Chapter 20
Now is the time to teach the Cause of G.o.d in Germany as never before; in spite of the hards.h.i.+ps you are all undergoing, you must be active in building up new Baha'i a.s.semblies while the people are still seeking some spiritual food. We do not know what their spiritual condition will be like in the future when their physical lives are once again more stable and secure-so we must seize this golden opportunity, and make every sacrifice to rapidly spread the Divine Message in Germany now.
He will pray for you all, that G.o.d may bless, aid and guide you....
[From the Guardian:]
Dear and valued co-workers:
I was deeply touched by your message, and I greatly value the sentiments you have expressed, and the efforts you exert for the promotion of our beloved Faith. I will pray for your success from the depths of my heart.
Rest a.s.sured, and persevere in your high and meritorious endeavours.
Your true and grateful brother, Shoghi
LETTER OF 22 FEBRUARY 1947
22 February 1947
Dear Baha'i Friends:
Your letters dated Sept. 24th, Oct. 1st and Nov. 12th, 1946, have all been received, as well as the interesting reports you enclosed with them, and our beloved Guardian has instructed me to answer you on his behalf.
He was delighted to see that such large study cla.s.ses are being held in Esslingen, and that so many people are becoming students of the Faith. The German believers must concentrate all their efforts on teaching the Cause, as at the present time there are many truth-seekers; in the future it may be more difficult to reach the people.
The Summer School was also a great success this year, and our Guardian was very happy to see so many attended and that the activities of the Baha'is are now receiving public approval, after so many years of persecution!
You may be sure his loving prayers are offered for the success of your devoted services to the Cause of G.o.d....
[From the Guardian:]
May the Spirit of Baha'u'llah sustain, guide and bless your meritorious efforts, aid you to render notable services to our beloved Cause, and consolidate its new-born and G.o.d-given inst.i.tutions,
Your true and grateful brother, Shoghi
LETTER OF 26 FEBRUARY 1947
26 February 1947
Dear Baha'i Friends:
Your letter to our beloved Guardian, dated Sept. 25th, 1946, was received, as well as the minutes of your meeting of Nov. 2nd and 3rd., and he has instructed me to answer you on his behalf.
Regarding the question of Herr Jorn: Smoking is not forbidden by 'Abdu'l-Baha; He advises against it for reasons of health, but we have no right to prevent anyone from smoking. But drinking and the use of drugs are strictly forbidden and the Baha'is should obey this command.
The Guardian has received a number of letters from the Baha'is of..., and in the interest of promoting unity among the friends in Germany he is going to write them instructing them to cooperate with and obey your a.s.sembly; he feels that you should send capable Baha'is there to teach them and strengthen them in the Faith, and to make sure no political elements are allowed to enter into their discussions or be a part of their group.
He has recently had fifteen hundred dollars sent from the Relief Fund in?ihran to America for the immediate purchase of food parcels for the German and Austrian Baha'is, and hopes these will soon reach them. It is very
He is also very anxious to receive news of exactly what is happening about the National Baha'i Headquarters in Frankfurt; he gathers from your minutes that negotiations are in progress for a building in that city? He attaches great importance to this undertaking, and urges you to press the matter constantly.
The reports he received of the young peoples' Summer School and the Summer School at Esslingen were most encouraging, and he is delighted to see that in spite of so many handicaps the friends are so devoted and active! He was also very happy to note that new spiritual a.s.semblies are in the process of formation, and hopes you will concentrate on their establishment and the formation of many new groups. In spite of the conditions in Germany it is of the utmost importance to teach the Cause as widely as possible, especially to the youth, now that through suffering and disillusionment the hearts of the people are more receptive.
You may be sure that his ardent and loving prayers are offered for each and every one of you, and for the success of your devoted labours for the Cause of G.o.d....
[From the Guardian:]
Dearly-beloved friends:
The revival and rapid consolidation of the German Baha'i community after the prolonged and terrible ordeals to which it has been subjected is a striking evidence of the irresistible power of the Faith of Baha'u'llah, as well as a magnificent testimony to the vitality of the faith of the German believers. I feel proud and profoundly thankful for the loyalty, the perseverance, the resolution, the unity, the zeal and the devotion which characterize their collective efforts and corporate life in the service of this glorious Cause. The prompt establishment of the national Haziratu'l-Quds in the city of Frankfurt; the rapid translation, publication and dissemination of Baha'i literature; the multiplication of Baha'i centers, whether groups or a.s.semblies; the consolidation of the inst.i.tution of the Summer School; the initiation of effective measures aimed at a close collaboration with the American European Teaching committee; the proclamation of the teachings of the Faith to the spiritually famished, the disillusioned and longsuffering ma.s.ses-these stand out as the primary and urgent tasks that demand the immediate, the earnest and undivided attention of your a.s.sembly. I will pray for your success from the depths of my heart and feel confident that the dearly-beloved heroic German believers will arise, as one man and despite the obstacles confronting them, to achieve these immediate tasks that const.i.tute only a prelude to the tremendous enterprises which it is their destiny to accomplish in the years to come.
Your true brother, Shoghi
LETTER OF 4 JUNE 1947 (CONVENTION)
4 June 1947 (Convention)
Dear Baha'i Friends:
It was with great joy that our beloved Guardian received your loving message dated April 26th, and signed by so many of the dear believers. He has instructed me to answer you on his behalf.
The re-florescence of the Holy and beloved Faith in Germany, after so many bitter years of suppression and suffering, has brought great happiness to not only his heart but to the hearts of the Baha'is all over the world.
That you should be able, in relatively so short a period of time, and in the face of so many obstacles, to reconst.i.tute your a.s.semblies and National a.s.sembly, be in a position to elect new a.s.semblies, and to hold your Summer School and various conferences, all point the way to a brilliant future for the German followers of the Cause of G.o.d.
He urges you individually and collectively to teach the Faith constantly to your spiritually starved countrymen, to support and a.s.sist your National a.s.sembly in carrying out its heavy responsibilities and to do all in your power to hasten the day when a befitting National Headquarters, situated in Frankfurt a.M., will have been purchased and established, one that will be commensurate with the importance of the German Baha'i Community, the strongest and largest on the Continent of Europe.
You may rest a.s.sured that his loving and ardent prayers are offered for your progress and success in the Holy Shrines....
[From the Guardian:]
Dearly beloved friends and co-workers:
I was deeply touched by your message, and I greatly value the sentiments you have expressed, the zeal and unity you demonstrate, the deeds you accomplish, the plans you have conceived, and above all the spirit you so powerfully manifest in your diligent labours for the spread and consolidation of our beloved Faith in your promising country. The German Baha'i community, emerging triumphantly from one of the severest ordeals that have afflicted any of its sister-communities in East or West, now stands on the threshold of a new era in its development. Great tasks confront it. The establishment of a befitting administrative centre in the heart of that country, the multiplication of groups and a.s.semblies, the dissemination of Baha'i literature and the proclamation of the Faith to the ma.s.ses are among the most urgent, the most vital and outstanding of these tasks. The entire community, however difficult the present circ.u.mstances, must arise and carry them out. Its future as prophecied by 'Abdu'l-Baha is glorious. Its spirit is magnificent. Its members are distinguished among the followers of the Faith throughout the world by their tenacity, their thoroughness, their great capacity and resourcefulness. Our beloved Master, who watches over them, has greatly praised them, loves them dearly, is ready to bless their labours and reinforce their exertions. Its members must rise to the height of their present and priceless opportunity. They will, I feel confident, prove themselves worthy of the great blessings showered upon them in the past by their Lord and Master.
Affectionately, Shoghi