July 28, 2017
July 23, 2017
Consequences of rejecting the Message of God brought by Bahá’u’lláh: William I, King of Prussia
…the fate that has overtaken those kings, ministers and
ecclesiastics, in the East as well as in the West, who have, at various stages
of Bahá’u’lláh’s ministry, either deliberately persecuted His Cause, or have
neglected to heed the warnings He had uttered, or have failed in their manifest
duty to respond to His summons or to accord Him and His message the treatment
they deserved, particular attention…
William I, the pride-intoxicated newly-acclaimed conqueror
of Napoleon III, admonished in the Kitáb-i-Aqdas and bidden to ponder the fate
that had overtaken “one whose power transcended” his own, warned in that same
Book, that the “lamentations of Berlin” would be raised and that the banks of
the Rhine would be “covered with gore,” sustained two attempts on his life, and
was succeeded by a son who died of a mortal disease, three months after his
accession to the throne, bequeathing the throne to the arrogant, the headstrong
and short-sighted William II. The pride of the new monarch precipitated his
downfall. Revolution, swiftly and suddenly, broke out in his capital, communism
reared its head in a number of cities; the princes of the German states
abdicated, and he himself, fleeing ignominiously to Holland, was compelled to
relinquish his right to the throne. The constitution of Weimar sealed the fate
of the empire, whose birth had been so loudly proclaimed by his grandfather,
and the terms of an oppressively severe treaty provoked “the lamentations”
which, half a century before, had been ominously prophesied.
- Shoghi Effendi (‘God Passes By’)
July 18, 2017
1912: House at Malden, Massachusetts, where 'Abdu'l-Baha rested
July 14, 2017
April 1970: Total number of National Spiritual Assemblies reaches 94
BAHA'I WORLD COMMUNITY ENTERING SEVENTH YEAR NINE YEAR PLAN
HAS AMPLY DEMONSTRATED ABILITY SCALE HEIGHTS DEVOTION SACRIFICE WIN ASTONISHING
VICTORIES WORLD-REDEEMING WORLD-HEALING WORLD-UNITING FAITH. AT THIS RIDVAN
EXTEND LOVING WELCOME ELEVEN NEW NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLIES NOW FORMING
SEVEN IN AFRICA ONE IN AMERICAS ONE IN ASIA TWO IN AUSTRALASIA RAISING TO
NINETY-FOUR NUMBER SUPPORTING PILLARS UNIVERSAL HOUSE JUSTICE….
- The Universal House of Justice (From a cable
dated Ridvan 1970; ‘Messages from the Universal House of Justice 1963-1986’)
July 10, 2017
1970: Centenary of the martyrdom of the Purest Branch, Mirza Mihdi – the Universal House of Justice called for special worldwide prayer
25 March 1970
To all National Spiritual Assemblies
Dear Baha'i friends,
In commemoration of the centenary of the martyrdom of the
Purest Branch, which falls on 23 June 1970, we call upon the Baha'is of the
world to unite in prayer for "the regeneration of the world and the
unification of its peoples."
During those days one hundred years ago Baha'u'llah was
enduring His imprisonment in the Barracks of 'Akka. Upon the tribulations which
weighed Him down was heaped the fatal accident which befell His young son, His
companion and amanuensis, Mirza Mihdi, the Purest Branch, whose dying
supplication to his Father was to accept his life "as a ransom for those
of His loved ones who yearned for, but were unable to attain, His
presence." In a Tablet revealed in that grievous hour Baha'u'llah sorrows
that "This is the day whereon he that was created of the light of Baha has
suffered martyrdom, at a time when he lay imprisoned at the hands of his
enemies." Yet He makes clear that the youth passing has a far profounder
meaning than His acceptance of the simple request, declaring that "Thou art,
verily, the trust of God and His treasure in this land. Erelong will God reveal
through thee that which He hath desired." In a prayer revealed for His son
He proclaims the purpose underlying the tragedy: "I have, O my Lord,
offered up that which Thou hast given Me, that Thy servants may be quickened,
and all that dwell on earth be united."
Thus upon a youth of consummate devotion who demonstrated such beauty of
spirit and total dedication was conferred a unique station in the Cause of God.
In your recalling the bereavement of Baha'u'llah upon the
loss of His loved son, and honouring a highly significant event in the Faith,
we leave it to the discretion of the Assemblies whether they choose to hold
special gatherings of prayer. In the Holy Land at the World Centre on Mount
Carmel there will be an observance at the grave of Mirza Mihdi, at which time
his pure example and sacrifice for all mankind will be remembered through the
words of his glorious Father.
With loving Baha'i greetings,
The Universal House of Justice
(‘Messages from the Universal House of Justice 1963-1986’)July 2, 2017
1970: The Baha’i World attained consultative status at United Nations Economic and Social Council
To all National Spiritual Assemblies
JOYFULLY ANNOUNCE BAHA'I WORLD ATTAINMENT CONSULTATIVE STATUS UNITED
NATIONS ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL THEREBY FULFILLING LONG CHERISHED HOPE
BELOVED GUARDIAN AND WORLD CENTRE GOAL NINE YEAR PLAN.+F192 SUSTAINED PERSISTENT EFFORTS MORE THAN TWENTY
YEARS ACCREDITED REPRESENTATIVES BAHA'I INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY UNITED NATIONS
DEVOTED SUPPORT BAHA'I COMMUNITIES THROUGHOUT WORLD FINALLY REWARDED. SIGNIFICANT ACHIEVEMENT ADDS PRESTIGE
INFLUENCE RECOGNITION EVER ADVANCING FAITH BAHA'U'LLAH. OFFERING PRAYERS GRATITUDE HOLY SHRINES.
UNIVERSAL HOUSE OF JUSTICE
(‘Messages from the Universal House of Justice, 1963-1986’)