As 'Abdu'l-Bahá so often points out,
the Manifestation of God is a Divine Educator. He attracts the hearts of men,
pours out His spirit upon those who respond to Him, instructs them in the right
way of life, uses them to carry forward the development of human society, and
disciplines them by His Law. We Bahá'ís, we who have answered His call, bear
the responsibility of carrying forward His work among mankind, and in spite of
our innumerable failings His plan is irresistibly progressing. The great
tragedy of mankind at this time is the failure of the vast majority of human
beings to heed the Divine Call, and this is in large part occasioned by the
failure of most of those who have believed to live up to the high standard that
Bahá'u'lláh has set. This is the condition in which we must work in our service
to mankind, turning a sin-covering eye to the faults of others, and striving in
our own inmost selves to purify our lives in accordance with the divine
Teachings.
(From a letter written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice
to an individual believer, July 22, 1981; a compilation on ‘Removal of
Administrative Rights’, prepared by the Research Department of the Universal
House of Justice)
