“calamities have been and are occurring and will continue to happen until mankind has been chastened sufficiently to accept the Manifestation for this day” - 15 April 1976

You make reference to calamities and request specific answers if there are any as to when they may occur and with what magnitude. The House of Justice noted your comments that you have read what Bahá'u'lláh had to say about the collapse of the old world order and the coming of the new, and that in recent times friends returning from their pilgrimages spoke of meeting with Hands of the Cause and members of the House of Justice in which the coming of great world upheavals was related to a time 'around the end of the Five Year Plan and afterwards'. The House of Justice points out that calamities have been and are occurring and will continue to happen until mankind has been chastened sufficiently to accept the Manifestation for this day. 'Abdu'l-Bahá anticipated that the Lesser Peace could be established before the end of the twentieth century. However, Bahá'ís should not be diverted from the work of the Cause by the fear of catastrophes but should try to understand why they occur. The beloved Guardian, in innumerable places, has explained the reasons for these occurrences, and since they happen from time to time as explained above we should not be concerned as to when they occur. 

- The Universal House of Justice  (From a letter written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to an individual believer, April 15, 1976; compilation: ‘Lights of Guidance’)

“The friends should not be unduly exercised” when books written against the Faith” appear; “no issue should be made of them” - 30 March 1976

...the Universal House of Justice instructs us to say that it is to be expected that books will be written against the Faith attempting to distort is teachings, to denigrate is accomplishments, to vilify is Founders and leaders and to destroy is very foundations. The friends should not be unduly exercised when these books appear and certainly no issue should be made of them. 

- The Universal House of Justice  (From a letter written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice, 30 March 1976 to the National Spiritual Assembly of Hong Kong; The Compilation of Compilations, vol. 1, Crisis and Victory)

Formal education of children “must begin at the age of five”; “mothers should read or sing to them verses of Bahá'u'lláh” at bed time - 24 March 1976

The Tablet of 'Abdu'l-Bahá concerning the education of children refers particularly to their formal education which He says must begin at the age of five. The Master makes it clear that during the daytime children of that age and older should be looked after in a place where there are teachers. They should learn good conduct and be taught how to spell and to read and He indicates that spelling and reading can be learned by the use of simple games. Children of all ages can benefit from the guidance given to mothers by 'Abdu'l-Bahá in which He advises that when the children are ready for bed their mothers should read or sing to them verses of Bahá'u'lláh so that from their earliest years the children will be educated by these words of the Blessed Beauty. The House of Justice adds that you should feel free to hold classes for children under the age of five provided you keep in mind that their attention span is relatively short and so the duration of their class periods should be measured accordingly. 

- The Universal House of Justice  (From a letter written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to the Spiritual Assembly of Newton, Kansas, March 24, 1976; compilation: ‘Lights of Guidance’)

“The believer will be subject to sanctions if he should marry a third party within the year of patience” - 14 March 1976

The believer will be subject to sanctions if he should marry a third party within the year of patience, not only because it is a violation of the year of patience itself, but also because even though a civil divorce has been granted, the Bahá'í divorce cannot be granted until the end of the year of patience. For this reason no marriage is possible during the running of the year of patience unless the parties to the divorce remarry each other in a civil ceremony. 

- The Universal House of Justice  (From a letter written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice, dated July 18, 1973, quoted in the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Canada's Assembly Resource Compilation)

In cases in which your Assembly has decided that the believer was ignorant of the law requiring him to have a Bahá'í divorce before marrying another, and a civil divorce has already been obtained, your Assembly may in its discretion excuse him and he would be regarded as in the same status as one who obtained a divorce before becoming a Bahá'í. 

- The Universal House of Justice  (From a letter written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice, dated March 14, 1976; compilation: ‘Developing Distinctive Baha’i Communities’, prepared by NSA of USA, 1998 edition)