re turning to Thy kingdom and
seeking Thy grace and bounty. O God! Make their hearts good and pure in
order that they may become worthy of Thy love. Purify and sanctify the
spirits that the light of the Sun of Reality may shine upon them. Purify
and sanctify the eyes that they may perceive Thy light. Purify and
sanctify the ears in order that they may hear the call of Thy kingdom.

O Lord! Verily, we are weak, but Thou art mighty. Verily, we are poor, but
Thou art rich. We are the seekers, and Thou art the One sought. O Lord!
Have compassion upon us and forgive us; bestow upon us such capacity and
receptiveness that we may be worthy of Thy favors and become attracted to
Thy kingdom, that we may drink deep of the water of life, may be enkindled
by the fire of Thy love, and be resuscitated through the breaths of the
Holy Spirit in this radiant century.

O God, my God! Cast upon this gathering the glances of Thy
loving-kindness. Keep safe each and all in Thy custody and under Thy
protection. Send down upon these souls Thy heavenly blessings. Immerse
them in the ocean of Thy mercy, and quicken them through the breaths of
the Holy Spirit.

O Lord! Bestow Thy gracious aid and confirmation upon this just
government. This country lieth beneath the sheltering shadow of Thy
protection, and this people is in Thy service. O Lord! Confer upon them
Thy heavenly bounty and render the outpourings of Thy grace and favor
copious and abundant. Suffer this esteemed nation to be held in honor, and
enable it to be admitted into Thy kingdom.

Thou art the Powerful, the Omnipotent, the Merciful, and Thou art the
Generous, the Beneficent, the Lord of grace abounding.

--'Abdu'l-Baha

"O Divine Providence! This assemblage is composed..."

O Divine Providence! This assemblage is composed of Thy friends who are
attracted to Thy beauty and are set ablaze by the fire of Thy love. Turn
these souls into heavenly angels, resuscitate them through the breath of
Thy Holy Spirit, grant them eloquent tongues and resolute hearts, bestow
upon them heavenly power and merciful susceptibilities, cause them to
become the promulgators of the oneness of mankind and the cause of love
and concord in the world of humanity, so that the perilous darkness of
ignorant prejudice may vanish through the light of the Sun of Truth, this
dreary world may become illumined, this material realm may absorb the rays
of the world of spirit, these different colors may mer