Dearly loved friends,
With grateful and joyous hearts we extend our warmest
greetings and express our highest hopes to the followers of Bahá'u'lláh
gathered, at this critical point of the Five Year Plan, in this Conference on
Asia's eastern shore. This great continent has nourished mighty civilizations;
above its horizons the suns of major Revelations of God have risen; on its soil
many of the heroes of this New Age have shed their blood and offered their
lives in token of their love for Him Who is the Beloved of the World and the
Desire of the Nations.
What an imperishable glory has been bestowed upon the people
of Asia, the first to be illumined by the rays of God's Faith, the first
recipients of His Call and the first promoters of His Cause. Their spiritual
capacity is extolled and the great role they are destined to play in the
strengthening of the foundation of the New World Order of Bahá'u'lláh
unhesitatingly affirmed by 'Abdu'l-Bahá in His Tablets of the Divine Plan.
This great continent contains within its boundaries the
heart of the Faith and its Cradle, the lands wherein its Founders toiled and
suffered, and not only the great majority of the human race but the great
majority of the followers of Bahá'u'lláh. The potentiality of such a situation
cannot be underestimated, nor must the great force latent within so large a
proportion of the Army of Light be neglected. They must be mobilized to
accelerate the expansion of the beloved Cause, to consolidate its victories, to
enhance its prestige and to augment its influence. We appeal to every
participant in this historic Conference to become conscious of these tremendous
but hidden potentialities which, if properly tapped and directed, can hasten
the process of the spiritualization of the nations of Asia, the influence of
which will extend far beyond the confines of that continent -- even to the
entire planet.
We eagerly await news that from this Conference will surge
throughout Asia a wave of vigorous activity devoted to the execution on the
individual, local and national levels, of systematic plans designed to attract
the great masses of that continent to the life-giving, all-embracing Message of
Bahá'u'lláh. Such plans must provide opportunities for those thousands who in
recent years have swelled the rank and file, as well as for those veterans who
have, for so many years, striven in the path of service to the Cause. It is
through active participation of more and more new believers in both teaching
and administration that the consolidation of the Bahá'í community can best be
achieved.
In a continent so richly endowed, so greatly blessed, new
generations of Bahá'ís must continually be raised up, trained from childhood in
the school of the love of God, and nurtured under the shadow of His Cause.
Bahá'ís in every country must be constantly urged and, wherever necessary,
assisted to pass on to their children as their most cherished legacy, the
precious Faith they themselves have embraced. Those new generations of Bahá'ís
will have a vital role in consolidating the Cause of God on a firm foundation.
The establishment of Local Assemblies as the basic
administrative unit of the World Order of Bahá'u'lláh and as rallying points
for the Bahá'ís of every community should, in accordance with the objectives of
the Five Year Plan, be multiplied no matter at what cost of effort and
endurance. The process of invigorating the Local Assemblies requires, during
the Five Year Plan, the consultation of all the institutions of the Cause.
Publication of literature in many languages as part of a
determined campaign to win thousands upon thousands of diverse peoples in all
spheres of life must be vigorously pursued. Participation of all believers in
supporting the Bahá'í Funds, the lifeblood of the Cause, must be given adequate
attention, and the blessings which reward the act of voluntary giving for the
promotion of the Faith, no matter how small the amount may be, must be lovingly
and wisely explained.
May this Conference become a landmark in the process of
attracting vast numbers of the great Chinese race scattered throughout the
world. May it be a prelude to the unprecedented expansion of the Faith in all
the countries of Asia. May it become a source of strength to the supporters of
the Most Great Name so that despite the rising tide of trials and upheavals
afflicting the world, and whatever forces of opposition may be mounted against
the Cause of God itself, the believers will not waver or become diverted from
their course, but be ever more confirmed in their determination to raise the
edifice of the Faith of God as the last bastion of hope to a lost and wayward
humanity.
The Universal House of Justice
(‘Messages from the Universal House of Justice 1963-1986’)
