October 5, 1912
San Francisco, California
I have the utmost joy to find in the distant West such an
established Baha’i center, where the friends of God have assembled associating
with each other in the utmost love. This affords me great joy and I ask God that
this revered assemblage may be made the cause of illumining the East and the
West. This is my wish, and with the utmost of happiness I am grateful on
account of the susceptibilities of your conscience.
Today the people in general are self-occupied. They are
engaged either in warfare, or in commercial, political, industrial, or
agricultural pursuits. Their interests are of a personal nature; they are
thinking of self-aggrandizement, having no desire, no purpose save the
acquisition of worldly possessions.
The assemblage in the world which today is thoughtful of
God, the assemblage which is occupied with the thought of illumining the world
of humanity, the assemblage which is occupied with the mentioning of the
Kingdom of God, the assemblage which has as its chief motive the good pleasure
of the Lord of Hosts, is verily the assemblage of Baha’is, for they have no
intention, aim, or purpose save the attainment of the good pleasure of God, and
entrance into the Kingdom of God, and of being the promulgators of the religion
of God. They are the spreaders of the fragrances of God. These are the desires
of the assemblage of the Baha’is.
All the sects of the world are on the wane except the Baha’i
assemblages which day by day are achieving ideal progress, for they are
confirmed by God's assistance.
I hope that many such assemblages may be founded in America,
and that from all the centers of the world people may come to the Baha’i
assemblages and there manifest the oneness of the world of humanity.
The people in general are all asleep; they are all
inadvertent; they are all slumbering, because their thoughts are confined to
materialism; they are not at all thoughtful of God's thoughts except you, who
are thinking of God. Verily, you are the spirit of the world! You are the cause
of the light of the world! You are the salt of the earth!
Do not look at your limited numbers now. Ere long you will
see that the divine Radiance has flooded all regions. The believers in the
various sects are decreasing in numbers, whereas the people of God are
constantly increasing, progressing, developing, day by day growing stronger and
greater, day by day becoming more effective.
Consider how the assembly of His Holiness Christ was limited
to eleven souls, but that assemblage has given birth to innumerable assemblies!
How many denominations are sheltered beneath it! Its efficacy is evident, and
it has become the dominant factor of all the civilized world.
Now, praise be to God, your assembly is a great one; you are
about two hundred in number; judge thereby of the future.
The Baha’is are not in one place only, but you will find Baha’i
centers in most parts of the world, and they are daily increasing and
spreading. You must rest assured, knowing for a certainty that the
confirmations of the Kingdom are yours, that the favors of Baha’u’llah are with
you, that the power heavenly is with you, that the assistance of God is with
you. If all the inhabitants of the earth should gather they will fail to
withstand you, for they are on the wane, whereas you are waxing stronger. They
are retrogressing; you are progressing.
When they exiled us from Persia, from Teheran to Baghdad,
the journey was made in thirty stages and in these thirty stages we did not
find one Baha’i. Now in every one of these places there are great numbers of
Baha’i friends.
Notwithstanding that the ruler of Persia and the Sultan of
Turkey opposed the Cause so violently exercising tyranny and oppression
thinking to extinguish the Lamp of God yet this Lamp day by day grew in
radiance, its power increased and its illumination became greater, until it
reached such a degree that now its lights are spread throughout the world even
as far as San Francisco, which is very far from Persia. See what this will mean
in the future!
At the time His Holiness Jesus Christ was crucified, there
were eleven disciples and even they were doubting -- Peter heading them -- until
Mary the Magdalene, that lioness of God, strengthened them and was the cause of
confirming them. Then consider how great were the results!
And now, His Holiness Baha’u’llah, when He ascended, had half
a million souls who were self-sacrificing and all were perfectly firm and
staunch! Consider what a marvelous potency this will exercise.
Rest assured in the favor of God, and know that God is your
Assister. So with great power, with great confidence, strive that the lights of
God may be spread and in this country from East to West the light may be
shining.
Be confident! Have no doubt about it! This banner of Baha’u’llah
will be unfurled, waving toward all regions! The lights of the Kingdom of God
will illumine all these climes, and the call of God will reach the hearing of
all the American Republic!
Hence, you must in the utmost of love, in the utmost of
sanctity strive night and day that you may be the cause of spreading the light.
If we are not the instruments in spreading this Cause, others will be chosen.
Then let us strive so that this crown may be placed upon our heads that we may
be the promulgators of the light, that we may be the resuscitators of souls,
that we may be sight givers to the blind, that we may be the remedies to the
sick, that we may guide the people. Otherwise, God will raise up a people who
will hoist the standard of God, who will ignite the Lamp of God, who will
conquer the cities of the hearts, who will show forth the potency of the Word
of God.
But for us the desire is that we may be the instruments and
thus we may be crowned. Otherwise, God is able to create instruments whereby
His Word shall be published broadcast. If this does not happen today, and if
not on the morrow, then on the day after tomorrow.
But the desire is that today the Word may be spread, that
our activity shall be beneath this banner and standard, that we shall be the
cause of giving forth the summons of God, that we may invite the souls to the
Kingdom, that we may be their guides.
Thus, this will be the cause of illumining faces and will
win the praise of all the Manifestations of God. This is our hope. This is the
utmost of our desires, and I ask God that He may aid you all, that He may aid
me, that together we may be occupied in the service of the Kingdom of God.
This is a very blessed gathering. It is a source of great
joy. It is a source of great potency in the world. This very gathering has its
effects. The assemblage here and the fellowship exercised are a magnet
attracting the confirmations of God. Even now the confirmations of God are
surrounding such a gathering as this. Ere long you will see its signs and your
joy will reach the superlative degree.
~ ‘Abdu’l-Baha (San Francisco, October 5,
1912; Star of the West, vol. 10, no. 13, November 4, 1919)
