Father’s way of witnessing

Nikolaus Beutl
November 28, 2009

My dear brothers and sisters,

So much could be said about Father's way of witnessing. In these lines I would like to draw your attention to the example of our True Father's meeting with President Nixon which you may have read in the book Messiah by Dr. Bo Hi Pak.

In Chapter Twelve, on Reverend Moons Meeting with President Nixon regarding Watergate you can read how Father spoke with the President of the United States and what Nixon responded: "You may find my words somewhat shocking and abrupt. Can I ask you to listen to me with an open mind?" President Nixon, responded, "Yes, of course, Reverend Moon! In fact, I really need that." And he settled himself to listen to Reverend Moon's words respectfully.

What did Father tell him? Here are some excerpts: "Mr. President, you have to rely on God. You must place your trust in Him completely. To do that, you must get down on your knees before God and repent in tears. You must ask His forgiveness. Then, with a completely reborn heart, you must set aside all political objectives and private concerns to humbly apologize to the American people in tears. You must place yourself in a position where you are an offering before the American people and people must feel that you are only trying to act in the interest of America, to bring about peace for all humanity, and to accomplish the will of God."

Who among us would dare to speak in such a way to Barack Obama if we were lucky to get a private audience with him? Would we also say to him with a loving parental heart as Father did to President Nixon: "You must get down on your knees before God and repent in tears"?

The attitude Father requested the president to have: "with a completely reborn heart you must place yourself in a position where you are an offering before the people" applies of course also to each one of us: We need to repent tearfully in front of God and then apologize in front of each other for failing to act with a loving heart on many occasions.

Our True Father had asked us directly to become new persons by the 10th of the 10th month of this year and therefore we all should have now a completely reborn heart, ready to be an offering before the world in our desire to bring about peace for all humanity, and to accomplish the will of God.

Just as Father said to Richard Nixon: "Mr. President, you need to move the hearts of the American people." We are each called to be loving persons who touch the hearts of the ones for whom we are responsible not only in our immediate surrounding but in the nation to which we have been assigned by lottery as a representative of the Peace Army.

Father reminded Nixon of President Lincoln who took the bold step of declaring a national day of fasting and prayer, asking people to repent and renew their faith in democratic principles. Father suggested to President Nixon to declare a week of repentance, and fasting and added: "You can begin yourself and set an example. The hearts of the American people will be moved, and millions will follow your example in the spirit of forgive, love, and unite, which I declared in my Watergate statement."

This spirit of forgiving, loving, and uniting with one another is also urgently needed in our movement in this time of new beginning in a new era where all traces of the past, where we allowed our fallen nature to influence us, must be left fully behind. After we have forgiven others completely our own hearts will be free to love and we will achieve the longed for unity within our own Unification Community as a foundation for One World under God.

To President Nixon Father said: "The voice of repentance and fasting will shake the planet. There will be prayer and fasting on the steps of the Capitol and the White House. Let the people hear the sound of prayers from every hill and valley in America asking God to directly intervene in the affairs of this nation."

Such a spirit of fasting and prayer was not only needed at that time but more than ever today when Father had told us two months ago that he is more sad about America than when losing his own child. About this fact one brother commented: "To hear that Father feels even sadder about America than if one of his own children died, that gives us a solemn feeling; and I truly believe Father when he says that. I think no one else in the world loves America that much."

Father said to President Nixon: "If one week is not enough, extend it to two weeks or three weeks, even as Moses endured forty days of fasting before he finally received God's message." We may not necessarily have to do some food fasting now but more importantly is that we abstain from taking in the bad influence of the fallen world but nourish ourselves more than ever on the word of God as the living bread.

Bo Hi Pak reports: "President Nixon seemed to think deeply for a moment about what Reverend Moon had just said. Then, he made his promise. "Reverend Moon," he said, "that sounds like a great idea. I will consider that option." The president continued. "I know that you are not thinking only about the country but also the world in making this unconventional suggestion. Please continue to pray for me"

Reverend Moon responded as if to prod the president. "Mr. President, you already have my prayers," he said. "Even if you pray, God cannot work unless you take action courageously and decisively. Please have courage. The Bible says, "Whoever seeks to gain his life will lose it, but whoever loses his like will preserve it." [Luke 17:33] Be brave, and make your decision.

You need to carry this out within the next three days. After that, it will be too late. Please don't forget that ten million innocent lives are at stake. If you are not courageous, many people will die. You can save this country and save the world. But you have to have the spirit that you are prepared to sacrifice your own life, if necessary, for that purpose, Mr. President!"

What Father told Pres. Nixon applies of course also to us: "God cannot work unless you take action courageously and decisively." Is this our spirit when we reach out to witness to others about God's love and His truth? Am I ready to sacrifice my own life, at least to let go of my fallen nature completely -- so that our Heavenly Father can save my tribe and nation?

Bo Hi Pak comments: "Reverend Moon spoke with overpowering intensity and authority. If the public had witnessed this scene, many would have been reminded of scenes in the Old Testament where a prophet gives God's command to a king."

President Nixon made a clear promise, assuring: "I understand, I will do that." The two warmly embraced each other again, and Father left the Oval Office with a feeling of great exhilaration. He was happy that he had accomplished an important mission.

True Father had fulfilled his responsibility but despite his firm commitment, President Nixon failed to take any decisive action within the next three days. We may or may not know of the sad consequences of Nixon's failure to keep his promise but what we really need to be deeply aware of now is that we have to take decisive actions within the next three years because this will decide the coming 1000 years as Father told us clearly on August 31, 2009.

Father could speak with overpowering intensity and authority because he had the internal foundation to do so. What is our authority when we speak to people? This is a very important question. People generally listen to experts, especially in the field of science but we are the ones who have been called to be the experts in the realm of heart and True Love.

How does our authority look like in this respect? Are we people with True Love burning in our hearts, moving us to work day and night for the restoration of this world just like our True Parents and members of their family do?

Our international President emphasized witnessing and therefore we have to ask ourselves: What is my foundation to offer my testimony? I may know the Divine Principle and be able to speak about it to others, but as our goal is to reach people's hearts we have to ask ourselves: What is in my heart that I would like to share with the ones entrusted to my care? Is my being filled with True Love?

Yes, we all have the seed of True Love in our souls, implanted there by our Heavenly Father, but unless we invest consciously into practicing this quality day by day in each situation it remains only a potential which is not really developed and consequently will not move much here on earth or in the spirit world.

Shouldn't we learn from Father's way of witnessing and speak ourselves boldly about the truth based on a truly loving heart for people? If we feel that we are lacking in our ability to love then the solution lies not in hesitating to reach out to others to testify to them but on the contrary to invest all the more into loving others.

We all have a physical heart that is working hard day and night to pump an enormous amount of blood through our body. In the same way our spiritual heart should be active day in and day out to give the source of life True Love to our surroundings.

There is no excuse that we could not witness because we are created as a temple of God and the more we let our light shine the greater will be our influence on others. The light we are emanating, that is shining from our eyes and our behavior, may differ in color and brightness but the most important point is that it is a light of True Love which we give out without end, without some conditions attached.

We all know the truth. Let us manifest it in our personality just as our True Father and True Mother. Then we will also have the inner authority to speak strongly to people as we reach out to their hearts in our desire to share God's love with them.

We are to witness through our personality, through our ability to reconcile with our enemies, through being able to love the unlovable, to march into hell to beat the unbeatable foe with the weapon of True Love just like our True Father and True Mother have done all throughout their lives.

May we all get in these final days of the 11th month (the number 11 represents a new beginning) to the point where our hearts have an unconditional attitude in front of God and His desire for us as the ones who have been chosen to stand in the position of His and True Parents' representatives in this world.

Sincerely yours,

Nikolaus