O thou who art dear, and wise! Thy letter dated 27 May 1906
hath been received and its contents are most pleasing and have brought great
joy.
Thou didst ask whether this Cause, this new and living
Cause, could take the place of the dead religious rites and ceremonials of
England; whether it would be possible, now that various groups have appeared,
whose members are highly placed divines and theologians, far superior in their
attainments to those of the past, for this new Cause so to impress the members
of such groups as to gather them and the rest into its all-protecting shade.
O thou dear friend! Know thou that the distinguished
Individual of every age is endowed according to the perfections of His age.
That Individual who in past ages was set above His fellows was gifted according
to the virtues of His time. But in this age of splendours, this era of God, the
pre-eminent Personage, the luminous Orb, the chosen Individual will shine out
with such perfections and such power as ultimately to dazzle the minds of every
community and group. And since such a Personage is superior to all others in spiritual perfections and heavenly attainments, and is
indeed the focal centre of divine blessings and the pivot of the circle of
light, He will encompass all others, and there is no doubt whatsoever that He
will shine out with such power as to gather every soul into His sheltering
shade. (‘Abdu’l-Baha, ‘Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Baha’)
