October 31

The oneness of humankind is the pivotal principle and ultimate goal of His mission. This principle means far more than the reawakening of the spirit of brotherhood and goodwill among people: "It implies an organic change in the structure of present-day society, a change such as the world has not yet experienced." The Covenant of Bahá’u’lláh embodies the spirit, instrumentality and method to attain this essential goal. In addition to laying down, in His Book of Laws, the fundamentals for a new World Order, Bahá’u’lláh, in the Book of His Covenant, confirmed the appointment of His Son ‘Abdu’l-Bahá as the interpreter of His Word and the Center of His Covenant. As the interpreter, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá became the living mouth of the Book, the expounder of the Word; as the Center of the Covenant, He became the incorruptible medium for applying the Word to practical measures for the raising up of a new civilization. The Covenant is, therefore, unique as a divine phenomenon, in that Bahá’u’lláh, further to conferring upon ‘Abdu’l-Bahá the necessary authority to fulfill the requirements of His singular office, vested in Him the virtues of perfection in personal and social behavior, that humanity may have an enduring model to emulate. In no annals of the past is there recorded such an arrangement for ensuring the realization of the purpose of the Manifestation of God.  

- The Universal House of Justice  (From a message dated 26 November 1992: To the Bahá’ís of the World; Messages from the Universal House of Justice 1986-2001)