 | The text below this notice was generated by a computer, it still needs to be checked for errors and corrected. If you would like to help, view the original document by clicking the PDF scans along the right side of the page. Click the edit button at the top of this page (notepad and pencil icon) or press Alt+Shift+E to begin making changes. When you are done press "Save changes" at the bottom of the page. |
H
Bahá’í WORLD 95
An overview of the significance of the 1992—1993 Bahá’í Holy Year and its twin commemorations tn the Holy Land and New York Ctty.
THE SECOND Bahá’í HOLY YEAR
he term “Holy Year" was used by Shoghi Effendi to capture for the Bahá’í world the significance of the
centenary of the birth of Bahá’u’lláh's prophetic mission in October 1852. In one of the most poignant and dramatic passages to be found throughout his writings. the Guardian of the Bahá’í Faith set the challenges then facing Bahá‘u'lláh's followers in the context of this historic turning point in the unfolding of the Divine purpose:
No matter how long the period that separates them from ultimate victory; however arduous the task; however formidable the exertions demanded of them; however dark the days which mankind. perplexed and sorely-tfled. must. in its hour of travail. traverse: however severe the tests with which they who are to redeem Its fortunes will be confronted; I adjure them. by the precious blood that flowed in such great profusion. by the lives of the unnumbered saints and heroes who were immolated. by the supreme. the glorious sacrifice of the ProphebHerald of our Faith. by the tribulations which Its Founder. Himself. willingly underwent. so that His Cause might live. His Order might redeem a shattered woi'ld and its glory might suffuse the entire planet—I adjure them, as this solemn hour draws nigh, to resolve never to flinch. never to hesitate. never to relax. until each and every objective in the Plans to be proclaimed, at a later date. has been fully consummated. 1
It is against this background that one must try to appreciate the enormous importance that attaches to the
1. Shoghi Effendi. Messages to the Bahá’í World. 1950—1957 (Wilmette: Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 1971). 38—9.
96 THE BAHA‘iWORLD
year 1992, the one—hundredth anniversary of both Bahá’u’lláh's ascension on 29 May and of the subsequent inauguration of His Covenant. The year marks. in short. the completion of the process of Divine Revelation that began with the Báb's Declaration. 23 May 1844. and the inauguration of the system which. Bahá’ís believe. will come to be seen as the Ark of human salvation. Little wonder that the Head of the Faith. the Universal House of Justice, has proclaimed the twelve-month period from Rigivém 1992 to Riḍván 1993 a second Holy Year: “that special time when we shall pause to appreciate the tumultuous record of events which will have brought us to the Centenary of the Ascension of Bahá’u’lláh and to reflect with due solemnity upon the redemptive purpose of the life of the most precious Being ever to have drawn breath on this planet."
The two Holy Years bracket. as it were. the first anniversary of the entire period of Bahá’u’lláh's ministry. The forty years between the two centenaries have seen the successful emergence of the entire structure of the Administrative Order whose “nucleus and pattern" the Founder of the Bahá’í Faith conceived. the establishment of His Faith in the most remote comers of the planet, and the emergence of a community of people representative of the entire diversity of humankind. The 1992 centenary. therefore, became a door opening onto an entirely new stage in the unfolding of Bahá’u’lláh's mission, a stage that will parallel. Bahá’ís believe. the emergence of inter national peace.
The events of the second Holy Year opened with the gathering at the Bahá’í World Centre of some 3000 believers in commemoration of the anniversary of Bahá’u’lláh’s ascension. Coming from hundreds of different ethnic and tribal backgrounds. the participants represented one of the most diverse assemblages of people ever to come together on one occasion. The high point of the event was the service of commemoration itself. which took place in the precincts of Bahá’u’lláh's Shrine at Bahjí between 2:30 a.m. and dawn on 29 May. corresponding to the time of His passing. Three Hands of the Cause of God were present, Amatu’l-Bahá Rúḥíyyih Khánum, AliAkbar Fun‘itan. and ‘Ali-Muhammad Varqé. These leading
THE BAHA'IWORLD 97
dignitaries of the Faith joined the members of the Universal House of Justice for prayers in the chamber of the Mansion where the Manifestation of God had passed away a century earlier. Following this. the entire company circumambulated the Shrine, moving along the great outer path of the gardens. which had been illuminated for the occasion with some 6,000 candles. In Haifa arrangements had been made for the participants to walk up the pathway that ascends Mount Carmel from its foot to the Shrine of the Báb and which. Shoghi Effendi declared. would in the future be ascended by “pilgrim kings" come to pay their tribute to the martyred Forerunner Of Bahá’u’lláh. After circumambulating the Shrinet the procession continued on to the Seat of the Universal House of Justice. There‘ participants had the rare privilege of viewing a portrait photograph of the Founder of their Faith.
On the day before the commemoration Observances. a particularly poignant event took place. Shoghi Effendi had
” .. 7- “9 “.w- 1, rutlflw)‘
The commemoration of the centenary of the Ascenslon of Bahá’u’lláh In the Holy Land was attended by 3000 Bahá’ís representing hundreds of tribes and elhnlc backgroundsi
96 THE BAHA‘lWORLD
inaugurated during the first Holy Year (1952—53) a ten—year Teaching Crusade, and he declared that those who arose to respond to the call to open virgin territories to the Faith would be designated “Knights of Baha'u'llah." and their names would be inscribed on a special scroll that would be interred under the threshold of His Shrine. Now, nearly forty years later. with the settlement of the few goal territories remaining from that great Plan, made possible by the opening of the lands of the Soviet Bloc. the time had come for the fulfillment of his expressed wish. From all parts of the world. surviving Knights. now aged, some in frail health. came to the World Centre at the special invitation of the Universal House of Justice. In a gathering on the concourse of the Seat. Wednesday afternoon. 27 May 1992, Amatu’l—Baha Rúḥíyyih Khanum unveiled the scroll. and the guests of honor had the inestimable bounty of seeing where their own names had been inscribed, most of them several decades earlier. during the lifetime of the Guardian.
On the morning of 28 May. the participants gathered at Bahjí to witness the placement of the scroll bearing the Roll of Honor of the Knights of Baha'u'llah in a chamber at the entrance door of the inner Sanctuary of the Shrine of Bahá’u’lláh. It was set into its place by Amatu’l-Bahá Rúḥíyyih Khanum.
The second great event of the Holy Year was the celebration of the centenary of the inauguration of Baha'u'llah's Covenant. It occurred in New York City on 23—26 November and was the largest gathering of Bahá’ís ever to assemble. An estimated 27,000 members of the Faith from all parts of the world and a great diversity of ethnic backgrounds took part in a program of brilliant commemorative events designed, in the words of the Universal House of Justice, to bring to mind “the inauguration of Bahá’u’lláh's Covenant and to proclaim its aims and unifying power."
The Congress theme of the oneness of humanity was given powerful expression on the final day when the Universal House of Justice addressed the gathering via satellite. The broadcast was also received at more than fifty down-link sites around the
THE BAHA'l WORLD 99
world. Using a state—of-the-art network of eight satellites to reach all parts of the world, the broadcast included a two—way video hook-up with the World Centre of the Faith in Haifa and audio links to subsidiary conferences in Buenos Alres. Argentina: Sydney. Australia; New Delhi. India: Nairobi. Kenya: Panama City, Panama; Bucharest. Romania; Moscow. Ru_ssia; Singapore; and Apia. Western Samoa “It opened up a new world for a religion whose basic principle is oneness," said an executive with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation who was a member of the Congress Program Committee. An electrifying moment occurred when suddenly from across the globe came the greetings of the Bahá’ís assembled in Moscow who were participating for the first time in a worldwide Bahá’í event.
The coming of Bahá‘u'lláh, the House of Justice said in its message. makes possible “the beginning of a wholly new relationship between humanity and its Supreme Creator.” a relationship summed up in the Covenant which He established. The message continued: “Its spin’tual dynamic and cohesive power. its unifying principles and practical institutional provisions are a pattern for the healing of the ills afflicting our fractured societies and defective social systems Let those seriously concerned about the state and fate of the world give due attention to the claims of Bahá’u’lláh. Let them realize that the storms battering at the foundations of society will not be stilled unless and until spiritual principles are actively engaged in the search for solutions to social problems. Let us, the followers of Bahá’u’lláh. redouble our efforts in the exercise of our sacred duty to acquaint all humanity with the animating purpose of the world-wide Law of Bahá’u’lláh May our words proclaim and our deeds demonstrate, that there is only one God, only one religion. only one race."
The main sessions of the Congress were held at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. a facility that provided a magnificent setting for pageantry, dramatic staging. audio-visual presentations, and the contributions of a 400—voice choir and a 70-piece orchestra, both of them assembled from around the world. The first session opened with a breathtaking oratorlo celebrating the coming of Bahá’u’lláh especially written for
100 THE Bahá’í WORLB
the occasion. Throughout the four days. one of the most effective features of the presentations made was their success in drawing on and integrating the music of many different cultures.
The role of ‘Abdu‘LBahá as “Center of the Covenant" came powerfully alive at an exhibition installed in five contiguous ballrooms Of the Hilton Hotel. and running throughout the four days of the Congress. Entitled “‘Abdu’l-Bahá‘t: Mission to America.“ the Pavilion was the child of an artistic collaboration between a former Disney set designer and a writer and filmmaker from Canada. Using three-dimensiona] dioramas depicting New York of eighty years ago. and a highly imaginative combination of news magazine format and blown—up archival photographs displayed on kiosks and panels. the “Pavilion" was designed, in the words of one of its creators, “to provide the thousands of visitors with the feeling that they had themselves experienced meeting ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and hearing His message that a new universal civilization is dawning." Judging
As the largest gathering of Bahá’ís ever to assemble. the Second Bahá’í Wortd Congress was a brilliant commemorative event In honor of the Inauguration of Bahd'u‘llz‘th‘s Covenant
THE Bahá’í WORLD ID]
by the radiant faces of those leaving the Pavilion, it achieved its objective.
In addition to these major events. two concerts were held at Carnegie Hall, one of them a tribute to John Birks ”Dizzy" Gillespie. whose engaging public references ti) the unifying influences of the Faith he adopted 25 years ago have delighted audiences on all continents of the globe.
Other significant programs included the Youth Movement Forum and Youth Services Exposition, which addressed the challenges facing young Bahá’ís at this time in history and provided the opportunity for discussion of issues related to the Faith. The Forum, which brought together some 5,000 youth from 52 countries, included dialogue sessions. arts workshops. the Services Exposition and two dramatic performances at the Sheraton Hotel.
"I've been working in this industry since 1946. and I've never been more proud of an event in my whole business career.” said Benjamin La Rosa. vice-president for operations of Javits Center. “From a planning point of view, I had been terrified at the difficulties of getting that many people into and out of the Center each day. But there was not a single traffic problem, not one incident caused by pushing or shoving. This was probably the most orderly and courteous group of people I have ever seen in my life.”
Apart from the commemorative events at the Bahá’í World Centre and in New York City. the Holy Year provided the historic setting for an event long awaited by the entire Bahá’í world, the publication of the first authon'zed and fully annotated English language” edition of the Kitáb—i-Aqdas,’ the "Most Holy Book" of the Bahá’í Revelation. Described by Shoghi Effendi as “that priceless treasury enshrining for all time the brightest emanations of the mind of Bahá’u’lláh." the KitábJAqdas represents the charter of the World Order He has founded and the corpus of the laws designed for the global civilization of humanity's future. In it Bahá‘u'lláh reasserts the sovereignty of God as the sole authority governing moral life. Fundamental values around which past societies have organized themselves are reformulated to meet the needs of a
[Page 102]
l02 THE BAHA‘iWORLD
planet contracted into a single homeland, and new laws and concepts are enunciated with a view to freeing human consciousness from culturally conditioned patterns of response.
Right: The Mansion of Bahjí. outside Acre. where Bahá’u’lláh spent the last years of His life.
