“In such an afflicted time, when mankind is bewildered and the wisest of men are perplexed as to the remedy, the people of Bahá, who have confidence in His unfailing grace and divine guidance, are assured that each of these tormenting trials has a cause, a purpose, and a definite result, and all are essential instruments for the establishment of the immutable Will of God on earth. In other words, on the one hand humanity is struck by the scourge of His chastisement which will inevitably bring together the scattered and vanquished tribes of the earth; and on the other, the weak few whom He has nurtured under the protection of His loving guidance are, in this formative age and period of transition, continuing to build amidst these tumultuous waves an impregnable stronghold which will be the sole remaining refuge for those lost multitudes. (From a letter written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to the Iranian believers resident in various countries throughout the world, February 10, 1980)
Over the past couple of weeks, different Baha’is have sent me information that could be considered COVID conspiracy theories, asking me what I thought of them, or worse, asking for my support in spreading this material to others. On the one hand, I’m usually open to learning new things and in the grand scheme of things, am often left-leaning in my beliefs. On the other hand, in this case, I’m definitely on the side of balancing religion with science, and obedience to government, so I take great comfort in quotes such as this one.
Even the most credentialed epidemiologists have been bewildered by the nature and scope of this virus – the list of symptoms keep expanding, and the age of those effected keep lowering. Even the wisest of scientists are perplexed as to the remedy as they try to determine why some immune systems of seemingly healthy individuals cause all sorts of life-threatening complications; while others considered “high risk” experience a milder version of the disease or have no symptoms at all. Because the “rules” of this pandemic seem to keep shifting, it’s easy for people to grab onto conspiracy theories.
But what if, instead of grabbing onto the ideas of these alarmists, we accept that this new virus has a cause, a purpose, and a definite result, and that it’s all essential for the establishment of the immutable Will of God on earth? What if we saw it as another evidence of the inevitable decline of the old world order, bring humanity to their knees, to ultimately being us to the Most Great Peace we all long for? What if, in this formative age and period of transition, we focus our attention on continuing to build an impregnable stronghold which will be the sole remaining refuge for those lost multitudes? I think this is what the House of Justice is leading us towards, as they help us navigate these tumultuous waves.
Knowing I can listen to the voices of science and the guidance of the House of Justice as I navigate this pandemic, I am grateful!
What jumped out for you as you read today’s meditation? I’d love it if you would share so we can all expand our knowledge of the Writings!
If you liked this meditation, you might also like my book Making Friends with Sin and Temptation
Certainly is hopeful view of present chaos.
Yay! I’m glad you found it helpful, Lana!
Susan, once again you have articulated my unformed and swirling thoughts. I also feel that for most of us, who are not scientists or care-givers, finding the material cause(s) of this virus are not so important as our response to the Divine summons. How can I best serve in this new reality? Can I be an example of calm hope? Can I be a source of blossoming unity?
Thank you!
I’m glad I’ve helped you sort out your thoughts Kathy! Thanks for the great questions to ponder!
Kathy, yes, I agree with you in that I too am trying to re-discover myself so that I can re-connect to my family, my community, my job and the rest of the world and serve them as much as possible. I feel that this will in return give great pleasure to my soul and help me to grow and develop.
I’m praying for your quest, Ayshe!
Dear Susan,
As a Baha’i I have faith that in the Grand Plan of God this pandemic will accelerate both the disintegrating and integrating forces in the world and draw us a step closer to the Most Great Peace. We just need to continue working on our Chosen Highway, confident that our obedience to the guidance by the Supreme Body is one certain source of strength and calm in this period of uncertainty.
Well said, Kantha! We are so blessed to have the ongoing guidance by our Supreme Body!
The world is in travail, and its agitation waxeth day by day.
Its face is turned towards waywardness and unbelief. Such shall
be its plight, that to disclose it now would not be meet and seemly.
Its perversity will long continue. And when the appointed hour is
come, there shall suddenly appear that which shall cause the limbs
of mankind to quake. Then, and only then, will the Divine Standard
be unfurled, and the Nightingale of Paradise warble its melody.
Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, LXI, pp. 118-119
Susan, do you think we have reached that point or that quaking of the limbs of mankind is yet to come?
Only Baha’u’llah knows the answer to that question Ziae! I know lots of people are looking at this quote and wondering. Since it was written, we’ve been through 2 world wars; a depression; countless genocides; natural disasters etc – and with every one, Baha’is have asked this question. I definitely thinks it’s part of the decline of the old world order but I don’t see mankind quaking enough to turn to God en masse, so I think there will be more to come.
I like what the Guardian had to say: