Let us pray to God that in these days of world-encircling gloom,
when the dark forces of nature, of hate, rebellion, anarchy and reaction
are threatening the very stability of human society,
when the most precious fruits of civilization are undergoing severe and unparalleled tests,
we may all realize, more profoundly than ever,
that though but a mere handful amidst the seething masses of the world,
we are in this day the chosen instruments of God's grace,
that our mission is most urgent and vital to the fate of humanity,
and, fortified by these sentiments, arise to achieve God's holy purpose for mankind.
Shoghi Effendi: Bahá'í Administration, P. 52