O captive of the love of God! The letter which thou didst write at the
time of thy departure hath been received. It brought me joy; and it is my
hope that thine inner eye may be opened wide, so that unto thee the very
core of the divine mysteries may be disclosed.
Thou didst begin thy letter with a blessed phrase, saying: 'I am a
Christian.' O would that all were truly Christian! It is easy to be a
Christian on the tongue, but hard to be a true one. Today some five
hundred million souls are Christian, but the real Christian is very rare:
he is that soul from whose comely face there shineth the splendour of
Christ, and who showeth forth the perfections of the Kingdom; this is a
matter of great moment, for to be a Christian is to embody every
excellence there is. I hope that thou, too, shalt become a true Christian.
Praise thou God that at last, through the divine teachings, thou hast
obtained both sight and insight to the highest degree, and hast become
firmly rooted in certitude and faith. It is my hope that others as well
will achieve illumined eyes and hearing ears, and attain to everlasting
life: that these many rivers, each flowing along in diverse and separated
beds, will find their way back to the circumambient sea, and merge
together and rise up in a single wave of surging oneness; that the unity
of truth, through the power of God, will make these illusory differences
to vanish away. This is the one essential: for if unity be gained, all
other problems will disappear of themselves.
O honoured lady! In accordance with the divine teachings in this glorious
dispensation we should not belittle anyone and call him ignorant, saying:
'You know not, but I know'. Rather, we should look upon others with
respect, and when attempting to explain and demonstrate, we should speak
as if we are investigating the truth, saying: 'Here these things are
before us. Let us investigate to determine where and in what form the
truth can be found.' The teacher should not consider himself as learned
and others ignorant. Such a thought breedeth pride, and pride is not
conducive to influence. The teacher should not see in himself any
superiority; he should speak with the utmost kindliness, lowliness and
humility, for such speech exerteth influence and educateth the souls.
O honoured lady! For a single purpose were the Prophets, each and all,
sent down to earth; for this was Christ made manifest, for this did
Baha'u'llah raise up the call of the Lord: that the world of man should
become the world of God, this nether realm the Kingdom, this darkness
light, this satanic wickedness all the virtues of heaven--and unity,
fellowship and love be won for the whole human race, that the organic
unity should reappear and the bases of discord be destroyed and life
everlasting and grace everlasting become the harvest of mankind.
O honoured lady! Look about thee at the world: here unity, mutual
attraction, gathering together, engender life, but disunity and inharmony
spell death. When thou dost consider all phenomena, thou wilt see that
every created thing hath come into being through the mingling of many
elements, and once this collectivity of elements is dissolved, and this
harmony of components is dissevered, the life form is wiped out.
O honoured lady! In cycles gone by, though harmony was established, yet,
owing to the absence of means, the unity of all mankind could not have
been achieved. Continents remained widely divided, nay even among the
peoples of one and the same continent association and interchange of
thought were wellnigh impossible. Consequently intercourse, understanding
and unity amongst all the peoples and kindreds of the earth were
unattainable. In this day, however, means of communication have
multiplied, and the five continents of the earth have virtually merged
into one. And for everyone it is now easy to travel to any land, to
associate and exchange views with its peoples, and to become familiar,
through publications, with the conditions, the religious beliefs and the
thoughts of all men. In like manner all the members of the human family,
whether peoples or governments, cities or villages, have become
increasingly interdependent. For none is self-sufficiency any longer
possible, inasmuch as political ties unite all peoples and nations, and
the bonds of trade and industry, of agriculture and education, are being
strengthened every day. Hence the unity of all mankind can in this day be
achieved. Verily this is none other but one of the wonders of this
wondrous age, this glorious century. Of this past ages have been deprived,
for this century--the century of light--hath been endowed with unique and
unprecedented glory, power and illumination. Hence the miraculous
unfolding of a fresh marvel every day. Eventually it will be seen how
bright its candles will burn in the assemblage of man.
Behold how its light is now dawning upon the world's darkened horizon. The
first candle is unity in the political realm, the early glimmerings of
which can now be discerned. The second candle is unity of thought in world
undertakings, the consummation of which will erelong be witnessed. The
third candle is unity in freedom which will surely come to pass. The
fourth candle is unity in religion which is the corner-stone of the
foundation itself, and which, by the power of God, will be revealed in all
its splendour. The fifth candle is the unity of nations--a unity which in
this century will be securely established, causing all the peoples of the
world to regard themselves as citizens of one common fatherland. The sixth
candle is unity of races, making of all that dwell on earth peoples and
kindreds of one race. The seventh candle is unity of language, i.e., the
choice of a universal tongue in which all peoples will be instructed and
converse. Each and every one of these will inevitably come to pass,
inasmuch as the power of the Kingdom of God will aid and assist in their
realization.