December 17

Say, O My people!  Show honour to your parents and pay homage to them.  This will cause blessings to descend upon you from the clouds of the bounty of your Lord, the Exalted, the Great. 

- Baha’u’llah  (From a Tablet; compilation: ‘Family Life’, prepared by the Research Department of the Universal House of Justice, March 2008)

December 16

That which is of paramount importance for the children, that which must precede all else, is to teach them the oneness of God and the laws of God. For lacking this, the fear of God cannot be inculcated, and lacking the fear of God an infinity of odious and abominable actions will spring up, and sentiments will be uttered that transgress all bounds….

The parents must exert every effort to rear their offspring to be religious, for should the children not attain this greatest of adornments, they will not obey their parents, which in a certain sense means that they will not obey God. Indeed, such children will show no consideration to anyone, and will do exactly as they please.

- Baha’u’llah  (From a Tablet; compilation: ‘Family Life’, prepared by the Research Department of the Universal House of Justice, March 2008)

December 15

It is the bounden duty of parents to rear their children to be staunch in faith, the reason being that a child who removeth himself from the religion of God will not act in such a way as to win the good pleasure of his parents and his Lord. For every praiseworthy deed is born out of the light of religion, and lacking this supreme bestowal the child will not turn away from any evil, nor will he draw nigh unto any good. 

- Baha’u’llah  (From a Tablet; compilation: ‘Family Life’, prepared by the Research Department of the Universal House of Justice, March 2008)

December 14

Of all the tributes I have paid to Him Who is to come after Me, the greatest is this, My written confession, that no words of Mine can adequately describe Him, nor can any reference to Him in My Book, the Bayan, do justice to His Cause….The Bayan and whosoever is therein revolve round the saying of 'Him Whom God shall make manifest,' even as the Alif (the Gospel) and whosoever was therein revolved round the saying of Muhammad, the Apostle of God…. A thousand perusals of the Bayan cannot equal the perusal of a single verse to be revealed by 'Him Whom God shall make manifest.'... Today the Bayan is in the stage of seed; at the beginning of the manifestation of 'Him Whom God shall make manifest' its ultimate perfection will become apparent.... The Bayan and such as are believers therein yearn more ardently after Him than the yearning of any lover after his beloved.... The Bayan deriveth all its glory from 'Him Whom God shall make manifest.' All blessing be upon him who believeth in Him and woe betide him that rejecteth His truth. 

- The Báb  (From the Persian Bayan, quoted by Shoghi Effendi in ‘The Dispensation of Baha’u’llah’)

December 13

Blessed is he who in the days of God will engage in handicrafts. This is a bounty from God, for in this Most Great Dispensation it is acceptable in the sight of God for man to occupy himself in a trade which relieveth him of depending upon charity.  The craft of every craftsman is regarded as worship. 

- Bahá’u’lláh  (From a Tablet; compilation: ‘Social Action’, Prepared by the Research Department of the Universal House of Justice, August 2020)

December 12

O Weed that Springeth out of Dust! Wherefore have not these soiled hands of thine touched first thine own garment, and why with thine heart defiled with desire and passion dost thou seek to commune with Me and to enter My sacred realm? Far, far are ye from that which ye desire. 

- Baha’u’llah  (‘The Hidden Words’)

December 11

Lauded and glorified art Thou, O my God! I entreat Thee by the sighing of Thy lovers and by the tears shed by them that long to behold Thee, not to withhold from me Thy tender mercies in Thy Day, nor to deprive me of the melodies of the Dove that extolleth Thy oneness before the light that shineth from Thy face. … I implore Thee, therefore, by Thy Self, the Exalted, the Most High, not to abandon me unto mine own self and unto the desires of a corrupt inclination. Hold Thou my hand with the hand of Thy power, and deliver me from the depths of my fancies and idle imaginings, and cleanse me of all that is abhorrent unto Thee. 

- Baha’u’llah  (‘Prayers and Meditations’)

December 10

Whatever is written should not transgress the bounds of tact and wisdom, and in the words used there should lie hid the property of milk, so that the children of the world may be nurtured therewith, and attain maturity.  We have said in the past that one word hath the influence of spring and causeth hearts to become fresh and verdant, while another is like unto blight which causeth the blossoms and flowers to wither.  God grant that authors among the friends will write in such a way as would be acceptable to fair-minded souls, and not lead to cavilling by the people. 

- Bahá’u’lláh  (From a Tablet; compilation: ‘Social Action’, Prepared by the Research Department of the Universal House of Justice, August 2020)

December 9

My God, the Object of my adoration, the Goal of my desire, the All-Bountiful, the Most Compassionate! All life is of Thee and all power lieth within the grasp of Thine omnipotence. Whosoever Thou exaltest is raised above the angels, and attaineth the station: “Verily, We uplifted him to a place on high!”; and whosoever Thou dost abase is made lower than dust, nay, less than nothing. 

- Baha’u’llah  (‘Prayers and Meditations’)

December 8

The fifth Taráz concerneth the protection and preservation of the stations of God's servants. One should not ignore the truth of any matter, rather should one give expression to that which is right and true. The people of Bahá should not deny any soul the reward due to him, should treat craftsmen with deference, and, unlike the people aforetime, should not defile their tongues with abuse.

In this Day the sun of craftsmanship shineth above the horizon of the occident and the river of arts is flowing out of the sea of that region. One must speak with fairness and appreciate such bounty. By the life of God! The word "Equity" shineth bright and resplendent even as the sun. We pray God to graciously shed its radiance upon everyone. He is in truth powerful over all things, He Who is wont to answer the prayers of all men. 

- Baha’u’llah  (Tarázát, ‘Tablets of Bahá'u'lláh Revealed After the Kitáb-i-Aqdas’”; Compilation on ‘Profession’, prepared by the Research Department of the Universal House of Justice)

December 7

Thou hadst made reference in thy letter to agriculture. On this matter He hath laid down the following universal rule that it is incumbent upon everyone, even should he be resident in a particular land for no more than a single day, to become engaged in some craft or trade, or agriculture, and that the very pursuit of such a calling is, in the eyes of the one true God, identical with worship. This rule was exemplified by the Bahá’í community at the time when they were facing exile from ‘Iráq, for, while they were making arrangements for their journey, they occupied themselves in cultivating the land; and when they set out, instructions were given for the fruits of their labours to be distributed amongst the friends. 

- Bahá’u’lláh  (From a Tablet; compilation: ‘Social Action’, Prepared by the Research Department of the Universal House of Justice, August 2020)

December 6

We prescribe unto all men that which will lead to the exaltation of the Word of God amongst His servants, and likewise, to the advancement of the world of being and the uplift of souls. To this end, the greatest means is education of the child. To this must each and all hold fast. We have verily laid this charge upon you in manifold Tablets as well as in My Most Holy Book. Well is it with him who deferreth thereto. 

- Bahá’u’lláh  (From a Tablet; compilation: ‘Social Action’, Prepared by the Research Department of the Universal House of Justice, August 2020)

December 5

Commune, O Maryam, with the Spirit of the All-Merciful and, shunning the company and kinship of the Evil One, seek shelter within the inviolable protection of the Lord of bounty, that haply the hand of His loving-kindness may deliver thee from the path of selfish pursuits and direct thy steps towards the realm of transcendent glory.

Abandon these fleeting shadows, O Maryam, and turn towards the Day-Star of unfading splendour. Every shadow oweth its existence and motion to the presence of the sun; for were the latter to withhold its grace for a single moment, all things would sink beneath the veil of non-existence. How sad and regrettable indeed that one should occupy oneself with the transitory things of this world and be debarred from the Dayspring of eternal holiness! 

- Baha’u’llah  (‘Days of Remembrance’)

December 4

In this day it is incumbent upon everyone to serve the Cause of God, while He Who is the Eternal Truth—exalted be His glory—hath made the fulfilment of every undertaking on earth dependent on material means. 

- Bahá’u’lláh  (From a Tablet; compilation: ‘Social Action’, Prepared by the Research Department of the Universal House of Justice, August 2020)

December 3

Although the Realm of Glory hath none of the vanities of the world, yet within the treasury of trust and resignation We have bequeathed to Our heirs an excellent and priceless Heritage. Earthly treasures We have not bequeathed, nor have We added such cares as they entail. By God! In earthly riches fear is hidden and peril is concealed. Consider ye and call to mind that which the All-Merciful hath revealed in the Qur’án: “Woe betide every slanderer and defamer, him that layeth up riches and counteth them.” [Qur’án 104:1–2] Fleeting are the riches of the world; all that perisheth and changeth is not, and hath never been, worthy of attention, except to a recognized measure. 

- Baha’u’llah  (‘Days of Remembrance’)

December 2

The purpose of learning should be the promotion of the welfare of the people….  True learning is that which is conducive to the well-being of the world, not to pride and self-conceit, or to tyranny, violence and pillage.

- Bahá’u’lláh  (From a Tablet; compilation: ‘Social Action’, Prepared by the Research Department of the Universal House of Justice, August 2020)

December 1

Once in session, it behoveth them to converse, on behalf of God’s servants, upon the affairs and interests of all….  In like manner, they should consider such matters as the refinement of manners, the preservation of human dignity, the development of cities, and the polity which God hath made a bulwark for His lands and a fortress for His people. 

- Bahá’u’lláh  (From a Tablet; compilation: ‘Social Action’, Prepared by the Research Department of the Universal House of Justice, August 2020) 

November 30

O Maryam! Though a tree be laden with a myriad leaves and fruits, a gust of autumnal wind sufficeth to obliterate them all. Remove not, then, thy gaze from the very root of the Tree of Divinity and the branch of the Lote-Tree of celestial glory. Consider the ocean, how serene it lieth, how majestically it reposeth within its bed. Yet the winds of the will of the eternal Beloved cause countless ripples and innumerable swells to appear upon its surface, each wave distinct and divergent from the others. All the peoples of the world today are preoccupied with the ebb and flow of these waves, and are oblivious of the stupendous might of that Sea of seas whose every movement layeth bare the signs of Him Who is the Unconstrained. 

- Baha’u’llah  (‘Days of Remembrance’)

November 29

Know thou that he is truly learned who hath acknowledged My Revelation, and drunk from the Ocean of My knowledge, and soared in the atmosphere of My love, and cast away all else besides Me, and taken firm hold on that which hath been sent down from the Kingdom of My wondrous utterance. He, verily, is even as an eye unto mankind, and as the spirit of life unto the body of all creation. Glorified be the All-Merciful Who hath enlightened him, and caused him to arise and serve His great and mighty Cause. Verily, such a man is blessed by the Concourse on high, and by them who dwell within the Tabernacle of Grandeur, who have quaffed My sealed Wine in My Name, the Omnipotent, the All Powerful.... 

- Baha’u’llah  (‘Epistle to the Son of the Wolf'; The Compilation of Compilations, vol. I, 'The Importance of Deepening our Knowledge of the Faith')

November 28

Strain every nerve to acquire both inner and outer perfections, for the fruit of the human tree hath ever been and will ever be perfections both within and without.  It is not desirable that a man be left without knowledge or skills, for he is then but a barren tree.  Then, so much as capacity and capability allow, ye needs must deck the tree of being with fruits such as knowledge, wisdom, spiritual perception and eloquent speech. 

- Bahá’u’lláh  (From a Tablet; compilation: ‘Social Action’, Prepared by the Research Department of the Universal House of Justice, August 2020)