September 6, 2016

The spiritual heart of a country – an insight by Amatu’l-Bahá Rúhíyyih Khánum

Whenever one thinks of Canada one thinks of cultivation. Out of her virgin forests, her wildernesses, her barren North lands and lakes, has already been wrung a great and promising nation. The darkness of nature, as the Master said, has given way to cultivation and out of imperfection has arisen the splendour of government, industry, trade, settlement, and the arts and sciences of human life. But spiritually the land is still dark, promising, but dark. Primarily the measure of spirituality radiated by your national body will be the measure of Bahá’u’lláh’s light directly available for Canada. For He created the concept of your institution. You exist because of the functions He desired you to perform, and your fundamental function is to be the spiritual heart of Canada. 
- Ruhiyyih Khanum  (From an address to the first national convention assembled in the drawing room of her girlhood home in Montreal; published in the forward section of “Messages to Canada”)