Prayers for Australians facing bushfire crisis
A letter of loving support was sent by the National Spiritual Assembly of New Zealand to the National Spiritual Assembly of Australia on 20 January 2020, and a response received on 29 January 2020.
Dear Friends
Throughout New Zealand, including not least the Bahá’í community, there has been shock and profound sympathy at the dire circumstances and trauma being experienced in Australia as a result of the widespread and relentless bushfire situation your country has been, and continues, facing.
At its meeting this past weekend, the National Spiritual Assembly of New Zealand prayed for divine mercies to comfort and strengthen the Australian people during this extreme state of affairs.
We want you to know that the friends in our sister community of Australia are uppermost in our minds and hearts and will be kept in the prayers of the institutions and believers in New Zealand.
May the strength of Bahá’u’lláh reinforce all the friends who are dealing with the impact of the crisis on their families, friends, neighbourhoods and cities.
Loving Bahá’í greetings,
National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of New Zealand
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SUBJECT: Your 20 January 2020 assurance of prayers
DATE: 29 January 2020 (11 Sultan 176 B.E.)
TO: National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of New Zealand
CC: Counsellors Taraz Nadarajah, Daniel Pierce, Vahid Saberi and Tessa Scrine
Dearest co-workers,
The National Spiritual Assembly received your 20 January 2020 expression of loving support with humility and thanksgiving.
Through the bushfires that have enveloped our country, Australia has experienced firsthand, the observation shared by the Universal House of Justice in its January 2019 message, that “It is through love for all people, and by subordinating lesser loyalties to the best interests of humankind, that the unity of the world can be realized and the infinite expressions of human diversity find their highest fulfilment”.
We have seen deep seated resilience in the response of individuals and communities from all over the country, born of a deep-rooted love for humanity and for our natural environment. This is evident in the heroic efforts of firefighters, risking their very lives to assist others; in the efforts of fire-affected communities to support one another; and in the resources being raised, from within Australia and worldwide, assisting those who have lost their material possessions to rebuild their lives and their communities. It also resonates in the love, support and prayers that we have received from our brothers and sisters abroad.
We ask that you keep us in your prayers that the members of the Australian community continue to selflessly arise and face this dire calamity with resolute focus on serving their fellow man.
With loving Baha’i greetings,
NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY
OF THE BAHA’IS OF AUSTRALIA INC.
Anton Jones
Secretary
