May 10, 2013

Some highlights from the 2013 Ridvan Message of the Universal House of Justice -- part 1

--- becoming aware of the “power possessed by the Word of God”
"To those who pause to reflect on the unfoldment of the Divine Plan, it becomes impossible to ignore how the power possessed by the Word of God is ascendant in the hearts of women and men, children and youth, in country after country, in cluster after cluster.”

--- refining our ability to read our “immediate reality”
“A worldwide community is refining its ability to read its immediate reality, analyse its possibilities, and apply judiciously the methods and instruments of the Five Year Plan.”

--- enabling “… an ever-rising number of individuals to strengthen their capacity for service”
“… in clusters where the frontiers of learning are being consciously advanced … the means for enabling an ever-rising number of individuals to strengthen their capacity for service are well understood.”

--- realizing that a “vibrant training institute” is the “mainstay of the community's efforts to advance the Plan”
“A vibrant training institute functions as the mainstay of the community's efforts to advance the Plan and, as early as possible, skills and abilities developed through participation in institute courses are deployed in the field. Some, through their everyday social interactions, encounter souls who are open to the exploration of spiritual matters carried out in a variety of settings; some are in a position to respond to receptivity in a village or neighbourhood, perhaps by having relocated to the area. Growing numbers arise to shoulder responsibility, swelling the ranks of those who serve as tutors, animators, and teachers of children; who administer and coordinate; or who otherwise labour in support of the work.”