REVEREND SUN MYUNG MOON October 23, 1977 Belvedere, New York Translator - Bo Hi Pak
The month of October is almost past. Winter is coming and on the way here I thought about how we should take care of all the members who sit outside in the open air on Sunday morning. Are you also concerned? All you are responsible for is getting here early enough to sit inside.
Those who are in leadership positions have to think about everything in advance, planning what to do in certain situations a month and a year from now. In a home the children have endless energy and lots of joy and they are concerned only about the present. As long as they are content in the present they are happy but that's not good enough for the host or master of the household; he has to be thinking about everyone's future well-being. Children welcome a severe winter because they love skiing and ice-skating and playing in the snow. To children winter means excitement, but responsible people should not think of the future only in terms of fun. Leaders should think about making preparations for the winter, for example.
The government of a nation is no different. In any country most people live in the present' worrying only about whether their immediate needs are being taken care of' but the leaders of the country should not think only about the present. They must plan for the nation's well-being far into the future and we can say that the greatness of a leader parallels the breadth of his vision. If one leader thinks about 100 years in the future but another can envision the future 1,000 years away, who would be more of a host for that nation? Certainly the leader who has greater vision into the future has greater capacity for leadership. Would Americans prefer a leader who can offer a vision for 100 years ahead or someone who can see ahead through a millennium?
I want to ask whether you American young people cherish your nation's traditions. Many people would say that they don't care about tradition but only about freedom. They want to do anything they like. Do you freedom-loving people think you need a tradition? You members are a different brand of American and that's why you say yes, but what about the millions of young people not in our Church?
Upon what kind of foundation can we uphold a tradition and what kind of tradition should be cherished? By definition a good tradition is the way of life which can lead people toward permanent prosperity in the future' being like a rail for the people to travel along. In other words, tradition has value through all time. You don't want the kind of tradition that is useful only for the past or present but not for the future. You want a tradition that is valuable yesterday, today and tomorrow. What would that kind of tradition be?
The universal tradition would guarantee prosperity for your home and nation and world on a permanent basis, ensuring its unchanging value. Why would that kind of tradition be desirable? I already mentioned that the true host is the king or national leader who can offer a vision not only for 100 years but for 1,000 years in the future, steering the nation toward that long-distant future prosperity. That leader is thinking about what kind of tradition to leave behind him to be like a railroad track along which his people can progress. The true leader is concerned about this tradition.
What kind of qualification would this kind of national leader have? Most of all, he should not be centered on himself. He would want not only to give himself for the betterment and prosperity of people in the future, but also be able to elaborate on the central core truth of an eternal, lasting tradition. Would a random way of life be adequate for his purpose?
What ideology could form the essential framework of the future? You are right in saying that love should be the core truth, but it cannot be a love whose scope is so narrow that it cannot go beyond the level of individual or nation to embrace the world or the universe. We need a tradition of love big enough to break the shackles of individualism and embrace the universe. If anyone could set up the tradition of that love it would remain on earth forever. Have you ever thought about this? Since you have become Unification Church members you have broadened your thinking but I'm sure that such ideas never occurred to you before.
The tradition which will guarantee future prosperity
Our pattern of life today should be focused on the future, with our way of life of love and our concept of love extending to the world. That pattern of life should be established now. Undoubtedly I am an Oriental man while you are Westerners and together we must find the tradition that can work in the East and West alike. The external necessities like money and knowledge cannot link both worlds. America enjoys the greatest wealth in the world but I want you to know that America's wealth will not continue indefinitely. Money comes and goes.
Because money is temporal and even knowledge changes, we need to find value that can always climb up. Where should we look? Some power is needed to make the family one solid unit for eternity. We must make society a solid unit which can continue for eternity, and the nation must be a solid unit which can continue for eternity.
These ideals can never be realized unless they are begun with love. Families which center upon parental love will remain united. In order for parental love to go on for eternity there must be someone to inherit that tradition; clearly, children should be the recipients. We need a way to educate children to become the heirs of that tradition and to expand it to have even greater value. Each generation will learn the importance of the tradition already established and not only inherit it but expand it for the future.
That tradition will begin in good homes, with parents always urging their children to be better than themselves. With this fervent desire, parents will constantly pay attention and give encouragement to their children. Such parents will give much thought to motivating their children in the best way possible, anticipating the day when they can become better than the parents.
There is nothing that these parents would not sacrifice for the betterment of their children and they would also be willing to even force their children in a direction which would make them better than their own parents. How should children react to that? Would it be reasonable for them to say, "You are dictators and I don't like you. I don't want to be bothered. Leave me alone"? Should that be their attitude, or should they say, "Father and mother, I understand your will and I cherish your tradition. I will do my best to receive it and expand it." How can we educate American young people? Do you see the need for this tradition in your own lives?
It is certainly easy for parents to say, "All right, do anything you want. If you just want to sleep and eat, go ahead; I won't bother you." No real parents would like to do that though. They would teach their children to respect other people and show them something better than fighting with their brothers and sisters. Would any parents encourage their children to fight with each other? True parents are constantly working to pass on the tradition of love.
It doesn't make any difference whether you are in the East or the West; there is a common tradition of love that most parents of all races are trying to establish. Everyone wants their family united together in perfect harmony so they can have happy, peaceful lives. Everyone hopes for that experience, whether in the East or West. Tradition is essential in this case because it is the only connection with the future. Realizing its significance, it is common sense that parents would want to leave the tradition behind, even if it required the utmost sacrifice.
Would children in the tradition of love be unconcerned if their parents wanted a divorce? Instead they would each say, "I am your child. I am the cement between the two of you and because of me you should come up with some kind of agreement and be the best parents for me. I need parents." We must establish in young people an awareness of the responsibility of parents, letting them know that because of their children they have no right to be separated. Because of their children's love a mother and father have no right to even think about separating. You young people can start a trend against divorce in this country.
True patriotism reflects the family
The son of filial piety is the son who loves his father so much that his father cannot even imagine separating from his wife and going away from his son. Even not being able to get along with his wife could not push this father away. Any parents who have a child whose love they could not bear to push aside by separating certainly have a child of filial piety. The good son who truly loves his parents would never want to have them separate or be people who just live for themselves. That son is preserving the tradition of love which propels the family toward eternal prosperity.
We have reached the very critical moment here in America when each one of you Americans should create this basic tradition in the American home. If any country has this tradition of love in its families and expands it onto the level of society and nation then the beautiful relationship between the government and people can be compared to the relationship between parents and children. When that happens you know that the society and nation have established the true tradition.
The sad thing about America today is that "patriotism,' is an empty word. American young people blink their eyes in perplexity if you talk to them about loving their country and ask, "Why should I love my country?" No one has properly educated the young people and the modern way of life has become tragically sensual and carnal, with love relationships being as casual as animals'. There is no depth or spirituality there' only physical contact. Animals sometimes demonstrate greater fidelity than human beings. Where can you find love of country in such people? Many people think they love their country because they pay taxes and that their responsibility ends there.
True patriotism does not begin on the level of the nation; you must find it first in the family. In other words, the pattern of loving at the family level is the model for all relationships of love in every level of society. The relationships between parents and children, husband and wife and brothers and sisters are the basic patterns of love. If you have a deep understanding of unity and a spiritual love at home, all you have to do is expand it to the level of society and nation and you have patriotism.
If you create the right kind of atmosphere of family love then you won't have to educate your children too much in terms of patriotism and love for humanity because they can easily extend their love and respect for their parents to the nation's leaders. Loving the neighbors will be as natural as relating to their brothers and sisters. Those who have experienced the warmth of a loving home won't be baffled by the concept of patriotism; it will immediately make sense to them. But to those whose home was devoid of love any talk of patriotism is an empty gesture.
What you need here in America is the right tradition of love, even if it means omitting the State Department or some other government function. The government is not what determines the prosperity of America. What you need to absolutely guarantee the prosperity of this nation is the right tradition of love. The president's role in the country is like that of a father and the trust and love and respect of the people for their nation's leader would move them to unite around his direction and policy. When citizens can look at their president as being like a father for the greater purpose of their nation and can respect him as they respect their own parents at home then the right kind of tradition is being passed on. Education in the home can be such that the tradition of the father's position can be expanded onto the national level; for the purpose of the national goal and out of devotion to the national sovereignty individuals would even be willing to give their lives, as much as they would for their own parents.
The nation is a greater level than the family so when a priority must be decided the nation comes first. People must feel that they can even sacrifice their families in service to the people of the nation. The lesser can always be sacrificed for the greater. If war comes, the young people can give up their own lives and the older people give up their own children to participate in the national calling. That is love of country. Loving your country is an act of loving your own wife and children, not of deserting them.
If that kind of tradition is set in any country, that nation will flourish because the people will rally around any cause and be ready to make any sacrifice. This is the most ideal tradition of love on the family and national levels. When that kind of relationship is achieved between individual and family and individual and nation , that country will undoubtedly prosper. Once that happens, no power can threaten the prosperity of that country. If danger comes to that country, each individual will participate to protect his country and home; instead of fleeing from danger, the people will want to make sacrifices for the lasting prosperity of their nation.
Compare the two types of nation; one may have lots of money and power' but lack fidelity, loyalty and tradition. The other type of country may not have much money or weaponry, but each citizen is motivated to follow the true tradition of love, to sacrifice himself and participate in the greater cause, even as far as giving his life. Which country shall prosper in the long run?
The tradition of a true family is the same for a patriot and a saint
Thinking people who are searching for long-lasting prosperity have to think about this tradition. No matter how much they have for the present' the most important factor will always be what tradition of love they cherish. Many traditions have existed in history but they never extended beyond the level of the nation, and each nation has clung to its own sovereignty alone as its ultimate goal and purpose. That has been the extent of man's thinking' but what about God? Has He been thinking in the same way? If God favored one nation out of all the world, would He be a good God? Not only would He be a very poor God, but if that nation were to decline then God would be destroyed together with it.
We know that God is different and does not think only on the human level. God's level is the world and in His view patriotism is not limited to the love of one country; His level of nationalism embraces the world as one nation, one unit, and He wants to promote the same tradition of love on that level. God certainly upholds patriotism on His level of nationalism, not man's.
This brings us to the question of whether there is really a God or not. One way we can prove that there is a God is by observing the abundant evidence that God is trying to promote worldwide patriotism and a concept of the world as one nation. With much evidence of this you can automatically believe that there is one higher sovereign working toward that tradition.
What kind of movement would seek to link man and God? Let's analyze religion. Can you find a certain patriotic ingredient in religion that encourages loyalty beyond the level of race or nation? That evidence alone is sufficient to recognize that God has been promoting unity throughout history. If no religious philosophy can be found which encourages patriotism or filial piety beyond the level of race or nation then you can come to the conclusion that there is no God, but if you do find such a thing in religious teaching then you must recognize that God exists. We can conclude that God must be insisting that everyone love something higher than their own family or nation. Regardless of the color of his skin or nationality, each person must love something above the level of his own family and nation. The true God must insist upon that.
Any religion which expressly teaches the ideal of a world brotherhood is closest to God, and whoever has tried to advance such an ideology or way of life is known as a saint or holy man. A holy man is defined as the man who can freely and openly move in and out of the love of God, without hindrance or reservation. A holy man is not necessarily a giant or a miracle worker. A holy man knows how to link himself to the King of the universe, God. Simply put, he is linked with the reality of God so completely that no one can sever their relationship. Our goal in life should not be limited to patriotism for just one nation but should be the goal of a holy man and saint.
Such a man thinks that even if he must sacrifice his own family and nation he will live for the prosperity of the world. Does this sound like I am only trying to justify our way of life in the Unification Church? Is this just a clever definition of a holy man, or is this the truth? What this world needs is only one book not the millions of volumes in the library of a famous university. We could lose them all and not miss them because we need only one book that depicts a holy man's life in the tradition of love between God and man. If that one book exists then we need nothing else.
What is eternally worthwhile about volumes on American history or Japanese or Korean history? They are nothing but a burden. Unless we know the core truth which can somehow link us with God in heaven and set up the right tradition which can guarantee man's eternal prosperity on earth and in heaven, we have nothing. How can you know how to love the world? How can you know the way of life of holy people or saints? It might seem impossible to follow but it is really very simple. The very tradition of love which you establish at home-how the children serve their parents and how the parents love their children-is the same basic formula of the life of a patriot and of a holy man. The only difference between them is their central subject' but otherwise their way of life is just the same.
One common road leads to happiness
for the family, nation, world and God
Ultimately we come to the conclusion that for the greater cause any smaller purpose shall be sacrificed. God might need to proclaim an emergency of the Kingdom of God and call all the nations of the world forward as crusaders, needing them to go beyond the level of their own nations. Then all the national leaders should be willing to respond and march out with banners to obey God's orders.
In that situation the United States or any nation would naturally become only one division of the whole army' but in reality how many national leaders think of themselves like that? The President of the United States might not want to cooperate because he envisions his role as being closer to President of the World than only a division commander. If he thinks so, he is wrong; if God were commander of that army it would be a great honor to be just a division commander.
Let's seriously think about the relationship between religion, the true nation and God. First of all we must have one common reference point. God thinks, "1 am God of the world.', If all nations and religions can accept God's sovereignty then one embracing harmony can result. In that case God's way of life, the nation's way of life and the religious way of life would be parallel and unification would be automatically possible. Everyone could come to the same goal. Mankind has always been striving for knowledge, and ultimately his efforts lead to one thing: God. Mankind is actually trying to learn about God and His work. Ultimately whatever God wants for this world should become the overall national
goal and what God wants should become the overall goal of religion. What God wants should also be our individual goal.
What is God's desire? God's goal is the true tradition of love which will beautifully entwine the family, society and nation with the world. That same tradition is the direct short-cut for connecting mankind to God and creating one happy family of man. One common road will lead to happiness for the family, nation, world and ultimately God. That's what God's goal is all about. Much complicated philosophy has appeared and many books have been written on this subject, but the whole matter is very simple.
If someone asks you where you are headed you can say that you are trying to go beyond your society, nation and world to reach God as your ultimate goal. In order. to meet God you have to embrace your family, society, nation and world and then extend beyond to reach God. The nation must also go beyond itself individually and advance to the level of the world and God.
If God thinks at all, He must think in this fashion. If any national leader is a thinker then he also must think in this fashion. If any religious leader is a thinker then he should reason in this one direction, to this one simple goal. There is no truth beyond this. Can you accept this? I want you white people to look me in the eye and answer if this is true. You answer yes because you are members of the Unification Church, but would most American people be able to say yes? Regardless of whether anyone is a member of the Unification Church, anyone who will listen to logic must admit that this is true.
Who shall be remembered in the long run? Whoever adheres to God's philosophy and way of life as their own will remain. The greatest possibility of becoming such a remnant can be found in religion because it already leans in this direction. The thrust of every religious philosophy points to a time when the world as it is will end, when mankind will consummate God's goal and there will be no more pain or sorrow, but only joy and love. That is the goal of all religions.
We must be alert to recognize the many false kinds of religion which glorify self-centeredness and teach the attitude, "I don't care about the world or even God Himself. I only care about ensuring my eternal happiness." Are these the people who are entitled to the Kingdom of Heaven? What about the people who are not even worried about their own heaven because they are too busy building a kingdom for other people? If someone is too busy loving his parents and nation and world to think about his own kingdom, could he eventually end up in heaven?
If Jesus had set an example of selfishness as the best way of life then God would say, "Jesus, we don't need you. Don't bother coming back; just stay up there." Jesus never taught a selfish way of life, however; he came to promote this tradition of love and to open up peoples' minds to a worldwide way of life. That way of life represents the hope of God' the hope of humanity and the hope of all people. That teaching alone brings hope for peace.
At the end of the world loyalties like nationalism or denominationalism will mean nothing. An immoral way of life and abuses like free sex will have no place at the end of the world because they are not the solution. The only possibility for the ultimate peace and tranquillity of the universe to be secured is through commitment to the tradition that I have described. It is the only way of life that can promise hope for this world.
Whether people accept this or understand me is immaterial. The important thing is what God wants, and God has been thinking throughout history about this one way of life. All the holy people and saints throughout history have been working for that one goal. Logically we can understand that this method offers the only hope for lasting peace here on earth. If that is the case then regardless of what people say it shall be done.
Do you think many people in spirit world regret missing the opportunity to live this truth while they had their physical bodies on earth to work with? You have a body now and the world's past saints and mighty rulers alike all envy you people, wishing they could be in your place. Instead of yearning for his throne, a powerful king would long to be the most humble member of the Unification Church. Do you really feel pride in your position? When you take a big bundle of newspapers in your arm do you think,
"God, I am greater than the King of England. I can be proud and the entire spirit world envies me.,, Do you go out with that pride?
Let's be serious for a moment and think about really going out with pride in your position here. Do you seriously think those people in spirit world laugh at you or truly envy you? I want you to know whether you are really committed members or not. A king or queen in spirit world envies even the half-hearted member who is still hesitating over whether they want to be in the Church or not, simply because that person still has a body. Amazingly enough, this is the truth.
You can inherit the tradition of Jesus' love
Let's think for a moment about Jesus. Externally speaking Jesus had a miserable life on earth. He came to the small nation of Israel where everything is within walking distance and journeyed around the country talking to prostitutes, tax collectors and fishermen, proclaiming astounding, outrageous things. In many cases he was chased after and finally he was crucified at the age of 33 . Jesus lived a miserable life, far more miserable than yours, but he had heavenly pride to say to the country, "I am the son of God." He made one unmistakably clear proclamation, "Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand." Jesus made no compromise about this proclamation and before his death he proclaimed himself as a bridegroom. He also made this stunning statement, "He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me."
Jesus announced that everyone must love him more than their own family or nation and understandably people thought he was a blasphemer. Finally people thought that they just couldn't tolerate Jesus any more so they had him crucified. Jesus asked God to forgive the Roman soldiers who were crucifying him because they did not know what they were doing, and at the moment of his dying he murmured, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit." Then he died.
Jesus' intention in saying these things was only directed at building the Kingdom of God here on earth, but practically speaking, what is the Kingdom of God? The Bible doesn't say clearly, but the Kingdom of God Jesus was trying to build here on earth followed the blueprint that I have described this morning. It follows a simple teaching: As much as you love God your Father, that much you must love your country, your society and your own home. When that one tradition of love links every aspect of life, the Kingdom of God shall become a reality. When everyone worships one God as their common Father then no barriers will remain-no national boundaries or walls of language or denomination. Every barrier can be broken down.
If Jesus had just come to establish a new religion then he was not the messiah. In reality Jesus couldn't care less about religion; what he cared about was a God-centered kingdom and that kingdom cannot be built by religion. That kingdom will be built by the family. Jesus came to build the first true family so that he could bring God down to a real home where He could dwell as the sovereign, as the true Father. There is no other way God's will could be fulfilled. If Jesus wasn't following this course then he could not be the Messiah. There is no other way to build the Kingdom of God here on earth. If Jesus could have succeeded in creating the first family and multiplying it not only in Israel but in Rome then certainly the cornerstone of God's kingdom would have been laid at that time. Because Jesus was ultimately crucified, however, it has been impossible to build the Kingdom of God. Not even one God-centered family has been established.
Jesus said that he would come back and pick up the mission he had to leave undone, and announced that he would return as a bridegroom. If this is the truth, do you think Jesus can come on the clouds of heaven with a host of angels? Many sincere Christians are waiting for Jesus' return on the clouds of heaven, but that manner of fulfillment is absolutely impossible. God cannot place His hope in those people and without doubt that doctrine will fade. The end of the world is marked by the decline of Christianity because Christians are looking in the wrong direction to meet the Messiah. Do you think Jesus is smiling to hear what I am saying or is he upset and mad?
The prototype of the Kingdom of God is the God-centered family, in which all families, societies and nations are heading toward one goal: the love of God. Since everything has a common purpose, the directions of every level correspond to each other.
No matter how you mix them up, the family goal, national goal and world goal all correspond. The same principles work on every level.
Your goal in life is to set up the standard on the family level and once you do that you can go ahead to higher levels and fulfill them. Our way of life is simple: we advance step by step until we reach the ultimate goal, with the cosmic love of God as our master on every level. As an individual your point of reference is God and a society's governing factor is God. The same holds for the nation and world. As long as there is one host in heaven, there will be no contradiction here on earth. Nothing else is important.
When we talk about unification we are using a big word. I must be crazy to come up with such a big goal! No one else ever dreamed of trying it. It's like an impossible dream, yet this principle will ultimately lead to unification.
Suppose you could live here on earth for 10,000 years. Would you want to just cling to your wife or husband, thinking that you don't need anything else in this world? You and I must set the right tradition by giving our blood, sweat and tears to lay the foundation for posterity to become the true society, nation, world and universe. There is no other way for us to spend our time.
If you were able to live here for 10,000 years would you be happy because you could live longer, or because you would then have time to build not only your home but a society, nation and ultimately God's kingdom here on earth? Have you been thinking all the time about building that kingdom or just now because you have heard me? You have no confidence, do you? I know that you really never thought about it before. If somehow all the goodness and value were taken out of life yet this one core truth and tradition remained, are you convinced that ultimately the unified heaven and earth would become reality?
With this tradition unification is not an empty word but a realistic goal. What do you think would happen if this tradition were passed down throughout the future? Without doubt prosperity would be ensured because this is precisely what is needed. If Belvedere is the humble birthplace of this new tradition, would kings and queens and presidents make pilgrimages here to worship together fifty or one hundred years from now? Do you think it will become a heavenly museum later on?
I want you to be really proud of your position today because this wonderful truth is available to you while you are still here in the flesh. This is the very goal Jesus wanted to accomplish. All the saints and holy men wanted to accomplish this but they couldn't and now in spirit world they envy you. God has been trying to accomplish this goal but never in history has it been finished. Do you have pride in the fact that you can possibly finish it here on earth in your lifetime? In the sight of God you are actually spiritual giants, shining like the sun, and to Him and to all of spirit world-including Jesus and all the saints-anything you hear or see and anything you talk about is extraordinary. They are all paying attention to every move you make; that is how much they are interested in your actions. People outside our Church may scoff, "You Moonies are no good and you are only brainwashed nuts," but all you have to answer is, "You just wait a little while. The only reason you say these things is that you don't really understand.,, Just forgive them because they do not know what they do.
I have spoken for two hours now and you are all elated. If I had the opportunity to speak to the entire nation, especially the young people of America, using the same logic and talking about the wonderful revelation from God, do you think they would be moved? If I had a chance to talk to them I could inspire at least one fifth of them to change at once.
It is my fervent concern
that you become better than me
It's ironic that the world believes the worst things about me. I am called a rotten criminal, a brainwasher, a demagogue and a charlatan. Once our opponents go to spirit world and learn the truth will they feel ashamed or not? If it is true that I have brought the truth then we can only pity America.
Will you be just bystanders and watch them feel sorry later on, or will you teach them the truth now and show them how to change? This is an urgent situation, but even though the real truth is here they don't understand and can't change because they are in darkness. In order to awaken them would you just do small things for them or would you do your absolute best and give your utmost energy? Shall we do our best without any holding back? Shall we just be "reasonable" or shall we go all out? Why?
This is the one golden opportunity in history; this is the time when you can receive at once all the love of God and humanity, both past and present. You can consummate history at once and receive God's love 100% if you are 100% committed. If you respond to God with 100% commitment then you can receive 100% of God's love. I want you to become crazy about that. This is undoubtedly a dramatic and romantic time' isn't it?
To those of us in the Unification Church these words are not just an empty slogan. We are actually living them. Some couples were given the blessing seven years ago but they are still sacrificing their own lives or the sake of the world and humanity because they see something greater than themselves. At East Garden there is still one staff member from the 777 blessing, but when I told her to go and be with her husband and have a family she answered, "Father, I know that is important and I will fulfill it someday, but can you extend my mission here for a couple more years? I want to do this mission first."
That sister is not having a grand time in East Garden, enjoying lots of leisure and peace and quiet. She works hard cleaning, serving and looking after the children and Mother and myself until early in the morning. It is a strenuous job, but she wants to continue a little bit longer. She finds the greatest value in serving God and humanity and knows that she won't have this kind of opportunity in the future.
I was moved very much recently by one of the seminary graduates. The graduates could take a position of respect in society on an important level, but I sent them out on the MFT instead of giving them responsibility right away. Some of them complained but most of them did their best. One person did especially well and I wanted to appoint him as a state leader but he said, "Father, the MFT looks like menial work, but I have met God in these three months and I would like to stay longer. Would you give me special consideration? I cherish this experience of meeting God more than state leadership." That person discovered the real God in the most humble level of activity. Do you want to do it too? Those of you who are willing to do that or anything else, raise your hands please.
Now I am almost sixty and I am not going to live here on earth permanently. My life here on earth shall come to an end within a decade but that does not bother me at all. What I want to do right now is form the right tradition and then I will go on my way. My most fervent concern is a simple one: I want to teach you to become better than me, so that even after I am gone you can carry on my tradition and steadily expand it. I am totally dedicated to creating that kind of person, just like a parent trying to mold the character of his children, guiding them to study and to be kind, courteous and loving, to become people who serve. A parent is responsible to mold the character of his children and by molding your characters I want to leave behind true leadership and a tradition of love.
I want to see love in you that is not self-centered, love that branches out to embrace your family, society, nation, world and God. In that tradition any leader will get rid of himself in trying to become totally public-minded, directing the focus of the peoples' love toward God and humanity. As long as we have the right spirit of love it doesn't make any difference whether the World Mission Center' the News World building and Belvedere are all blown up and nothing remains. With the right tradition we have everything. This is the only thing we want to keep and hand down from generation to generation.
In this tradition we have the kingdom, we have victory and we have the liberation of God. In this tradition everything will come. It is a great thing for the Japanese and European members to come and give themselves up for the sake of America. They are demonstrating that they love America more than their own country or society or home. You may not have a chance to love your family or your own country but never mind; you are loving something greater than all those. When you consummate your love on the level of the world you will consummate every other level as well because they are all included in the greater level. Are you doing it willingly and joyfully or because you have to? Why?
Once you are captured by God's
love you will be the most diligent
servant of your community
Love is inevitable. It is not a choice. Love is a way of life and you have no choice whether to love or not love. That is the Principle and you are to live it. It doesn't make any difference how much I am persecuted; I am doing gigantic, extraordinary things for America, the world and for God. I see my role here in America as one of educating the people and creating a revolution in their hearts. I want your deeds to become the yardstick to which I can point and say, `'Do it just like they did in New York.,'
We have to bring the light of hope to the lowest realm of this society and clean it up. You must see such places as the enemies of God, places where people are degraded and ruined every day. The pattern of sex and drugs and corruption has infected the American young people and is spreading all over the nation and the world. New York is a place of total darkness, not just the dusk of evening time, and the area where the World Mission Center stands is particularly bad. I want to be the one to clean up the entire city of New York. Once we resurrect the city, everyone who comes to New York will automatically feel it and they will be trained in our tradition. I would like to see New York become a godly city.
Do your eyes see straight or crooked? How about your ears and how about your thinking? We must have straight action also. This morning we must make a resolution that the year of 1977 will see the start of a new history. We cannot surrender this year into the hands of Satan. Let's pledge to God that we will make this a victorious year for Him by our actions.
Whoever lives this tradition shall be the hosts of the future. In this particular way of life you will see the birth of your loving family, your loving society, your nation and world. Ultimately you will possess God. The darker things are now the better because light shines out brighter in darkness . The fact that the world is pitch dark is God's blessing. All we have to do is lift up even a little lantern to break up the blackness.
God needs to see resurrection here on earth. This is a dying world and God needs a new brand of people-new champions and new pioneers. That's why God needs me and called me here to America. When the blackout occurred recently New York revealed its true nature. New York is like a dead body. Dead people cannot resurrect other dead people; only a living person can bring resurrection. If everybody lived well in God's sight then they wouldn't need resurrection, but in reality they are dead and in pitch darkness. You are living people and that is why you are going door-to-door to witness. You must feel that you are the source of new life for New York and that wherever you speak, sweat and labor the life of resurrection will be felt.
Do not be selfish-minded when you do your witnessing or ever think "I may find my future spouse here. I may be very lucky.', You are discovering more than your husband or wife because you are discovering the world right there. You should not be loving just the American people but all the people of the world. Because you love the world you are going out to expand your love to the people you meet as representatives of the world. The truth will talk and reveal everything eventually and when people see the power of life and resurrection in the Unification Church they won't go anywhere else. It doesn't exist in the churches because God Himself is following you. Universal power will come around you and all kinds of miracles will happen. You will see for yourselves. People will say, "I saw you last night in my dream. An angel told me that someone important would come and that I should welcome him and give him anything he needs. That's you. I saw your face.,, Spirit world works around the clock and you can receive constant blessing if you are anxious to do God's work even more than 24 hours a day.
It might happen some day that you are so tired that you sit down on a bench to sleep for just five minutes but you don't wake up until the next morning. Do you think God would condemn you? God would wrap a spiritual blanket around you for protection. You can be so close to God that you feel His
presence continually and when you go to spirit world you can reminisce with Him about your experiences. God will say, "My son, did you know that one night when you accidentally slept all night on that bench I put a blanket around you? You didn't know then but I did that.,, You are creating topics for conversation with God.
We can become the hosts of the future; there is no question about it. When you become the hosts of the love of God He will approve you and the entire spirit world from the past and everyone in the present and future will approve you. How handsome or beautiful you are doesn't matter. If God says to you, "I don't know you," what good would it do to be handsome or beautiful? You might be disabled and crippled, but when God says, "I know you," you are greatly honored. That's the way I feel. You didn't feel that way before now' did you?
Become a total prisoner of the love of God. Once you are captured by the love of God you cannot go any other way. Not only that, you will actually live like a prisoner, chaining yourself to your responsibility and being the most diligent servant of your community. If you live in this fashion and still New York does not survive then I am wrong and you can throw me out. Only if you live this philosophy to the utmost and still it doesn't work can you accuse me or complain. If God doesn't cooperate with you then that means that there is no God.
By looking at me you can know that God is alive and completely involved in your actions. I have lived my life exactly as I described this morning and I have continued to become greater and more successful. Actually I am not trying to become a victorious person in all areas, not at all. I might fail miserably in business for instance, and even end up with nothing, but it doesn't matter as long as I emerge at the end with one thing: being the most successful person in planting the tradition of the love of God. In proclaiming the love of God I have lived the love of God and I know that God is with me. Nothing else matters. Nothing else ever fails if you succeed in this one thing.
People see that I am connected to some mysterious source of power. They don't realize that I have become successful by living in the love of God and that's why many people in the world want to give up everything for my sake. You have been living like crazy people' but do you regret it? Many people are trying to kill me but here are black' white and yellow people gathered together who want to die for me. On the surface it may look like I don't even love you because every day I keep pushing you out to even further suffering. Why do you love me? You know there is something about me that is more precious than anything else-the love of God-and you want to inherit that love.
It is our honor, not our defeat,
to confront Calvary and Gethsemane
At times I react very strongly when someone says' "Father, I love you very much.,, I don't like to hear this; I would rather see this in their actions. I don't like to have just lip service. Many people can speak flowery words of praise but I would rather not hear them. If you love me then show how you love me. Acquiring this particular position required untold suffering; in order to secure the love of God I invested absolutely everything, my total best. The value and stature of this position require that it not be treated cheaply or offhandedly.
I don't like to see people assuming that they have the right to be blessed when they are not seriously taking responsibility for our work. I only like the person who even forgets the word "blessing,, and just keeps busy with the mission and the word of God. If it were possible to just wait for the love of God to come then I wouldn't have worked so hard, but I know that's not the way the love of God can be obtained.
If I really did come the easy way and only moved people's hearts with smooth talk then I would be the worst kind of fraud. If that were the method by which the Unification Church was built then no one would truly love me, but the Unification Church was built with sweat' blood, suffering and tears. Nobody has shed more tears than I. That's why no matter how much you work you always feel insufficient. Our members tell many stories of their experiences with me but nobody can truly understand me because no one knows my whole background.
You could see the most suspenseful movie thriller ever made and still not sense the danger, suffering and suspense of my own life. It is worth enduring all of that for the love of God, and after death it is far more precious. To become heir to the love of God is not easy because it means following this pattern of my own way of life. There is no other way you can do it.
If you genuinely suffer for the sake of God and shed tears and sweat for the sake of God then you will assuredly become another Reverend Moon. All of mankind will come and bow down to you and in remembering your tradition they will cry. People will come to your tomb and seek to shed tears and taste your sorrow and pain. Millions and millions of people have gone year after year to Israel, trying to experience the heart of Jesus and walk where he walked. Even though Jesus could not fulfill the whole of his mission he did leave behind the true tradition of love. You can not only leave that tradition behind you, you can fulfill it in your earthly accomplishments .
Not only can you hear words, you can actually put them into action. That will be the greatness of your tradition. That is where resurrection will take place. Jesus was resurrected but in this age we are concerned about national resurrection and the world's resurrection. We must live up to the extraordinary opportunity of this age. We must not let this opportunity pass by unfulfilled.
You should be able to pray with gratitude in any situation. In the worst kind of pouring rain you can be grateful for the chance to test and prove yourself. In the worst kind of cold you can thank God for the chance to taste the worst kind of historical weather. If you are hungry' freezing, suffering or in pain you should go beyond that suffering and still think of God and be grateful. It is not for yourself individually that you go the path of the cross but for the sake of the world. Your suffering is linked to the garden of Gethsemane and the Mount of Calvary. You will go over the pain of the garden of Gethsemane and the Mount of Calvary, not dying, but as a living victor.
When you feel that you can die for the mission then the power of resurrection will come. Because Jesus went to the garden of Gethsemane and ended his life on the Mount of Calvary we cannot avoid that course ourselves, but in our case it is a great honor, not the result of leaving our mission behind unfulfilled. By overcoming them victoriously and by giving ourselves as living sacrifices we shall win the world and the heart of God.
You must have the experience of praying for the city of New York and shedding tears for the resurrection of New York when the entire city is asleep. Your heart should be impatient for the night to pass quickly so you can knock on doors and meet the people again. Have you ever asked God to shorten the night and make the dawn come quickly so that you can go out and work?
If this is your way of life then you can definitely make a victorious garden of Gethsemane and Mount of Calvary out of New York. Instead of dying you can be victorious. If you are indeed successful then do you think my name will be resurrected or not? When people really learn the value of this tradition from you they will come and wait for hours outside East Garden just to get one glimpse of my face. Think of how many people will wait all night at Belvedere to hear me speak on Sunday morning. The Tarrytown and Irvington police will have to be mobilized to straighten out the traffic jams. We won't even need our own security on watch at East Garden because the police will say, `'Won't you let me sit there and take your place for one night?"
Once people truly know the meaning of what I have done those things will happen. That's why I designated New York as the front line out of all the possible trouble spots in the world. You are the front line soldiers. Can you sleep or eat as you wish, at any time you want? The World Mission Center is like our fortress where you are trained and disciplined.
I want to ask a special question of the people who are complaining. Why is it good to be strict with you? You may have a little more hardship and you may be severely disciplined, but because of this New York will come to life quicker and this nation will be revived and the world will live. The philosophy of our tradition is that for the greater purpose the lesser shall sacrifice. Do you have any exception to that? If you think, "Well, I can think of a few exceptions,"
then you are still in a dream world, not the real world of the Unification Church. Discipline and hard work are the reality, the severe day-to-day battle we are engaged in.
The entire world is pointing at you for being Moonies. All right we will accept that. Unless we have a different kind of pride and hope we cannot go ahead of the rest of the world. If you only wanted to dress like the world does and eat and sleep as it does then you should have left a long time ago, but you have a different kind of goal and commitment. Our diet is hope for the future. If you sustain yourselves on it then I guarantee you that you shall become the hosts of the future.
Is there anybody who hasn't heard about me? Whether people like me or not doesn't make any difference. I am not the only person to be controversial; every one of you is a controversial figure, aren't you? In the future students in every academic field will study me. Even my most adamant critic and most fanatic opponent will gradually hear about the truth and have to change his attitude, step by step. Because what he believes now is not the truth, he will have to change.
All of this fanatical opposition is God's strategy. Because most people adamantly oppose me without knowing anything substantial about me, all of America will be deeply apologetic once they find out the truth. It is inevitable that they will change but until that day comes I will continue on.
Do you feel that this is inevitable? Maybe I'm lying to you. Are you more certain than I am? Uphold that faith and you will not be a loser. Furthermore, in order to hasten that day do not stand still but arouse controversy yourself. Be a troublemaker for God. You have the power. The time will come when people will seek out my disciples. You won't have to go knocking on doors because people will seek after you.
We are laying a multifaceted foundation for the future
This morning I spoke about the leader who worries about the future, making plans and preparations. If all of you are blessed and have children in the next five years, how will you feed and clothe them? Have you thought about the future? Did you assume that I would take care of everything for you? That is physically impossible. The American government couldn't even do it. God cannot do that either. You should be able to do it and that means you have to earn your own livelihood. When you are blessed and have children should you just take care of making a living? Then who will remain in the Church? My plan is for everyone to come up with a source of income in the Church. One example is the newspaper.
We are not only doing spiritual work, we are actually laying the foundation for our grandchildren. Suppose you have a deep relationship with the people who buy the News World from you. If you can explain how good ginseng tea is for good health they will want to buy some. Once the people trust us they will rely on our services. We can start a mobile department store and a grocery delivery service and supply their daily needs with a loving heart. What we are doing today is laying a many-faceted foundation for the future. Your 360 homes will all become like your own home. If each family has five members then there will be birthday celebrations all around the year. You would be invited to every birthday and you simply couldn't keep up with all the parties. Once you have won the hearts of the people it will be one thing after another.
Once we set up a model here in New York then we can duplicate it in other cities. Your own future well-being, the future prosperity of this nation and its defense against a communist take-over, and finally the well-being of the entire world can be assured by what we accomplish now. Suppose 1,000 people have to die in order to resurrect 10 million people. Those 1'000 would become historical heroes in the sight of God and we must be ready to be those people .
You want to have a family eventually' don't you? I want us to create an atmosphere and society of our own in which we can work three hours a day to support our families and then devote the remaining hours to activities for God. Would you rather work in a company where you will be singled out for being a Moonie or would you rather help create our own positive atmosphere in which you can not only support your families but also give most of your energy for the work of God?
We make ginseng tea now and once people appreciate its benefit for health it will become very popular. Now people drink all kinds of crazy stuff but we can give them a healthy drink. Ginseng cosmetics, perfume and soap are also good products. We could make a ginseng wine that is really like a ginseng tonic.
There are limitless resources which we can pioneer and the time will come when you can just call people on the phone instead of running around door to-door. There will be supporting organizations and people will want to give everything for the sake of New York, not just a weekly tithe. How about you; can you even do the tithing? We will be in a position to really lift up the life of the city and open the door to a much better future.
This is divine and holy work and those who hesitate to act upon it are like deserters. The neighborhood of 360 homes where you have your home will be your community and after you die the people will erect your statue there. My name has been crucified in this city but would your becoming the messiah to your 360 homes help to resurrect my name or would that dirty it even more? Opposition is welcome. It is a great thing after all because it gives us a much more dramatic background to work in. Do you feel lucky to work while there is opposition? Soon the opposition will go away and there won't be another chance later on. This is the time for you to get down to work while persecution is still available.
After you sisters are blessed and you go to your husband's territory, all you will have to say is, "I am so and so's wife. " You won't even have to give your name. Will people say `'You're one of those crazy people. Get out of here"' or "You are so and so's wife! Please come in and make yourself at home. This is your community and your husband is our hero." Would you and your husband feel proud or not? Soon you will have children and when they go to elementary school and meet people in the neighborhood the community will say, "You are their child! Come in. Your father and mother are great people and we love them dearly." Your children will be proud and think, " I thought my mother was rather ugly and I thought my father was a little short' but here they are heroes!"
I see that New York can be transformed into a holy land by your deeds and your love. Once a new atmosphere is created then even if you are trying to starve and suffer no one will let you! No one will let you be destroyed.
Suppose you and your spouse both die suddenly and your children are left as orphans. You won't have to worry about them because everyone will compete with each other to adopt them and take care of them like kings and queens. Is it logically possible? Then why don't we go out and do it? Whatever the sacrifice, whatever the cost, we must do it. You must clearly organize your thoughts in this regard.
In looking at an issue of the News World you can visualize your own loving home, society and nation and the birth of the new world. Your hard work starting out early in the morning is the beginning of your new kingdom.
We need to establish one model here and to do that you have to just grit your teeth and persevere. Do you women want to do it? No matter how loud you say yes, you are still women and your answer doesn't sound loud. What about you men, would you do it? Are you men happy when you are defeated by women? A man was defeated by a woman in the garden of Eden and that pattern persists today in American society.
Following the heavenly tradition is the one royal way to become the host of the future in the kingdom of God. By practicing this way of life and setting a tradition of the love of God in your life the future will be yours and you will hold the world in your arms. Today you are asking me to have hope. In about one month I would like to go and knock on some doors and ask whether any Moonies have come to visit. The answer should be yes.
Are you agreeing with me because you have to or are you really bubbling with enthusiasm because you know it is true in logic? Do you have the internal power of God's love to willingly answer yes with conviction? You can chase out anyone who does not live up to that yes.
Jesus knew that the flesh needs stimulation and that's why he said, "The mind is willing but the flesh is weak." How can you make your flesh strong? You can harden it by pushing it past its limitations. Teachers in the schools no longer have the power to spank the children but this is not a good rule.
The flesh is lethargic to begin with and already American young people are not willing to be disciplined. I would like to see students telling their teachers, "If I am not moving in the right direction you just hit me and make me go the right way. I am willing to be disciplined and to listen to you."
Being a Moonie is already hard enough and now I'm talking about clubbing you! Are you ready to give up? I would never really club anybody but if I ever did I would never forget him. When blessing time came I would give much closer attention to that person.
Once for a certain dispensational purpose I reprimanded one of the young Korean members who was very loyal and very faithful. Afterwards that person received spiritual blessing, seeing a vision and angels coming down. That person was on cloud nine every day and asked me for more reprimands but I said, "No, my chastisement is not that cheap." But even if I resorted to clubbing and spanking, would you take it in order to have God's will realized here on earth? You are real Moonies if you want me to push you hard so you can close the gap between you and God.
An old Korean proverb says that if you love your son then be hard on him and if you hate your son then give him lots of food and luxury. A beloved son sometimes needs to be whipped. He will forget the pain of the whip, but will really long for the love of his parents and for the love of God. A parent who will do that is truly noble and divine.
If you will be grateful and persevere to the end please raise your hands. You shall become the hosts of the love of God. Thank you very much.
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