On Shoghi Effendi: The Power and Beauty of His Writings

V's current post on Anxiously Concerned, an excerpt from a letter by Shoghi Effendi, reminded me of the power and beauty of his writings once again. The Baha'i literature is so rich. So much to read, the primary texts, the commentaries, the volumes upon volumes of books sold through the Baha'i Distribution Service . I have dearly loved the texts written by the Universal House of Justice, such as One Common Faith, which I have studied judiciously this winter. Of late it has been the Baha'i blogs that have infatuated me. Such passionate prose in this online out-pouring. But for me it all started with Shoghi Effendi. Reading from his collection of letters, The World Order of Baha'u'llah, during a class at the Youth for One World Seminar held in Wilmette and Evanston, Illinois, during that magical week during the summer of 1969 brought me to life as a Baha'i. Thank you, Shoghi Effendi.

Leaders of religion, exponents of political theories, governors of human institutions, who at present are witnessing with perplexity and dismay the bankruptcy of their ideas, and the disintegration of their handiwork, would do well to turn their gaze to the Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh, and to meditate upon the World Order which, lying enshrined in His teachings, is slowly and imperceptibly rising amid the welter and chaos of present-day civilization. They need have no doubt or anxiety regarding the nature, the origin or validity of the institutions which the adherents of the Faith are building up throughout the world. For these lie embedded in the teachings themselves, unadulterated and unobscured by unwarrantable inferences, or unauthorized interpretations of His Word.

How pressing and sacred the responsibility that now weighs upon those who are already acquainted with these teachings! How glorious the task of those who are called upon to vindicate their truth, and demonstrate their practicability to an unbelieving world! Nothing short of an immovable conviction in their divine origin, and their uniqueness in the annals of religion; nothing short of an unwavering purpose to execute and apply them to the administrative machinery of the Cause, can be sufficient to establish their reality, and insure their success. How vast is the Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh! How great the magnitude of His blessings showered upon humanity in this day! And yet, how poor, how inadequate our conception of their significance and glory! This generation stands too close to so colossal a Revelation to appreciate, in their full measure, the infinite possibilities of His Faith, the unprecedented character of His Cause, and the mysterious dispensations of His Providence.

Shoghi Effendi, "A Living Organism," The World Order of Baha'u'llah, p. 24.