Clearly, learning to
consult on specific issues related to the global Plan, no matter how crucial,
represents but one dimension of the capacity-building process in which the
Local Spiritual Assembly must engage. Its continued development implies
adherence to the injunction laid down by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá that “discussions must
all be confined to spiritual matters that pertain to the training of souls, the
instruction of children, the relief of the poor, the help of the feeble
throughout all classes in the world, kindness to all peoples, the diffusion of
the fragrances of God and the exaltation of His Holy Word.” Its steady
advancement requires an unbending commitment to promote the best interests of
the community and a vigilance in guarding the process of growth against the
forces of moral decay that threaten to arrest it. Its ongoing progress calls
for a sense of responsibility that extends beyond the circle of friends and
families engaged in the core activities to encompass the entire population of
the village.
- The Universal House of Justice (December 28, 2010 message to the
Conference of the Continental Boards of Counsellors)
