Service on the institutions and agencies of the Faith is
indeed a tremendous privilege, but not one that is sought by the individual; it
is a duty and responsibility to which he or she may be called at any given
time. It is understandable, of course, that all those involved in Bahá'í
administration would rightly feel they have been invested with a singular
honour in forming part, in whatever way, of a structure designed to be a
channel through which the spirit of the Cause flows. Yet they should not
imagine that such service entitles them to operate on the periphery of the
learning process that is everywhere gaining strength, exempt from its inherent
requirements. Nor should it be supposed that membership on administrative bodes
provides an opportunity to promote one’s own understanding of what is recorded
in the Sacred Text and how the teachings should be applied, steering the
community in whatever direction personal preference dictate. Referring to
members of Spiritual Assemblies, the Guardian wrote that they “must disregard
utterly their own likes and dislikes, their personal interests and
inclinations, and concentrate their minds upon those measures that will conduce
to the welfare and happiness of the Bahá'í Community and promote the common
weal.” Bahá’í institutions do exercise authority to guide the friends, and
exert moral, spiritual and intellectual influence on the lives of individuals
and communities. However, such functions are to be performed with the
realization that an ethos of loving service pervades Bahá’í institutional
identify. Qualifying authority and influence in this manner implies sacrifice
on the part of those entrusted to administer the affairs of the Faith. Does not
‘Abdu'l-Bahá tell us that “when a lump of iron is cast into the forge, its
ferrous qualities of blackness, coldness and solidity, which symbolize the
attributes of the human world, are concealed and disappear, while the fire's
distinctive qualities of redness, heat and fluidity, which symbolize the
virtues of the Kingdom, become visibly apparent in it.” As He averred, “ye must
in this matter—that is, the serving of humankind—lay down your very lives, and
as ye yield yourselves, rejoice.”
- The Universal House of Justice (From a letter dated
December 28, 2010, to the Continental Board of Counselors)