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Arohanui: Letters from Shoghi Effendi to New Zealand
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Pages 47-48
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(34) December 20th, 1938
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Dear Bahá'í Sister,
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Your very cordial message of the 17th November addressed
to our beloved Guardian has duly reached him, and
he has noted with keen appreciation indeed the desire you had
expressed of visiting the Holy Shrines on your way back to
New-Zealand.
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As you must have surely read in the newspapers, however,
the general situation in Palestine is at present so gravely
disturbed as to make it quite impossible for you to undertake
this trip in the next few months, and in view of this the
Guardian would advise that you postpone your visit until the
November of next year, by which time, it is hoped, the situation
throughout the country will have sufficiently improved
to permit you to undertake this long-cherished pilgrimage.
The Guardian, needless to say, would be also most delighted
to meet you, and to hear from you directly of the news of the
Cause in New-Zealand, and to discuss certain matters which
the N.S.A.
[1]
has asked you to present to him for his instructions.
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4 |
Regarding your question whether there is any special
ceremony which the believers should perform when they
wish to "name" a baby; the Teachings do not provide for any
ceremony whatever on such occasions. We have no "baptismal
service" in the Cause, such as the Christians have.
There would be no objection, however, for the friends to
come together on such happy occasions, provided they do not
hold an official public ceremony, and provided also they
strictly avoid uniformity and rigidity in all such practices. No
rule whatsoever that would tend to be rigid and uniform
should be allowed in such secondary matters, particularly as
there are no specific instructions in the Teachings regarding
them.
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With the warmest good wishes of the Guardian to you
and to the friends, and assuring you again of his hearty welcome
to visit the Holy Shrines during next autumn, and with
greetings,
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Yours in His Service,
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H. Rabbani
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[From the Guardian:]
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Dear and valued co-worker:
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I shall indeed grieve if the situation in Palestine should
prevent our meeting and prevent your pilgrimage to the Holy
Shrines. I pray that this may not be the case. I am so eager to
meet you, and express in person my deep and abiding sense of
appreciation of the splendid and historic services you have
rendered. I will continue to pray for you from the depths of
my heart.
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11 |
Your true and grateful brother,
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12 |
Shoghi
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Notes
1. [The National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Australia and New Zealand]
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