The Words of the Cromwell Family
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The Words of the Cromwell Family |
Hundreds of members from the Tri-state area gathered at East Garden Friday to celebrate the 19th Chil Il Jeol. Chil Il Jeol is Korean for “the July 1st celebration,” which is a simplification of the event name, which can be translated as the “Ceremony to Declare the Eternity of God’s Blessing.”
On July 1, 1991, True Father initiated the first Chil Il Jeol. According to the prayer he gave that day, 1991 was (all quotes are translated from Korean) “a year in the position of being the final crucial moment in a providential time of transition.” Father characterized the second half of 1991 (which started on July 1) as a watershed event that would allow the world to become connected to the heavenly world of freedom and peace, headed toward a prairie of new hope. In the same prayer, Father said that if [Unification Church members] do not fulfill their missions as tribal messiahs, there would be no way to connect their families with their nations.
In a second prayer, True Father affirmed that through proclamations that would happen after July 1, 1991, all the historical indemnity courses that were full of pain would be put aside, and left and right [wing ideologies] would become one, North and South [Korea] would become one, and all the religious realms and political realms would become one. Through this, the right of the eldest son, the right of the parents and the right of kingship would be inherited and a right of liberation of the world of the original nature would be restored.
Father spoke in English for much of this morning. He spoke about his determination to continue working to establish Cheon Il Guk regardless of whether others around him wholeheartedly share his enthusiasm to fulfill God’s Will. Father also reminded members that since he has taught them the way to live as sons and daughters of God, it is their responsibility to embody his teachings.
Father said that American members are very good at expressing their love to him and responding well to his questions, but they fall behind in their sincerity and Chung seong. He encouraged American members to practice sincerity and Chung seong in order to practice and fulfill Father’s teachings. Father also encouraged members to shed tears of repentance in order to return to God and reminded members that Jesus asked for the same thing.
Father said that while it’s easy to “see” the Kingdom of Heaven, it’s difficult to do the right things in order to establish the Kingdom of Heaven. Father also said that he is teaching members how to live in concrete terms, not just through concepts. He then asked members to understand his teachings and to take appropriate action, and to evaluate themselves based on his teachings, giving themselves an “O” mark for good results or an “X” mark for poor results.
Father said, “If you can become greater than Father, then Father will follow you.” In accord with the ceremony, True Parents sat and partook of the Holy Meal, which Father explained was the time when God is invited to come and partake of the meal together with True Parents. He directed members to do the same when they eat in order to attend God in their lives. Father then compared chopsticks to man and woman -- they are no good without a hand (owner) to use them. For man and woman, God should be the owner.
Finally, Father emphasized that the responsibility of True Parents is to bring the fallen world to an end.
Father then asked leaders to speak to the members and offer songs. One of the leaders said, “Good Morning!” which Father pointed out sounds like (kul-mon-ni?) in Korean, meaning, “Have you had nothing to eat?” or “Have you been fasting?”
Written by Tossa Cromwell of the national FFWPU headquarters