“Blessed are they that occupy themselves in the House of Worship with the remembrance of Him Who is the Lord of the righteous! Blessed are they that arise in the service of this House!”
– Bahá’u’lláh
The Bahá’í House of Worship in India is supported by a flow of believers from all states in India and diversity of countries and occupations who arise selflessly to offer a period of service, of varying length. The volunteer needs at the House of Worship are changing in light of the evolving demands and currently we wish to induct around 30 volunteers, to various departments of care and maintenance, gardens, security, administration and kitchen.
Bounty of Service
The Bahá’í House of Worship at New Delhi, India was dedicated to humankind in December 1986 by the Hand of the Cause Amatu’l-Bahá Rúhíyyih Khánum. This House of Worship, “the Dawning-place of the Praise of God” in the Indian sub-continent, is one of the most visited structures in the world. Thousands and thousands of waiting souls enter this House of God every day seeking subconsciously the Water of Life. Impressed by its architectural beauty and serene ambience, the multitude of humanity throngs to its doors for inspiration and this silent teacher of the Faith does not disappoint them. The volunteers at the House of Worship warmly welcome everyone with love and empathy, guide them in their search to contemplate on the fundamental questions on life and thereby enrich their spiritual experience. “It is better to guide one soul than to possess all that is on earth…”, said the Blessed Bab. “Whoso openeth his lips in this Day,” the Blessed Beauty says, “and maketh mention of the name of his Lord, the hosts of Divine inspiration shall descend upon him from the heaven of My name, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise. On him shall also descend the Concourse on high, each bearing aloft a chalice of pure light.”
The Bahá’í House of Worship, the beloved Guardian states, is the symbol and harbinger of the World Order of Bahá’u’lláh and the Universal House of Justice states that it weds two inseparable aspects of Bahá’í life: worship and service, and he who arises in the service of the House of Worship, beloved Master says, “…shall be imbued by God with a power emanating from His mighty Kingdom, and upon him shall rain such spiritual, heavenly blessings as shall fill his heart with a wondrous light and illumine his eyes to behold the glory of the Ancient of Days.” The Master urges the believers, “Let the love and light of the Kingdom radiate through you until all who look upon you shall be illumined by its reflection”. Love for God, and it burns away all veils of estrangement, binds hearts together, leads to the field of service and enables to see in every soul the capacity to know and worship Him.
Regards to service, the Guardian says that it is the magnet that draws divine confirmations. He said, “…work of the Cause…is done by the sacrifice of loving and devoted souls who arise selflessly to undertake work they feel themselves incompetent, sometimes, to achieve. God works through them and endows them with gifts they did not dream they could ever possess”. The Guardian underlined the absolute necessity of individual initiative and explained that without his support, the plans of the institutions are subject to failure and the divine plan of beloved Master gets impeded. The role of individual is of unique importance in the work of the Cause and he remains at the crux of every progress, says the Universal House of Justice. And the Supreme Body emphasizes, “For the present generation, the moment has come to reflect, to commit, to steel themselves for a life of service from which blessing will flow in abundance”.
The Revelation of Baha’u’llah calls for profound change in the individuals and the society. Translating this into reality is evidently no easy task. Though, the Bahá’ís do not believe that the transformation envisioned will be realized exclusively through their efforts, yet they remain at the forefront of actions for the well-being of humanity. The Supreme Body says that the Bahá’ís are among the most active and earnest of humanity’s well-wishers and urged all believers to make their mark at this critical time of our history. Let us recall the immortal sacrifices of our dearest Master, Who with failing health at the age of sixty-six arose to champion the Cause of His illustrious Father. He even emphasized that there is no deed in the world nobler than service to the common good and no greater blessing for a man than that he becomes the cause of the education, development, prosperity and honour of his fellow-creatures. Following our beloved Master, Whose whole existence was an example of selfless service to others, let us rise to the occasion and guide the disoriented humanity closer to the life-giving teachings of the Lord of the Age. The House of Worship, the beacon of light against the gloom of hatred and inequity as the Supreme Body calls it, if not the only avenue of service, it certainly offers abundant opportunities to demonstrate the complementarity of “being” and “doing” in the life of a believer, and above all to be the pure channels of His grace for the whole humankind.