Our reliance on the unfailing grace of an all-loving,
all-preserving, ever-sustaining, ever-watchful Providence, must, however
much we may be buffeted by circumstances, remain unshaken until the very
end. Shall we not, when hardships seethe about us, and our hearts
momentarily quail, recall the ardent desire so poignantly voiced by
'Abdu'l-Baha in those immortal Tablets that enshrine forever His last
wishes for His chosen disciples: "Oh! that I could travel, even though on
foot and in the utmost poverty, to these regions, and, raising the call of
Ya-Baha'u'l-Abha in cities, villages, mountains, deserts and oceans,
promote the Divine teachings! This, also, I cannot do. How intensely I
deplore it! Please God, ye may achieve it."
To be privileged to render, in His stead, on so colossal a scale, at such
a challenging hour, and in the service of so sublime a Plan, so great and
enduring a service, is a bounty which we can never adequately appraise. We
stand too close to the noble edifice our hands are rearing, the din and
tumult into which a war-devastated world is now plunged are too
distracting, our own share in the furtherance of those global aims, task
and problems that are increasingly absorbing the attention of mankind and
its leaders is as yet too circumscribed, for us to be in a position to
evaluate the contribution which we, as the executors of 'Abdu'l-Baha's
Mandate, as the champion-builders of Baha'u'llah's Order, as the
torch-bearers of a civilization of which that Order is the mainspring and
precursor, are now being led, through the inscrutable dispensations of an
almighty Providence, to make to the world triumph of our Faith, as well as
to the ultimate redemption of all mankind.
Great have been the blessings, and divers the bestowals, vouchsafed to
this Community ever since the compelling will of a loving Master called it
into being, and raised it up for the glory and honor of His Father's
Faith. Unnumbered have been the marks of solicitude which, down the years,
He showered upon it, as He nursed it in its infancy, as He fostered its
growth, as He sent forth His messengers and communicated His written
instructions to initiate it into the mysteries of His Cause, as He
vitalized it through personal contact with His own dynamic and vibrant
personality, as He consecrated, through a series of significant acts, the
initial activities which He Himself had enabled it to inaugurate, as He
invested it, at a later stage, in the evening of His life, with that
primacy that was to empower it to launch the Plan which He had conceived
for its future development, as He, through the sustaining power of His
spirit from on high, assisted it to erect the framework of those
institutions that were to safeguard its unfoldment and canalize its
energies, as He led it forward to embark upon the first stage of His own
revealed Plan which was to enable it to achieve such exploits and garner
such a harvest in the virgin territories of the New World, and as He, with
that same watchful and loving care, is now marshalling its forces and
sounding the signal for a still greater and more brilliant deployment of
those forces, at a time of great commotion and distress, in one of the
most agitated storm centers of the world.
Strange, indeed, as we look back over the last fifty years that have
witnessed the creation and unfoldment of so powerful an agency for the
execution of Baha'u'llah's purpose for mankind, that he who had first
raised his voice in public on behalf of so mighty a Faith should have
sprung from the ranks and been recognized as one of the leading
representatives of that narrow and hostile ecclesiastical order which, as
the Faith advances and storms still greater heights, will increasingly
launch against it its determined attacks. Stranger still that he whom
posterity will recognize to have been the founder of that Faith in the
Western Hemisphere, whom the Center of the Covenant, in recognition of so
signal a service, had acclaimed as "Baha's Peter" and "the Second
Columbus", should have, in his vanity and ambition, deserted the Fold he
had labored to gather, should have allied himself with the Arch-Breaker of
the Covenant of Baha'u'llah, and remained until the end of his life, a
sworn and bitter enemy of the One Who had entrusted him with such a holy
and historic errand, and conferred upon him such glowing tributes. More
extraordinary still that he who had been instrumental in carrying the
Tablets of the Divine Plan from the One Who had revealed them to those
into whose care they were to be committed, who had enjoyed, for so long
and so intimately, near access to his Master as amanuensis, companion and
interpreter, should have been blinded by his inordinate ambition, and
should have arisen, with all the resources at his disposal, to attack and
undermine the institutions of an Order which, springing from the authentic
Will of 'Abdu'l-Baha, had been designed by Him to be the chief instrument
for the vigorous prosecution of that Plan and the fulfillment of its
ultimate purpose.
Such reflections, far from engendering in our minds and hearts the
slightest trace of perplexity, of discouragement or doubt, should
reinforce the basis of our convictions, demonstrate to us the
incorruptibility, the strange workings and the invincibility of a Faith
which, despite the assaults which malignant and redoubtable enemies from
the ranks of kings, princes and ecclesiastics have repeatedly launched
against it, and the violent internal tests that have shaken it for more
than a century, and the relative obscurity of its champions, and the
unpropitiousness of the times and the perversity of the generations
contemporaneous with its rise and growth, has gone from strength to
strength, has preserved its unity and integrity, has diffused its light
over five continents, reared the institutions of its Administrative Order
and spread its ramifications to the four corners of the earth, and
launched its systematic campaigns in both the Western and Eastern
Hemispheres.
For such benefits, for such an arresting and majestic vindication of the
undefeatable powers inherent in our precious Faith, we can but bow our
heads in humility, awe and thanksgiving, renew our pledge of fealty to it,
and, each covenanting in his own heart, resolve to prove faithful to that
pledge, and persevere to the very end, until our earthly share of
servitude to so transcendent and priceless a Cause has been totally and
completely fulfilled.
June 15, 1946.
THE UTMOST VIGOR, VIGILANCE AND CONSECRATION
The new Plan on which the American Baha'i community has embarked, in the
course of the opening years of the second Baha'i century, is of such
vastness and complexity as to require the utmost vigor, vigilance and
consecration on the part of both the general body of its prosecutors and
those who are called upon, as their National elected representatives, to
conduct its operation, define its processes, watch over its execution, and
insure its ultimate success. The obstacles confronting both its
participants and organizers, particularly in the European field, are
formidable, and call for the utmost courage, perseverance, fortitude and
self-sacrifice.
The precarious international situation in both Hemispheres, the distress
and preoccupation of the masses, in most of the countries to which
pioneers will soon be proceeding, with the cares of every day life, the
severe restrictions which are still imposed on visitors and travellers in
foreign lands, the religious conservatism and spiritual lethargy which
characterize the population in most of the lands where the new pioneers
are to labor, add to the challenge of the task, and render all the more
glorious the labors of the national community that has arisen to achieve
what posterity will regard as the greatest collective enterprise, not only
in the history of the community itself, but in the annals of the Faith
with which it stands identified.
The initial success of the enterprise which has been so auspiciously
launched, the enthusiasm which it has already engendered throughout Latin
America, the hopes it has aroused amid the suffering and scattered
believers in war-torn Europe, the feelings of admiration and envy it has
excited throughout several communities in the Baha'i world in both the
East and the West, augur well for the future course of its operation, and
foreshadow the splendors of the victories which its consummation must
witness. The forces that have been released through the birth of the Plan
must be directed into the most effective channels, the spirit that has
been kindled must be continually nourished, the facilities at the disposal
of its organizers must be fully utilized, each and every barrier that may
obstruct its expansion must be determinedly removed, every assistance
which Baha'i communities in various lands may wish, or be able, to offer,
should be whole-heartedly welcomed, every measure that will serve to
reinforce the bonds uniting the newly-fledged communities in the Latin
world, and to stimulate the movement, and raise the spirits, of itinerant
teachers and settlers laboring in the continent of Europe, must be
speedily undertaken, if the colossal task, which in the course of seven
brief years must be carried out, is to be befittingly consummated.
The sterner the task, the graver the responsibilities, the wider the field
of exertion, the more persistently must the privileged members of this
enviable community strive, and the loftier must be the height to which
they should aspire, in the course of their God-given mission, and
throughout every stage in the irresistible and divinely guided evolution
of their community life.
Setbacks may well surprise them; trials and disappointments may tax their
patience and resourcefulness; the forces of darkness, either from within
or from without, may seek to dampen their ardor, to disrupt their unity
and break their spirit; pitfalls may surround the little band that must
act as a vanguard to the host which must, in the years to come,
spiritually raise up the sorely ravaged continent of Europe. None of
these, however fierce, sinister or unyielding they may appear, must be
allowed to deflect the protagonists of a God-impelled Plan, from the
course which 'Abdu'l-Baha has chosen for them, and which the agencies of a
firmly established, laboriously erected, Administrative Order, are now
enabling them to effectively pursue.
That they may press forward with undiminished fervor, with undimmed
vision, with unfaltering steps, with indivisible unity, with unflinching
determination until the shining goal is attained is my constant prayer, my
ardent hope, and the dearest wish of my heart.
July 20, 1946
DISTINGUISHED SERVANT
Profoundly grieve passing dearly-beloved, great-hearted, high-minded,
distinguished servant Baha'u'llah, John Bosch. His saintly life, pioneer
services, historic contribution of institution of summer school, entitle
him to rank among outstanding figures of the closing years heroic, and
opening years of the formative age of the Baha'i Dispensation. Concourse
on high extol his exalted services. Assure his wife and valiant companion
of my deepfelt sympathy. Advise hold special gathering in Temple as
tribute to his imperishable memory.
Cablegram July 29, 1946
THIS NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL CRUSADE
As the opening phase of the Second Seven Year Plan draws inexorably to a
close, the American Baha'i community, which has already abundantly
demonstrated its capacity to carry to a triumphant conclusion the initial
stage of the Plan conceived by 'Abdu'l-Baha, must equally--nay, even more
convincingly--prove to the entire Baha'i world, its inflexible
determination and undoubted ability to discharge befittingly whatever
responsibilities the constant evolution of the Plan may impose upon its
members under any circumstances and in whatever continent of the globe. As
the field of their historic labors steadily widens, as the implications of
their high mission become more apparent, as the complexity of their task
increases, as the agencies designed to facilitate and accelerate its
execution multiply, the members of this community must, individually as
well as collectively, redouble their efforts, evince a nobler spirit of
self-sacrifice, display greater resourcefulness, unity, initiative,
steadfastness and enterprise, rise to loftier heights of heroism and
self-abnegation, and establish, more convincingly than ever, their right
to be regarded as the worthy champions of a glorious Cause, the principal
builders of a unique Order, the chosen trustees and executors of a
divinely conceived Plan.
Theirs is the duty, at once urgent, inescapable and sacred, to scatter
more widely and as far as the extremities of both the North and South
American continents, to cross the ocean in ever-increasing numbers, and
reinforce, rapidly and systematically, the outposts of the Faith in
Western Europe, lay, on a definite and unassailable basis, the foundations
of new and flourishing communities, disseminate, energetically, and on a
far more extensive scale, the literature of the Faith in all the languages
which the execution of the Plan, at its present stage, demands,
collaborate more closely with the two National Assemblies and their
subsidiary agencies already functioning in that continent, initiate,
wisely and patiently, whatever measures may be required to further the
purposes of the Plan, and surmount, at whatever cost, every obstacle they
may encounter in their path.
As to those who, owing to circumstances beyond their control, are
unavoidably prevented from participating in this national and
inter-continental crusade, and are denied the privilege of struggling in
the forefront of battle, either at home or abroad, theirs is the no less
meritorious task, to aid by every means in their power, whether through
financial assistance, constant support and encouragement, the supply of
literature or the appointment of deputies, the little band of their heroic
brethren, who have assumed so preponderating a share of the
responsibilities now facing the entire community: all, without exception,
without reservation, without further delay, must participate. Each and
every one, to the fullest extent of his or her ability, and however
distracting the prevailing circumstances, or circumscribed the means, must
arise to contribute to the success of this new enterprise, that will at
once safeguard the fruits already garnered through the successful
conclusion of the first stage of the Divine Plan, and enable its
prosecutors to launch, at the appointed time, the third and a still more
glorious stage in its evolution.
There is no time to lose. The task, though prodigious, is not beyond the
capacity of those, who, in so short a time, in such distant fields, over
so wide an area, and in the midst of a people so alien in temperament,
language and custom, have won such conspicuous victories for their beloved
Faith, and laid so enduring a foundation for its nascent institutions.
This gallant community is now summoned to undertake, further afield and in
circumstances admittedly more adverse and challenging, a task infinitely
more meritorious, and considerably richer in its potentialities. To fail,
at this critical juncture to rise to the height of the occasion, would
jeopardize the colossal work so painstakingly achieved in the course of
many long years, and irretrievably shatter the hopes for the early opening
of the third and most shining phase of the Divine Plan,--a stage whose
completion must mark the closing of the initial Epoch in the Plan's
progressive unfoldment.
May this community, faithful to its pledge and obedient to 'Abdu'l-Baha's
mandate, arise as one man and carry out, in its entirety and within the
stipulated time, the task on which it has so spontaneously embarked.
October 5, 1946
THE FORCES MYSTERIOUSLY RELEASED
The opening year of the second Seven Year Plan so auspiciously inaugurated
is half spent. The entire American Baha'i Community, galvanized through
fuller perception of the progressive unfoldment of its glorious destiny,
is geared to a higher speed of organized activity, and uplifted to a new
level of collective achievement. The forces mysteriously released,
designed to direct the operation and stimulate the processes to insure the
consummation of the second stage of the Divine Plan, are inconceivably
potent. Full, rapid use of these forces, by an organized community alive
to the sublimity of its mission, is imperative. The manifold agencies,
local, regional, national and intercontinental, directly responsible for
prosecution of the Plan are now called upon to achieve, in their
respective spheres, ere termination of this current year, successes so
conspicuous as shall immeasurably fortify hopes of winning, within the
stipulated time, a total, decisive victory. An immediate notable increase
in the number of pioneers, particularly for the newly-opened transatlantic
field of service, is the supreme necessity of this challenging hour. The
present trickle must at all costs swell into a steady flow of consecrated
settlers and itinerant teachers, who, mindful of the Master's poignant
plea, careless of their limited resources, undismayed by the somber
international outlook, undeterred by the formidable character of the tasks
undertaken or by the obstacles to be surmounted, will, in both the
administrative and teaching spheres, arise to accomplish feats outshining
the exploits immortalizing the record of American Baha'i stewardship in
both continents of the New World since the inception of 'Abdu'l-Baha's
Divine Plan. May the months immediately ahead be productive of results
exceeding my fondest expectations.
Cablegram October 7, 1946
THE PIVOT ON WHICH HINGES SUCCESS
I recall with profound emotion, on the morrow of the Twenty-Fifth
Anniversary of 'Abdu'l-Baha's passing, the dramatic circumstances marking
simultaneously the termination of the Heroic Age, and the commencement of
the Formative Period, of the Faith of Baha'u'llah.
I acclaim with thankfulness, joy and pride the American Baha'i community's
manifold, incomparable services rendered the Faith at home and across the
seas in the course of this quarter century.
I hail with particular satisfaction the consummation of the twin major
tasks spontaneously undertaken and brilliantly discharged by the same
community in both the administrative and missionary fields, constituting
the greatest contribution ever made to the progress of the Faith by any
corporate body at any time, in any continent, since the inception of the
administrative order.
Nursed during its infancy by 'Abdu'l-Baha's special care and unfailing
solicitude; invested at a later stage with spiritual primacy through the
symbolic acts associated with His historic visit to the North American
continent; summoned subsequently to the challenge through the revelation
of the epoch-making Tablets of the Divine Plan; launched on its career
according to the directives of and through the propelling force generated
by these same Tablets; utilizing with skill, resourcefulness and tenacity,
for the purpose of executing its mission, the manifold agencies evolving
within the administrative order, in the erection of whose fabric it has
assumed so preponderating a share; emerging triumphantly from the arduous
twofold campaign undertaken simultaneously in the homeland and in Latin
America; this community now finds itself launched in both hemispheres on a
second, incomparably more glorious stage, of the systematic crusade
designed to culminate, in the course of successive epochs, in the
spiritual conquest of the entire planet.
The task of this stern hour is challenging, its scale of operation
continually widening, the races and nations to be contacted highly
diversified, the forces of resistance more firmly entrenched, yet the
prizes destined for the valiant conquerors are inestimably precious and
the sustaining Grace of the Lord of Hosts promised to the executors of His
mandate is indescribably potent.
The present European project heralding the spiritual regeneration of the
entire continent is the pivot on which hinges the success of the second
Seven Year Plan. I appeal to the National representatives of the
community, in conjunction with the European Teaching Committee, to focus
attention upon its immediate requirements. The dispatch of nine additional
pioneers to facilitate the immediate formation of stable groups in the
goal towns of the ten selected countries is imperative. The selection of
suitable literature, its prompt translation into the languages required,
its publication and wide dissemination, is essential. The visit of an
ever-swelling number of itinerant teachers designed to foster the
development of the groups is urgently required. A more liberal allocation
of funds for the furtherance of the most vital objective is indispensable.
I entreat the entire community to arise, while time remains, contribute
generously, volunteer its services and accelerate its momentum, to assure
the total success of the first, most momentous collective enterprise
launched by the American Baha'i community beyond the barriers of the
Western Hemisphere.
Cablegram December 3, 1946
FIFTH YEAR OF PLAN MESSAGE TO 1941 CONVENTION
The Fifth Year of the Seven Year Plan is opening under circumstances of
utmost gravity in Eastern and Western Hemispheres. The fever of the times
is steadily mounting, throwing into sharper relief the contrast between
the rising greatness of the Faith of Baha'u'llah and the falling fortunes
of a moribund civilization. The American Baha'i Community, rapidly
pursuing the career traced by unerring finger of 'Abdu'l-Baha, can neither
halt nor waver. I cannot forbear address my particular plea to focus,
owing to virtual termination of Temple ornamentation, attention on
teaching requirements of the Plan. I appeal to incoming National Assembly,
its auxiliary Teaching Committees and subsidiary agencies to deliberate
and devise means to insure prompt reinstatement of the Assemblies recently
disbanded and formation of Assembly in each newly-opened State and
Province of North America and continuity of the consolidation of the
pioneer work initiated in every Latin Republic. Undismayed by aggravation
of the fury of the world tempest threatening their shores, scornful of the
agitation stirred up by their adversaries, the breakers of the Covenant,
the resolute upholders of the Divine Plan will, indeed cannot but, persist
in their ordained task to propagate the flame, enlarge the administrative
limits, and strike deeper roots of the world-encircling world-redeeming
Faith of Baha'u'llah.
Shoghi Rabbani
Cablegram received April 23, 1941.
FOOTNOTES
1 The First Century of the Baha'i Era, ending May 22, 1944.
2 Honolulu
3 The next message, dated April 23, 1941, will be found on page 110.