THE UNIVERSAL HOUSE OF JUSTICE
22 July 2018
It is with
hearts brimming with joy that we greet you on this historic occasion, when the
doors of the first Mashriqu’l-Adhkar in Colombia are
opened to all. The Temple that has been built through strenuous effort over
four years is now ready to assume its divinely-ordained function—a place
“solely designed and entirely dedicated to the worship of God”; “a place of
great happiness and joy”; “a collective centre for
men’s souls” which “forgeth bonds of unity from heart
to heart”; “a means for the exaltation of the Word of God”. What is being
celebrated here today is not only the culmination of the construction of a
physical edifice, but a significant milestone in a process of development that
has unfolded in this region over the course of many decades.
When the Baha’i
Faith entered this land, it took root in its fertile soil; a few pure souls
with the courage to break through social barriers plunged into the living
waters of this new Revelation from God and drank their fill. Without
hesitation, they embraced the sublime vision of Baha’u’llah for the betterment
of the world and endeavoured to illuminate heart
after heart with the light of His Teachings. In the midst of powerful winds
that acted to destabilize a society, they attended to the planting of seeds. Their
humble efforts to nurture in the young those qualities characterizing a
faithful follower of the Blessed Beauty and to imbue their family and community
life with the divine teachings evolved into a process of education that would
reach thousands upon thousands. While the fruits of the committed labours of growing numbers are witnessed across the whole
of Colombia, the region of Norte del Cauca is blessed with the singular honour of being the site of the first Baha’i House of
Worship in the country.
This House of
Worship stands now as a symbol of the beauty inherent in the noble people of
this region and its design evokes the generosity of their land. It is a
manifestation of the power released through persistent collective action, a centre of attraction for all those longing to work for the
renewal of their society, an oasis of hope for the spiritual and material
upliftment of a population that has endured the trials of history and emerged
with an indomitable spirit. Let all who gather within its walls occupy
themselves with the remembrance of the One Creator so that “the melodies of the
Mashriqu’l-Adhkar may rise at dawntide to the Concourse on high, and the songs of the
nightingales of God may bring joy and ecstasy to the denizens of the
All-Glorious Realm”.