April 15

He does not feel that fear—for ourselves or for others—solves any problem, or enables us to better meet it if it ever does arise. We do not know what the future holds exactly, or how soon we may all pass through another ordeal worse than the last one. But what we do know is that all we can do as Bahá’ís is to teach and to exemplify the Faith. We cannot bear the burden of suffering of others, and we should not try to. All men are in God’s hands, and ... we know there is another life beyond this that can hold great hope and happiness for the soul....

No matter what happens, nothing is as important as our feeling of trust in God, our inner peacefulness and faith that all, in the end, in spite of the severity of the ordeals we may pass through, will come out as Bahá’u’lláh has promised.

He urges you to put these dark thoughts from your mind, and remember that if God, the Creator of all men, can bear to see them suffer so, it is not for us to question His wisdom. He can compensate the innocent, in His own way, for the afflictions they bear. 

- Shoghi Effendi  (From a letter dated 30 September 1950 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer; compilation: ‘Potential Calamities and Ensuring Sustainability of Communities’, prepared by the Research Department of the Universal House of Justice)