The Advent of Divine Justice is a letter from Shoghi Effendi to the Baháʼís of the United States and Canada written on 25 December 1938. It describes the unique spiritual destiny of America, its role in establishing the Most Great Peace and the crucial contribution that American Baháʼís have to make to that process. Shoghi Effendi explains that in order for the Baháʼís to make a lasting contribution and fulfill their destiny, they must exert themselves to manifest "moral rectitude," "absolute chastity," and "complete freedom from prejudice."
Shoghi Effendi-the Guardian of the Bahá'í Faith, wrote The Advent of Divine Justice as a letter to the North American Bahá'ís in 1938, at a critical time in the history of the Faith and the affairs of the world. The North American Bahá'í community was chosen by 'Abdu'l-Bahá to initiate the plan set out in the Tablets of the Divine Plan, the charter revealed by 'Abdu'l-Bahá for the spiritual conquest of the planet. 'Abdu'l-Bahá, and later Shoghi Effendi, nurtured the development of the North American Bahá'ís, preparing them to embark on the mission conferred on them by 'Abdu'l-Bahá. A year before writing The Advent of Divine Justice, Shoghi Effendi provided the North American Bahá'í community with a Seven Year Plan as the first stage in bringing the Light of the Cause to the American continent. In a message dated 18 January 2019 to the Bahá'ís of the world, the Universal House of Justice-the supreme governing body of the Bahá'í Faith, signalled that the forces of disintegration have regrouped and gained ground since the beginning of the 21st century and new challenges have begun to emerge. The increasing problems of the world bring an urgency to the study of The Advent of Divine Justice. It is critical for all Bahá'ís at this time, to assimilate its contents into the patterns of their behaviour as individuals and as communities, no matter in what part of the globe they live.This current book is designed to assist you to study The Advent of Divine Justice and absorb its contents. It is called a tutorial as it attempts to simulate, as much as possible, the tutor-tutored relationship in a self-paced personal study. All the references in the tutorial are sourced either from authoritative Bahá'í materials or obtained from other reliable sources.
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Fr. Alfred Delp,S.J., was a heroic German Jesuit priest who was imprisoned and martyred by the Nazis in a Nazi death camp in 1945. At the time of his arrest, he was the Rector of St. Georg Church in Munich, and had a reputation for being a gripping, dynamic preacher, and one who was an outspoken critic of the Nazi regime. He was an important figure in the Resistance movement against Nazism. Accused of conspiring against the Nazi government, he was arrested in 1944, tortured, imprisoned, and executed on Feb 2, 1945. While in prison, Fr. Delp was able to write a few meditations found in this book, which also includes his powerful reflections from prison during the Advent season about the profound spiritual meaning and lessons of Advent, as well as his sermons he gave on the season of Advent at his parish in Munich. These meditations were smuggled out of Berlin and read by friends and parishioners of St. Georg in Munich. His approach to Advent, the season that prepares us for Christmas, is what Fr. Delp called an "Advent of the heart." More than just preparing us for Christmas, it is a spiritual program, a way of life. He proclaimed that our personal, social and historical circumstances, even suffering, offer us entry into the true Advent, our personal journey toward a meeting and dialogue with God. Indeed, his own life, and great sufferings, illustrated the true Advent he preached and wrote about. From his very prison cell he presented a timeless spiritual message, and in an extreme situation, his deep faith gave him the courage to draw closer to God, and to witness to the truth even at the cost of his own life. These meditations will challenge and inspire all Christians to embark upon that same spiritual journey toward union with God, a journey that will transform our lives. ?As one of the last witnesses who knew Fr. Alfred Delp personally, I am very pleased this book will make him better known in America. The more one reads his writings, the more one clearly recognizes the prophetic message for our times! Like his contemporary, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Delp ranks among the great prophets who endured the horror of Nazism and handed down a powerful message for our times.? Karl Kreuser, S.J., from the Foreword
Advent, says Fleming Rutledge, is not for the faint of heart. As the midnight of the Christian year, the season of Advent is rife with dark, gritty realities. In this book, with her trademark wit and wisdom, Rutledge explores Advent as a time of rich paradoxes, a season celebrating at once Christ’s incarnation and his second coming, and she masterfully unfolds the ethical and future-oriented significance of Advent for the church.
Advent means arrival or coming. During this sacred season, we actively recall the arrival of Jesus as the Word made flesh, and we joyfully await his final return at the end of the age. But as we remember the past and anticipate the future, we are also attentive to our divine encounters in the present, the ways God "arrives" in our everyday lives. Amy Ekeh's Advent, Season of Divine Encounter helps us look closely at three key Scripture passages to recall, recognize, and anticipate the ways God comes into our lives and our world.
