January 17
O ye beloved of the Lord! Commit not that which defileth the
limpid stream of love or destroyeth the sweet fragrance of friendship. By the
righteousness of the Lord! Ye were created to show love one to another and not
perversity and rancour. Take pride not in love for yourselves but in love for
your fellow-creatures. Glory not in love for your country, but in love for all
mankind. Let your eye be chaste, your hand faithful, your tongue truthful and
your heart enlightened. Abase not the station of the learned in Bahá and
belittle not the rank of such rulers as administer justice amidst you. Set your
reliance on the army of justice, put on the armour of wisdom, let your adorning
be forgiveness and mercy and that which cheereth the hearts of the
well-favoured of God. (Baha’u’llah, ‘Tablets of Bahá'u'lláh revealed after the
Kitab-i-Aqdas; compilation ‘Unlocking the Power of Action’, prepared by the
Research Department of the Universal House of Justice)
