The Words of the Balcomb Family
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The Words of the Balcomb Family |
UPF communications director Michael Balcomb helped organize the Seunghwa festivals at the UN and at the Manhattan Center in New York, and his observations permit deeper understanding of this initiative.
When True Father heard that the American soldier -- statesman General Alexander Haig had passed to the spirit world, some inner force seemed to be driving him into action to properly observe the death of an old friend and colleague. General Haig was a staunch supporter of the Washington Times and its stance for faith, freedom and family, and he also spoke out about Father's unjust treatment at the hands of the American courts and his subsequent imprisonment in Danbury. As one might expect from a man who in his political life was sometimes criticized for speaking out too often and too soon, General Haig was never afraid to say what he thought. I think Father liked that kind of uncompromising character.
Still, it wasn't as if the two men had been in regular contact, especially in recent years, so True Parents' sudden and intense interest in General Haig's passing came as a surprise. To start with, Father delegated Rev. Moon In-jin, president and CEO of the American church, together with a small group of leaders, to attend General Haig's funeral services at the National Cathedral in Washington, DC, and they subsequently placed a large gift of flowers in Arlington National Cemetery. A few days later, a private memorial dinner was hosted by Dr. Hwang Sun-jo, Dr. Yang Chang-shik and Dr. Joo Dong-moon at the Sheraton National Hotel. General Haig's son, Alexander P. Haig, attended and thanked Father and the True Family for their support and love at a difficult time.
Somehow, Father was still not satisfied that he had done enough, so he gave the direction to have a much larger and more public event at the United Nations in New York, just a week later. The UPF team, led by Dr. Thomas Walsh, suggested that the ceremony and celebration at the United Nations be broadened to include recognition of the more than one hundred UN personnel killed in the Haiti earthquake, as well as the recent passing of Mr. Rodrigo Carazo, the former president of Costa Rica, and others who were close to UPF and to True Parents during their earthly lives. The simple but solemn Memorial Festival of Ascension and Unity, held March 18 in the United Nations Secretariat Building on the East River in New York, was very uplifting. Ambassador Jorge Urbina, permanent representative of Costa Rica to the United Nations, spoke movingly on the dedication of his fallen UN colleagues and remembered his former president, who also served as a UPF ambassador for peace. "Rodrigo Carazo was both my personal friend and a great servant of our nation," said Urbina. "I know he would have been very proud to have been here this evening in the presence of so many dedicated men and women."
Noel Brown, president of the Friends of the United Nations, and Rev. Walter Fauntroy, a civil rights activist who worked closely with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., gave thanks and offered a prayer for those who "loved their mission more than themselves" and gave everything for the sake of peace.
Mr. Alexander P. Haig spoke on the close bond between his father, the late General Haig, and Rev. Moon. In 1950, during the Korean War, his father had been a U.S. Army captain in the UN forces that essentially saved True Father's life when they liberated the notorious forced labor prison in Hungnam, where he was due to be executed by North Korean communists.
Dr. Douglas Joo, president of the Washington limes Foundation, offered a personal reflection on the three great landmarks in every person's life. "Birth and marriage are always joyful events," he said, "but regrettably funerals have tended to focus on sorrow and separation rather than on celebrating a 'second birth' into the eternal world of spirit. Today we start a new and joyful tradition as we honor these most valuable lives."
After floral bouquets were placed in front of the photo of each person being remembered, Rev. Moon In-jin introduced True Parents. "I believe that nothing in life is just a coincidence," she said, "and I hope all of us who find ourselves here this evening, especially the young people, will take a moment as we listen to my father's message to consider what legacy of peace we can leave for future generations."
"I am a controversial figure," Father said as he began his keynote address, "and I am well aware that on occasion some people in the United Nations have not understood my work. Yet I have tried to live my whole life with one goal in mind, to serve God and humanity.
"I came here tonight to honor my dear friend General Alexander Haig one last time and to say a prayer of blessing for his family," Father continued. "As I reflect on the lives of all these men and women of peace, I realize that the time is coming closer when I too will make the transition to the next world.
"I have therefore come here to declare that with God, peace on earth can come quickly, even in the next three years. I implore all of you to join us in that work, so that we can transform the world to become one family under God. The United Nations must not give up on its founding purpose, to create a world of peace."
Immediately afterward, Father instructed that these Legacy of Peace programs be continued in key American cities, including Washington DC, again in New York, Las Vegas, and Honolulu. In each location, organizers were encouraged to include a few local people who had recently passed to the spirit world. Among those honored were several leading Christian ministers who were part of the American Clergy Leadership Conference and the author Dr. Frederick Sontag, who interviewed Father back in the 1970s at the height of public interest in our movement.
Just as at a Seunghwa Ceremony, a frantic search had to be instituted to find an appropriate photograph and some biographical details about each person. That often became my responsibility, and I must testify that it is not an easy task at short notice and under pressure. (Note to all: before dying, make sure a few good photographs are readily available!)
After the memorial ceremony in each location, Father spoke briefly. He would begin with impromptu remarks about the nature of life and death, and the importance of the spiritual life. Then he would comment briefly on the people being honored, concluding with the speech he first gave at his ninetieth birthday celebration back in February. The spirit was always very joyful, and many in the audiences testified that they had indeed gained a new understanding of the meaning of death as a transition to a greater dimension, and not the end.
In the midst of this whirlwind of providential focus on dying and ascension, my own father, Geoff Balcomb, passed to the spirit world, after a long battle with cancer, on March 26. Flying back to England with my wife, I was determined to somehow honor him by conveying the victorious spirit of the Legacy of Peace events to my own family. In the past, I might have been filled with regret that I had not been more successful in sharing True Parents' teachings about God and the spirit world with my dad before it was too late. But from the Legacy of Peace programs, I came to realize that the Seunghwa ascension tradition, like the blessing, is a grace and gift from God that True Parents are now giving freely, almost without condition. We have come such a long way since the first Seunghwa, after the agonizing sacrifice of Heung-jin nim.
As I spoke at my dad's services at the Kent and Sussex Crematorium, I was filled with a great sense of peace. I recalled the Lenten evensong service at Rochester Cathedral that we had attended together just a few weeks earlier, the last time I saw him alive. There we heard my dad's favorite Bible verse, Luke 2:29, Now Lord, let thy servant depart in peace.
By God's grace and True Parents generosity, we can be confident that all those whom we love will be able to not only depart in peace but also transition easily and peacefully to the eternal life that God has prepared for all His children.