Letters from the Guardian to Australia and New Zealand.

by Shoghi Effendi.

LETTER OF DECEMBER 2, 1923

Fellow-labourers in the Divine Vineyard!

Upon my return, after a forced and prolonged absence, to the Holy Land, it is my first and most ardent wish to renew and strengthen those ties of brotherly love and fellowship that bind our hearts together in our common servitude to His Sacred Threshold.

The two years that have elapsed since the pa.s.sing of our beloved Master have been for the Cause, as well as for mankind, years of deep anxiety and strain. The momentous changes that are taking place in the history of both have proved so swift and far-reaching as to arouse in certain hearts a strange misgiving as to their stability and future.

On one hand the remarkable revelations of the Beloved's Will and Testament so amazing in all its aspects, so emphatic in its injunctions, have challenged and perplexed the keenest minds, whilst the ever-increasing confusion of the world, threatened as never before with disruptive forces, fierce rivalries, fresh commotions and grave disorder, have well-nigh overwhelmed the heart and damped the zeal of even the most enthusiastic believers in the destiny of mankind.

And yet, how often we seem to forget the clear and repeated warnings of our beloved Master, who in particular during the concluding years of his mission on earth, laid stress on the severe mental tests that would inevitably sweep over his loved ones of the West ... tests that would purge, purify and prepare them for their n.o.ble mission in life.

And as to the world's evil plight, we need but recall the writings and sayings of Baha'u'llah, who, more than fifty years ago, declared in terms prophetic the prime cause of the ills and sufferings of mankind, and set forth their true and divine remedy. "Should the lamp of Religion be hidden", He declared, "chaos and confusion will ensue." How admirably fitting and applicable are these words to the present state of mankind!

Ours then is the duty and privilege to labour, by day, by night, amidst the storm and stress of these troublous days, that we may quicken the zeal of our fellow-man, rekindle their hopes, stimulate their interests, open their eyes to the true Faith of G.o.d and enlist their active support in the carrying out of our common task for the peace and regeneration of the world.

Let us take heart and be thankful to our beloved 'Abdu'l-Baha, as we remember his manifold blessings and unfailing care and protection, ever since the hour of his departure from our midst. The flames of sedition, so maliciously kindled in the past by those who have dared to flout his will, are gone out for ever, and the fondest hopes of these evil plotters are now abandoned, doomed never to revive. He has indeed redeemed his promise!

It seemed not a long time ago that their agitation, so violently renewed immediately after the pa.s.sing of our Beloved, would for a time confuse the Divine Message of Baha'u'llah, obscure His Covenant, r.e.t.a.r.d the progress of His Cause, and shatter its unity; and yet how well we see them all today, not through our efforts, but by their own folly, and above all, by the intervention of the hidden hand of G.o.d, reduced to the vilest and most humiliating position.

And now, with the Cause purified and inwardly victorious, Its principles vindicated, Its enemies silenced and sunk in unspeakable misery, may we not, henceforth, direct all our efforts to collective action and constructive achievement; and in utter disregard of the flickerings of their fast-fading light, arise to carry out those urgent measures that will secure the outward and complete triumph of the Cause?

I for my part, as I look back to the unfortunate circ.u.mstances of ill-health and physical exhaustion that have attended the opening years of my career of service to the Cause, feel hardly gratified, and would be truly despondent but for the sustaining memory and inspiring example of the diligent and ceaseless efforts which my fellow-workers the world over have displayed during these two trying years in the service of the Cause.

I cherish the hope that, from now on the Beloved may bestow upon me all the strength and vigour that will enable me to pursue over a long and unbroken period of strenuous labour the supreme task of achieving, in collaboration with the friends in every land, the speedy triumph of the Cause of Baha'u'llah. This is the prayer I earnestly request all my fellow brethren and sisters in the Faith to offer on my behalf.

Let us pray to G.o.d that in these days of world encircling gloom, when the dark forces of nature, of hate, rebellion, anarchy and reaction are threatening the very stability of human society, when the most precious fruits of civilization are undergoing severe and unparalleled tests, we may all realize, more profoundly than ever, that though but a mere handful amidst the seething ma.s.ses of the world, are in this day the chosen instruments of G.o.d's Grace, that our Mission is most urgent and vital to the fate of humanity and, fortified by these sentiments, arise to achieve G.o.d's holy purpose for mankind.

Your brother in His service Shoghi for my beloved brethren and sisters in Australia and New Zealand-Shoghi.

Haifa, Palestine, December 2, 1923.

LETTER OF MAY 15TH, 1934

May 15th, 1934

Dear Baha'i Friend,

The Guardian has deeply appreciated your message dated April 10th, and he has asked me to convey to you once more his grateful thanks for the services you are so continually rendering the Faith in your centre. The gratifying news has just reached him of the opening of the first Convention of the Baha'is of Australia and New-Zealand, and needless to say how deeply he was moved by this historic step you have been inspired to take for the consolidation of the Administration in your country. He feels confident that through such remarkable evidences of the self-sacrificing, heroic and united efforts of the Australian and New Zealand believers an increasing number of hitherto skeptical and unfriendly people will be gradually attracted to the Faith, and some of them will eventually join the ranks of the faithful.

a.s.suring you again of the Guardian's fervent prayers for the continued expansion of your Baha'i activities, and with his best wishes and greetings to you and to all the friends in Adelaide,

Yours in His Service, H. Rabbani.

[From the Guardian:]

Dear and valued co-worker:

I rejoice to learn of the momentous step the Baha'is of Australia and New-Zealand have taken. They will surely be reinforced by the hosts of the Kingdom, and deserve the praise and admiration of their fellow-believers throughout the world. Constancy, co-operation, unity and steadfast adherence to the spiritual and administrative principles of the Faith are essential during these days when the foundations of the Universal House of Justice are being laid through your devoted efforts in your own country. I will continue to pray for you from the depths of my heart.

Your true brother, Shoghi.

LETTER OF JULY 26TH, 1934

July 26th, 1934.

Dear Miss Brooks,

I am directed by the Guardian to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of June 6th, written on behalf on the N.S.A. of the Baha'is of Australia and New-Zealand, and to convey to you, and to your collaborators on that a.s.sembly his grateful appreciation of the stupendous efforts you have unanimously exerted for making your first Convention such a sucessful and promising meeting. Your collective and continued sacrifices, as well as the a.s.sistance and guidance of Baha'u'llah have surely been responsible for this historic triumph which you have been able to achieve in the administrative field of the Cause-a triumph which will inevitably bring about a renewed and deeper spiritual consciousness to all the believers in these far-off lands.

Shoghi Effendi is praying from the very depths of his heart for your guidance and a.s.sistance, and hopes that as a result your National a.s.sembly will be soon enabled to take such steps as would enable it to extend and to further consolidate its national as well as international activities.

With warm greetings to you and to all the friends in Adelaide,

Yours in His Service, H. Rabbani.

[From the Guardian:]

Dear and valued co-worker:

My heart is filled with joy and grat.i.tude as a result of the perusal of your letter. I long to be in close and constant touch with your newly-formed national a.s.sembly-the first of your administrative activities and the herald of one of the most fruitful and stirring periods of the history of the Faith in that promising continent. I will be so glad to receive copies of the minutes of your gatherings, and urge you to keep in close touch with your sister a.s.semblies throughout the Baha'i world. I will a.s.suredly pray for you and your dear and devoted collaborators from the depths of my heart.

Your true brother, Shoghi.

LETTER OF OCTOBER 17TH, 1934

October 17th, 1934