At this hour while yet the heart burns with ...

(172) At this hour while yet the heart burns with the anguish of sorrow,
and the gloom of bereavement still hangs low, my thoughts turn in loving
remembrance to my sincere beloved sisters and brothers in the Cause.

The news of your firmness in the Covenant, of your endeavour to work in
unity and harmony, and of your untiring zeal and devotion in the Path of
Service, has been a source of untold joy to me. For now my sole comfort
lies in the loyalty and faithfulness of the friends, and my one joy in the
progress of the Cause.

Dear friends! At this critical time through which the Cause is passing the
responsibility that has fallen on every individual Baha'i is great, and
his duties are pressing and manifold. Now that the Sun of the Covenant has
set on the horizon of the world, the eyes of all the people are turned
expectant upon us. Now the time has come for the faithful friends of
'Abdu'l-Baha, who have been the recipients of the Glorious Light, to shine
forth even as brilliant stars. The radiance of our Faith must be such as
to dispel the clouds of doubt and guide the world to the Day-spring of
Truth.

Our firmness must be such as to cause him who wavers and errs to turn back
penitent unto the fold; our unity and love must be such as to cause the
peoples of the world to join hands in amity and brotherhood; and our
activity in service must be such as to have all parts of the world resound
with the echoes of 'YA-BAHA'U'L-ABHA!'.

For inspiration and guidance let us turn unto His life-imparting
exhortations: 'O friends, show forth your fidelity! O my loved ones,
manifest your steadfastness and your constancy! O ye who invoke His Name,
turn ye and hold fast unto Him! O ye who lift up your hearts and implore
His aid, cling to Him and walk in His ways! It is incumbent upon every one
of us to encourage each other, to exert our utmost endeavour to diffuse
His divine fragrances and engage in exalting His Word. We must, at all
times, be stirred by the breeze that bloweth from the rose-garden of His
loving-kindness, and be perfumed with the fragrances of the mystic flowers
of His grace.'

Thus does 'Abdu'l-Baha still call to us from His realm of effulgent glory.
Will not each of us hearken unto His voice, and exert the utmost endeavour
to fulfil His hopes?

Dear friends, this is the day of faithfulness; this is the day of unity;
this is the day of service. Let us not wait,