A choir of two thousand voices shook Madison Square Garden on June 13th in a moving ceremony marking the global blessing of 120 million couples. When Reverend and Mrs. Moon, dressed in white and gold, descended a flight of stairs lined by 40 Blessed couples in white robes, they were met by a roar of welcome from the capacity crowd. The ceremony which they conducted marked the Blessing of 120 million couples throughout the world and of 1500 newlywed couples who were present in the stadium. Christian, Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh and Jewish leaders offered prayers and messages of support.
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Never before has UTS been as empty as it was on that day when every student and every member of the staff and faculty traveled to New York City together with fleets of buses from Chicago, Boston and Washington D.C., swelling the crowd to more than 20,000 people. This event, which was broadcast by satellite throughout the world, marked the first of three stages which will result in the blessing of a total of 360 million couples within the next eight months.
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35,000 were drawn to the Olympic Gymnastic Stadium in Seoul, Korea. Seven thousand new couples, along with thousands of previously married couples, were entertained by The Little Angels dance troupe who recently returned from a pioneering visit to North Korea. The couples then observed and participated in the Blessing ceremony as it was transmitted from New York and projected on large screens.
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In Uruguay, several hundred gathered at the Victoria Plaza Hotel in Montevideo where Jesus Gonzalez explained the meaning of the ceremony. Included among the participants were representatives of the various federations established in Uruguay, employees of the churchfs companies and others who came as a result of contacts made by the Japanese missionaries or through the Family Federationfs radio program.
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In Slovakia, not even a bomb threat could deter the four thousand people who gathered at a hall in Slovakia. Some delicate negotiations with the local police allowed the ceremony to proceed without interruption. The celebration which followed featured performers from all over Europe and the singing and dancing continued well into the night. Similar events were held throughout the world including gatherings of 1900 in the Ivory Coast, and 2000 in Sao Paolo, Brazil.
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Final preparations for this day had begun weeks before. In New York, UTS students had spent their weekends knocking on doors in Harlem, the Bronx, Brooklyn and other surrounding areas offering the pre-Blessing ceremony and inviting everyone to Madison Square Garden. Several church leaders would later express their appreciation of UTSfs enthusiastic involvement in this work. For the final week, the students worked from early morning until late into the night to ensure a capacity crowd. Remy Volmer felt that the most effective outreach involved the churches. gIn Harlem, there was a good relationship between our members and some of the ministers and they brought their choirs and other members of the congregation,h he said.
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The sheer size and energy of the choir made it a central feature of the event. 2000 people from 77 churches, dressed in a variety of colored robes, swaying in unison and singing their hearts out makes a deep impression on the ear, the eye and the heart and the choir was well utilized, offering a total of five pieces spread throughout the event. The choirfs movements and singing were perfectly unified and all of this was accomplished without a sheet of music or words in sight. It was a remarkable expression of unity.
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The traditional Blessing ceremony, with its recitation of vows and the sprinkling of holy water, was augmented this time by the startling announcement that there would also be Blessings of historical figures in the spiritual world. The list of 34 individuals covered all of human history from Adam to Kim Il Sung and, in a message delivered prior to this ceremony, Reverend Chun Hwan Kwak, International President of the Family Federation, offered the following explanation. gGod felt unbearable heartache when He observed the elder brother Cain murder the younger brother Abel. Now, however, God is forgiving his enemies dwelling in hell and Blessing them so that they may follow the footsteps of the beloved elder brothers. This is the Providence of true love. Through this historic Blessing ceremony of the spiritual world and the earthly world, officiated by True Parents, all religious spheres can be harmonized to form a unified Realm of Blessing. The spiritual and the physical worlds can unite into one, thus establishing the Realm of Liberation. With this, I proclaim that this is the great pivotal Blessing ceremony that will launch the era of Heaven on earth and in heaven centered on God and True Parents.h
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Later that evening, at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel, Reverend Moon delivered an impromptu speech to the participants in the various conferences surrounding the Blessing 98 event. He explained the significance of the dayfs events, particularly with regard to Godfs experience. gAt this time,h he said, gSatan will disappear and God will feel happiness and freedom. We are liberating the true king. How wonderful that is. Do you want to live in such a place? Then you must jump directly up, 90 degrees, with Godfs true love propelling you from under your chair. You will become Godfs number one begotten son and daughter, embraced by God, filling every direction, making you a new creature with Godfs creative power. This brings the restoration of children. Then God will open up Satanfs world and the Kingdom of Heaven. Opening Satan1s world includes forgiving the most evil people such as Lenin, Hitler, Stalin, Mussolini, all the worst men who appeared in history. Centering on True Parents, we will finally open the gate to the Kingdom of Heaven. Behind us are all humankindfs families, tribes and nations, centered on absolute faith, love and obedience. No Satan can follow this way.h
Blessing 98 ended with entertainment, featuring Gloria del Paraguay and Vicki Wynans. It was a joyful conclusion to an impressive and uplifting event. At the end of the day, even the New York City police were happy because FFWPU had arranged for them to have free coffee and donuts in the shops around the arena, causing some to wonder if maybe Heaven was already here.