Spiritual Food for Thought - from the Writings of Shoghi Effendi and Universal House of Justice: June 2020

June 30

There is nothing in the Teachings about spaceships; and the Guardian does not feel this is a subject on which he can offer the friends any advice whatsoever. Indeed, to be frank, he is so busy with the work of the Cause that he seldom has time to devote much thought to speculation of this nature, however fascinating it may be.

- Shoghi Effendi (From a letter dated 15 February 1957 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to several believers; included in a Memorandum from the Research Department of the Universal House of Justice dated 6 August 1996)

June 28

No matter how devoted and fine the love may be between people of the same sex, to let it find expression in sexual acts is wrong. To say that it is ideal is no excuse. Immorality of every sort is really forbidden by Bahá'u'lláh, and homosexual relationships He looks upon as such, besides being against nature.

To be afflicted this way is a great burden to a conscientious soul. But through the advice and help doctors, through a strong and determined effort, and through prayer, a soul can overcome this handicap.

- Shoghi Effendi (From a letter dated March 26,1950, written on his behalf, Shoghi Effendi, quoted by the Universal House of Justice in a letter dated November 23, 1995, written on its behalf to US National Spiritual Assembly; published in American Bahá'í, 152)

June 26

However, he feels very strongly that if ... is in the state your letter would seem to indicate it is certainly conducting its affairs in the wrong way. This does not mean the Assembly, it means everyone. For where is Bahá'í love? Where is putting unity and harmony first? Where is the willingness to sacrifice one's personal feelings and opinions to achieve love and harmony? What makes the Bahá'ís think that when they sacrifice the spiritual laws the administrative laws are going to work?

...He urges you to exert your utmost to get the ... Bahá'ís to put aside such obnoxious terms as "radical", "conservative", "progressive", "enemies of the Cause", "squelching the teachings", etc. If they paused for one moment to think for what purpose the Bab and the Martyrs gave their lives, and Bahá'u'lláh and the Master accepted so much suffering, they would never let such definitions and accusations cross their lips when speaking of each other. As long as the friends quarrel amongst themselves their efforts will not be blessed for they are disobeying God.

- Shoghi Effendi (From a letter dated 24 February 1950 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer) The Compilation of Compilations, vol. II, Living the Life)

June 24

As we have such wonderful prayers and meditations in our writings, the reading of these with friends who are interested in and crave for this type of small meeting is often a step towards attracting them to the Faith. Perhaps you could start such an activity in your city.

- Shoghi Effendi (From a letter dated 4 February 1950 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer; The Compilation of Compilations, vol. II, Guidelines for Teaching)

June 22

...when we put our trust in Him, Bahá'u'lláh solves our problems and opens the way.

- Shoghi Effendi (From a letter dated 12 October 1949 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer; The Compilation of Compilations, vol. II, The Power of Divine Assistance)

June 20

He was grieved to hear of some of the things you describe. It shows great spiritual immaturity on the part of some of the Bahá'ís and an astonishing lack of understanding and study of the teachings. To live up to our Faith's moral teachings is a task far harder than to live up to those noble principles the Moral Re-Armament inculcates, fine and encompassing as they are! Every other word of Bahá'u'lláh's and 'Abdu'l-Bahá's writings is a preachment on moral and ethical conduct; all else is the form, the chalice, into which the pure spirit must be poured; without the spirit and the action which must demonstrate it, it is a lifeless form.

He judges, from what you say, that the friends have not or at least many of them have not, been properly taught in the beginning. There is certainly no objection to stressing the "four standards" of the Moral Re-Armament--though any teaching of our precious Faith would go much more deeply into these subjects and add more to them. When we realize that Bahá'u'lláh says adultery retards the progress of the soul in the afterlife--so grievous is it--and that drinking destroys the mind, and not to so much as approach it, we see how clear are our teachings on these subjects. You must not make the great mistake of judging our Faith by one community which obviously needs to study and obey the Bahá'í teachings.

- Shoghi Effendi (From a letter dated 30 September 1949 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer; The Compilation of Compilations, vol. II, Living the Life)

June 18

We should respect the National Spiritual Assembly and the Local Spiritual Assembly because they are institutions founded by Bahá'u'lláh. It has nothing to do with personality, but is far above it. It will be a great day when the friends, on and off the Assemblies, come to fully grasp the fact that it is not the individuals on an Assembly which is important, but the Assembly as an institution.

- Shoghi Egffendi (From a letter dated 7 July 1949 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer; The Compilation of Compilations, vol. II, National Spiritual Assembly)

June 16

Teaching individually is of great importance, and often enables you to confirm people, whereas public speaking, while it carries the Message to more people, does not confirm very many. You can do both.

- Shoghi Effendi (From a letter dated 5 August 1949 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer; The Compilation of Compilations, vol. II, Guidelines for Teaching)

June 14

If the Bahá'ís want to be really effective in teaching the Cause they need to be much better informed and able to discuss intelligently, intellectually, the present condition of the world and its problems.... We Bahá'ís should, in other words, arm our minds with knowledge in order to better demonstrate to, especially, the educated classes, the truths enshrined in our Faith....

- Shoghi Effendi (From a letter dated 5 July 1949 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer; The Compilation of Compilations, vol. II, Guidelines for Teaching)

June 12

Over and over, in going through the correspondence he received from your Assembly, he was struck by the fact that the friends acted so unadministratively. Instead of taking up their accusations and problems and unhappy feelings with their Local Assembly, or the National Assembly, they referred to individuals or individual members of the Assembly, or they refused to meet with the Assembly. The first thing a believer should do is to turn to an Assembly -- that is why we have Assemblies! He feels this trouble would never have arisen if the Bahá'ís utilized their Assemblies as they should....

- Shoghi Effendi (From a letter dated 30 June 1949 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to the National Spiritual Assembly of Germany and Austria; The Compilation of Compilations, vol. II, National Spiritual Assembly)

June 10

The Bahá'ís must learn to forget personalities and to overcome the desire — so natural in people — to take sides and fight about it. They must also learn to really make use of the great principle of consultation. There is a time set aside at the Nineteen Day Feasts for the Community to express its views and make suggestions to its Assembly; the Assembly and the believers should look forward to this happy period of discussion, and neither fear it nor suppress it. Likewise the Assembly members should fully consult, and in their decisions put the interests of the Cause first and not personalities, the will of the majority prevailing.

- Shoghi Effendi (From a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi, 30 June 1949 to the National Spiritual Assembly of Germany and Austria; The Compilation of Compilations, vol. I, Nineteen Day Feast)

June 8

O friends of the Abhá Beauty! Although the horizon of the world appears dark, and uncertainty and chaos alarm and agitate its people, yet the arrival of the season of spring and of the inexhaustible bounties of God every new year is a reminder of the truth that the cold winds of winter, however severe, are ultimately stilled through the warmth of the vernal sun. The gloom of night is followed by the brightness of day, and autumn dust is washed away by the showers of spring. Therefore, through reliance on the boundless spiritual powers latent within you, strive to become the embodiment of reassurance and hope to family and friends, the essence of confidence to every heart, a healing balm to all who suffer, and a secure torch for the flame of the love of the true Friend.

- The Universal House of Justice (From a message dated 21 March 2020 to the Baha’is in Iran, authorized English translation)

June 6

One of the fundamentals involved in our Administrative Order, which we must remember will become the pattern for our World Order, is that even if an Assembly makes an ill-advised decision it must be upheld in order to preserve the unity of the Community. Appeal can be made from the Local Assembly's decision to the National Assembly... But the principle of authority invested in our elected bodies must be upheld. This is not something which can be learned without trial and test....

June 4

The question regarding the devotional part of the Feast has been obscured because once he used the term "devotional" in its strict sense, which of course means prayer, and once loosely, in the sense in which the Bahá'ís usually understand it, and that is the meeting together and reading from the teachings which precedes the administrative — or consultative — aspect of the Nineteen Day Feast. The two statements in no way change the method of holding this part of the Feast which, in the East at any rate, is always opened with prayers and afterwards Tablets and excerpts from Bahá'u'lláh's, or the Master's or the Guardian's, writings may be read or, for that matter, the Bible or Qur'an quoted.

- Shoghi Effendi (From a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi, 11 April 1949 to the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States; The Compilation of Compilations, vol. I, Nineteen Day Feast)

June 2

The American Bahá’í community is no longer “incapable... of producing any marked effect on the great mass of their countrymen....” Through their efforts to understand and apply the teachings about race unity and freedom from prejudice in the context of the current series of Plans, will they propel themselves along the path to “the time”, anticipated by Shoghi Effendi in The Advent of Divine Justice, “when they will be called upon to eradicate in their turn such evil tendencies from the lives and the hearts of the entire body of their fellow citizens.”

- The Universal House of Justice (From a letter dated 4 written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to an individual believer, March 2020; included in a compilation of messages from the Universal House of Justice on the “Topic of Achieving Race Unity”, prepared by the NSA of USA)