Message to unit conventions

6 February 2023 / 19 Sovereignty 179

To the Bahá’ís of Canada

Dear Bahá’í Friends,

As you prepare to gather at the unit conventions across the country, the National Spiritual Assembly extends loving greetings to each of you. The sweetness of being in each other’s presence is still new in many parts of the country, and our hearts rejoice to think of you coming together, voting for the delegates to this year’s National Convention, and consulting about the progress of the Cause.

At Naw-Rúz 2020, a few short weeks into the global health crisis, the Universal House of Justice wrote to the Bahá’ís of the world: “However difficult matters are at present, and however close to the limits of their endurance some sections of societies are brought, humanity will ultimately pass through this ordeal, and it will emerge on the other side with greater insight and with a deeper appreciation of its inherent oneness and interdependence.”

In the weeks and months that followed, waves of suffering engulfed humanity. To the fears and uncertainty of the pandemic were added the voices of those long oppressed by racism, poverty and the threat of war. In November 2020, the House of Justice referred to “a mounting realization on the part of the world’s people that the decades ahead are set to bring with them challenges among the most daunting that the human family has ever had to face”[i] of which the global health crisis is but one. It was “against this background of furious storms lashing humanity that the ark of the Cause”[ii] embarked on a series of Plans whose central aim is to release the society-building powers of the Faith in ever greater measures.

In early spring last year, Canada began to emerge on the other side of the pandemic. The Nine Year Plan was launched with global conferences that celebrated the oneness of humanity and engaged more than 30,000 souls in Canada in a conversation shaped by the materials provided by the Universal House of Justice. Now, with the first year of the Plan almost concluded and the severe restrictions of years past behind us, we invite you to consult together about how to deepen and extend this transformative conversation. In particular, we urge your reflection on what is needed to strengthen a culture of home visits where meaningful conversations unfold, ties of spiritual kinship are forged, a sense of community is strengthened, faith is deepened, and plans are made.

Your consultation will undoubtedly have in mind the many effects of the isolation of the last three years, and the radical change to patterns of work and study, to social and family life. Even the normal, loving custom of visiting each other when sick, required adjustment during this period. What will it take to overcome the pull of the habits of isolation, developed out of necessity but for the most part no longer required? What elements of current culture—habits of thought and behaviour—may be obstacles to overcome? What elements are strengths to draw on and learn from?

The introductory comments in Book 2 of the sequence of courses of the Ruhi Institute, “Some Thoughts for the Tutor”, explore the role of the training institute in building capabilities that enable us to contribute to meaningful and uplifting conversation. “In a world in which powerful forces are tearing communal bonds asunder, the practice of visiting friends and neighbors in their homes to explore themes central to the life of society can, if it becomes a prominent feature of culture, remedy some of the ills engendered by increasing isolation. The ties of fellowship thus created, the unit suggests, serve to fortify the process of building vibrant and harmonious communities.”

Indeed, not only Book 2, but each of the books in the sequence seeks to build this capacity for meaningful conversation on themes of universal importance. Each offers to the participant a way to drink deep of the Word of God, kindle the fire of His love and share it with others. Each includes some practice that involves conversation, binds souls together and draws them closer to Bahá’u’lláh. Referring to the illustrative example of a conversation in Book 6, the House of Justice said in its 2010 Ridván message: “To the extent that the conversation continues beyond the initial encounter and veritable friendships are formed, a direct teaching effort of this kind can become a catalyst for an enduring process of spiritual transformation.” In another reference, “Ultimately, the power to transform the world is effected by love, love originating from the relationship with the divine, love ablaze among members of a community, love extended without restriction to every human being. This divine love, ignited by the Word of God, is disseminated by enkindled souls through intimate conversations that create new susceptibilities in human hearts, open minds to moral persuasion, and loosen the hold of biased norms and social systems so that they can gradually take on a new form in keeping with the requirements of humanity’s age of maturity. You are channels for this divine love; let it flow through you to all who cross your path.”[iii] In what ways will an orientation to teaching the Cause, and a strong culture of visiting each other in our homes, help realize the full power of these conversations as channels for the love of God? What is needed for every aspect of a vibrant community life to benefit from such a culture? How might the administrative affairs of the Cause be affected by a regular, natural pattern of visiting each other?

Dear friends, in closing we turn to another subject. In its 30 December 2021 message, the Universal House of Justice stated that as the number of Bahá’ís in a locality grows and the community’s capacity for managing complexity increases, “the case for implementing a two-stage electoral process becomes commensurately stronger.” We are delighted to share with you that the Vancouver community has been chosen to join the Toronto and Ottawa communities in electing their Local Spiritual Assembly in a two-stage election this Ridván.

We look eagerly forward to hearing the insights that emerge from your discussions. You are in our constant, ardent prayers.

With loving Bahá’í greetings,
NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY
OF THE BAHÁ’ÍS OF CANADA
Karen McKye, Secretary

[i] The Universal House of Justice to the Bahá’ís of the world, 25 November 2020.
[ii] Ibid.
[iii] The Universal House of Justice to the Bahá’ís of the United States, 22 July 2020.