The Words of the Fleisher Family
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The Words of the Fleisher Family |
The Blessing is a Providence to initiate the realm of the Second Blessing, at least conditionally and initially in form and by doing so, it represents the establishment and development of the institution of a Blessed Marriage. What phenomenal value is contained in the Blessing! Such a statement would then imply that all marriages prior to the Blessing are not actually allowed or authorized by God, also a phenomenal statement. However, when we look at the History of the Providence of Restoration we can see that this is the case, that the focal point of that Providence was for individuals to make the proper foundation to welcome the Messiah. It was not a providence of holy families, but rather one of holy men and women who were often opposed by their families or had to separate themselves from the state of marriage as they worked to advance the Providence of Heaven. The Bible speaks to this point. In the Gospel of Luke, Chapter 20: 27 - 36 Jesus was asked about the following situation:
There came to him some Sadducees, those who say that there is no resurrection, and they asked him a question, saying, ‘Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies, having a wife but no children, the man must take the wife and raise up children for his brother. Now there were seven brothers; the first took a wife and died without children; and the second and the third took her, and likewise all seven left no children and died. Afterward the woman also died. In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife will the woman be? For the seven had her as wife. And Jesus said to them, ‘The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage; but those who are accounted worthy to attain to that age and to the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage, for they cannot die any more, because they are equal to angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection.
There is also the famous passage from St. Paul on the topic of marriage from the book of I Corinthians, Chapter 7, starting with verse 8:
To the unmarried and the widows I say that it is well for them to remain single as I do. But if they cannot exercise self-control, they should marry. For it is better to marry than to be aflame with passion…Now concerning the unmarried, I have no command of the Lord, but I give my opinion as one who by the Lord’s mercy is trustworthy. I think that in view of the present distress, it is well for a person to remain as he is. Are you bound to a wife? Do not seek to be free. Are you free from a wife? Do not seek marriage. But if you marry, you do not sin, and if a girl marries she does not sin. Yet those who marry will have worldly troubles, and I would spare you that. I mean, brethren, the appointed time has grown very short; from now on, let those who have wives live as though they had none, and those who mourn as though they were not mourning, and those who rejoice as though they were not rejoicing, and those who buy as though they had no goods, and those who deal with the world as though they had no dealings with it. For the form of this world is passing away. I want you to be free from anxieties. The unmarried man is anxious about the affairs of the Lord, how to please the Lord, but the married man is anxious about worldly affairs, how to please his wife, and his interests are divided. And the unmarried woman or girl is anxious about the affairs of the Lord, how to be holy in body and spirit; but the married woman is anxious about worldly affairs, how to please her husband. I say this for your own benefit, not to lay any restraint upon you, but to promote good order and to secure your undivided devotion to the Lord…So that he who marries his betrothed does well; and he who refrains from marriage will do better.”
The greatest good news is that, even with all the disadvantages that are probable to appear in marriages initiated through the Blessings -- there is hope for success. I want to re-emphasize that there is hope for each Blessed Couple to get beyond any troubles currently inherent and existing in marriages and to be able to create successful, prosperous and ideal marriages. And anyway, what is the purpose of a Blessed Family? It is the place where we learn to love, become and help our spouses and children fulfill the first Blessing and eventually, be able to actually and fully realize and fulfill the purpose of the second Blessing -- as a couple and family perfectly resembling the duality and unity of God, we can be bound in the fullest way with our Heavenly Parent in eternal love and joy. It also becomes the base by which we help God in the realization of the extended Second Blessing -- the Kingdom of God on Earth and then in the Spirit World. However, I would encourage each of you to place the greater emphasis on the possibility of fulfilling this ideal of the Three Blessings. Absolutely, emphasize the positive for it is from this that you will be empowered and supported in the process.
Let me offer four great tools that can be helpful in this transformation process. Let me summarize these four tools in the following way. You need to know, understand and have faith in the Truth and also cultivate a deep, faithful and vibrant relationship with the author of that Truth, God. You need to continue working on your growth to perfection even after you receive the Blessing. You also need to passionately center your spirit, heart and mind on the tremendous Ideal that is gifted to humanity through the understanding of the purpose of creation. Apply these tools to your Blessed family life and you can surely advance towards accomplishing success in your individual life and also your family life. In addition, there are also a lot of valuable ministries and hard-won marriage education wisdoms that should also be studied and their wisdom’s inherited -- certainly we can learn from efforts and knowledge of past and current doctors of knowledge in this volatile arena call marriage. But the following speaks to tools and insights that can be of great help to those traversing the spiritual course resulting from the intersection of marriage, the restoration providence and the providence to achieve God’s original purpose of creation, through that unique phenomena and institution called a Blessed Family.
Francis Bacon once said “Nam et ipsa scientia potestas est” or knowledge is power. Indeed, knowing the Word of God is so important. To understand that the true course of life is one of Restoration and to understand those Principles of the Restoration is such a gift. Knowledge of the original cause and nature of sin can allow us to protect ourselves from repeating the horrific past mistakes of history. Having a clear understanding of the Process of the Fall and nature of sin, there is the potential for us to recognize patterns of behavior that must be avoided at all costs. Also, knowing the original cause of humanities’ sickness can allows effective cures to be gleaned and applied. Studying words that can give great insight into the foundation for and guidelines related to the Blessing are extremely pivotal, and to a lesser degree but still important, the research and study of marriage education material can be extremely helpful. Additionally, I believe the clear understanding of the Purpose of Creation as expressed through the Three Blessing is one of the most amazing gifts given to humankind. But, even with its awesome power, knowledge of the Truth is not enough; it must be coupled with a deep and abiding faith in that Truth and the source of that Truth.
Faith is a difficult thing to define, but I believe it can be likened to a heartistic and soulful response and affinity to the Word wherein you know / trust to the depth of your being that it is true and of God and are willing to act based on that response without regard to any time limit. It becomes your number one priority, your reference point and is what drives you forward throughout your life. From the point of the awakening of faith forward, you are eternally committed to live, act and have your whole spirit and being centered on the content and reality revealed by those Words. Faith might be described as putting your spiritual muscle where your mouth is -- it’s a whole spirit acknowledgment instead of just mental recognition. Certainly such a hearkening to those Words is essential and required for us to utilize those Words and is one of those qualities that must be freely given from humanity.
Perhaps we can describe it as the heart filled response, recognition and hearkening to the Presence of God shinning through His Revelation. The Book of Hebrews describes it in Chapter 11, verses 1-3: “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not see. For by it the men of old received divine approval. By faith we understand that the world was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was made out of things which do not appear.” The deepest and most abiding faith, I believe, must emanate from your original mind -- as opposed to the conscience. According to section 6.3.3 of the Principle of Creation (page 50-51), the conscience is a faculty within each human beings spirit or mind that directs them towards doing what they believe to be good and right.
“The conscience is that faculty of the human mind which, by virtue of its inborn nature, always directs us toward what we think is good...The original mind is that faculty of the human mind which pursues absolute goodness. It relates to the conscience as internal nature to external form. A person’s conscience directs him to pursue goodness according to the standard which he has set up in ignorance, even thought it may differ from the original standard. However, the original mind, being sensitive to the proper direction, repels this faulty standard and works to correct the conscience.”
The Original Mind is, however, is the faculty of the human spirit or mind that knows absolute goodness and pursues it. The Original Mind, as the word original implies, is that part of the Spirit Self that retains the ability to link directly with the Spirit of God and where the sense and knowledge of the original ideal of God (the Commandment, the Three Blessings, the Logos, the Principles of God, True Love) resides. I often envision it as the place we go to in our spirit / mind when we are checking to see if our current realities are right and good. For example, for those of us who were born into a less than perfect family, how did we know that our physical parents were not absolutely good? On what basis or gauge did we judge or criticize them -- what internal standard were we comparing them to?
I would suggest that we are subconsciously comparing our life’s experience to the ideal by checking in with our Original Mind. A child doesn’t have to be told that something is lacking when they are not given enough and of the right quality love by their parents -- they just know they are missing something that is their entitlement. I call that internal source of mind and heart that resides in the depth of our soul that we go to on a very subconscious and intuitive level our Original Mind. It is the place where we are able to resonate our internal tuning fork on the same frequency with God. It is our original compass and guide.
In one sense, it could be called our original programming. For example, when I was about age 12 or 13, I had a mystical encounter with the Living God. In that experience, from some place deep within my spirit, I experienced an explosion of joy and I was enraptured and in bliss. Further, I knew that I was created to be in a full relationship with that Being 24/7. I just knew and from that time I also knew that nothing else was more important in life that being one with my God. What part of me knew that? What part of me responded to meeting my God with such a gut level sense that this was where I was created to be and with such overwhelming happiness and joy? That place my response emanated from is what I call the Original Mind. I would suggest that the truest basis of faith occurs when our “self” checks into that realm to see if the reality we are encountering agrees with the content of our Original Mind and if so, then, and only then, commits to that reality.
This level of heart connection to God brings with it a powerful tool in spiritual growth that can be most useful in negotiating the minefield of tribulations, temptations and challenges, which is known as life in the fallen world. When disaster, spiritual war and attack, or confusion reigns around you and cannot be avoided, then you need a strategy and tactic to survive those circumstances and be victorious.
The formula for successful spiritual growth then needs these two elements of the Word and Faith in the Word and the combination of the Word and Faith in the Word is a potent one. The Principle is clear that such a combination is required to both resist evil and sin and to accomplish or fulfill the Purpose of Creation. From Chapter 2, Section 3.2, pages 66-67 we find the following guidance:
In their immature state, Adam and Eve could not be directly governed by God though love. Because the power of love is stronger than the power of the Principle, God foresaw that if they ever formed a common base with the Archangel, there was a possibility that they could succumb to the power of deviant, unprincipled love and fall. To prevent this, God gave Adam and Eve the commandment that forbade them from relating with the Archangel in this way. No matter how powerful, the unprincipled love of the Archangel might be, had Adam and Eve adhered to God’s commandment, forming a common base with God and engaging in give and take with Him and no other, the power of the Archangel’s unprincipled love would not have affected them and they would never have fallen… It was not only to prevent their fall that God gave immature human beings the commandment. God also wanted them to enjoy dominion over the natural world -- including the angels-by inheriting His creative nature. In order to inherit this creatorship, human beings should perfect themselves through their faith in the Word as their own portion of responsibility.
Perhaps a key point here is that, in our immature state and while growing through the indirect dominion, God cannot govern us through His love because our hearts are unable to grasp and respond to His Love. Instead, God guides us through the Truth and as our spiritual essence develops through following the truth we become more and more heartistically able to be governed by His love. Perhaps we can liken it to the inability of a child to truly grasp the love his or her parents feel for them -- that ability to respond heart to heart develops as the child matures. The key point is that faith is required to allow the truth to be our guide. Perhaps another way to describe faith is that it is the response from humanity that allows us to connect to that purpose and plan of God and thus be empowered to fulfill our portion of responsibility.
Since the core essence of God is Heart and Love, He ultimately wishes that our relationship with Him be totally rooted and governed at the level of that Heart and Love. Only through accomplishing perfection based on faithful embodiment and adherence to the Principle, the truth of God, will we be able to gain the maturity of Heart that will enable us to be governed by God’s love. You could say, for us to be able to “get it”, for the fog to lift and for us to see clearly and sharply, we have to be mature and not only that, but to have arrived there based on our fulfilling our portion of responsibility, guided by the Truth. From the Divine Principle, Chapter 1, Section 5.2.2, page 43, the essence of the Indirect Dominion is described:
“During the growing period, all beings in the creation grow by virtue of the autonomy and governance given by God’s Principle. God, the Author of the Principle, has regard only for the fruits of their growth, which are based on the Principle. In this way, He governs all things indirectly. We call this growing period the realm of God’s indirect dominion or the realm of dominion based on accomplishments through the Principle. All things reach perfection after passing through the growing period (the realm of indirect dominion) by virtue of the autonomy and governance given by God’s Principle. Human beings, however, are created in such a way that their growth requires the fulfillment of their own portion of responsibility, in addition to the guidance provided by the Principle. They must exercise this responsibility in order to pass successfully through the growing period and reach perfection”
Well, lets return to the question of how to overcome temptation, the limitations and attacks of immaturity and ill-intended circumstances and individuals and strive for perfection. What must we do to avoid the mines in the minefield or falling into the pitfalls along the path of life? How do we avoid being ensnared by the Devil and ending up in or staying in Hell? There is, of course, the option of avoiding temptation altogether by following the commandment and thus removing the dynamic of opportunity. This is a very good solution and is an approach that was utilized by God with Adam and Eve.
There is, however, another solution that I believe needs to be developed and that couples very well with the need for strict guidelines. I have come to the conclusion that as well as having strict guidelines in their lives through a faithful adherence to the Word of God, all people need to establish their own strong belief in and relationship with God, a deep, abiding relationship with God. I believe that a deep connection with our Heavenly Father is the only sure root and grounding for faith in the Word and also stands as the genesis of a person’s ownership of the lifestyle and culture that should emanate from that Word.
A vibrant, heartistic relationship with God should enable a person to inherit a vision and scope of understanding in sync with God and allow them to see the action of others from a Heavenly perspective. From this base, Truth will be valued and respected because our Heavenly Parent authors it. A faithful child of God who stands in a loving relationship with their Heavenly Parent would gratefully cultivate a heartistic commitment to leaning and living those lessons imparted through the Words given by his or her Heavenly Parent. In other words, such a link between the Word of God and your relationship with its author will make those words matter to you; it must be given your utmost respect, adoration and appreciation.
Strict guidelines that might have at one time been seen as bothersome or meddling must instead be exalted, appreciated and followed. My point is that for good advice to be followed, it needs to be validated from within. If a person has internalized their faith and has a strong and vivid connection to God, they are more likely to seek, listen to, have absolute faith in and follow Heavenly advice and God’s Words and thereby avoid evil action. Ultimately, I believe that such a vital relationship with God can afford us much protection and empowerment along our path to perfection. So, at the top of the list of things you need to do to be able to be successful in life and in your Blessing is to develop a real, deep, loving connection to our Heavenly Father. Remember that you must earnestly ask, knock and seek for Your God and, as the result of your outreach, doors will be opened and opportunities will make themselves available to you to develop this most essential relationship
Now, there is a caveat to this effort, you have to make this relationship a consistent and constant part of your life, remembering that Adam and Eve knew God and had faith in God and they also knew the commandment and yet they committed the original sin and fell far away from His grace and acknowledgment of His very being. One thing they neglected to do during the time of the temptation was to continually check-in with God, especially when the atmosphere and environment around them was getting confused. True Father introduced this concept during the Question and Answer session in 1965.
“Question: Adam and Eve were told not to eat of the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil. Where they told in the same way in which our Master was told the Divine Principle, by having an even conscience -- that is, on a level---and then establishing a vertical contact with God. If not, then how were they told? They were in the Indirect Dominion; and God did not tell them directly, did He?
Answer: The 90 degree angle was not necessary for Adam. It is only necessary for us because we are under satanic domination, so we have to have an even conscience to receive God’s thought. It did not apply to Adam. The command not to eat of the fruit was given to Adam by God directly. It did not violate the Indirect Dominion. The Direct Dominion of God implies the Direct Dominion of Man’s love by God. Apart from this love, God could teach them directly, even in their Growth Stage. He could give the command directly, but He could not interfere or have dominion over Adam and Eve’s love directly (my emphasis). If Adam and Eve had asked God whether they should respond to Lucifer, then God could have told them directly. When I said that I make a condition beforehand, I mean that I always ask God if it is all right to offer my offering. Then God is responsible to answer. But Adam and Eve did not ask God. So in the indirect dominion, if you ask God, He has to tell you. But God cannot control human love. That happens only in the Direct Dominion.”
Remember, this is a spiritual fight, as is well documented in the following passage from the Book of Ephesians, Chapter 6: 10-20. This fight cannot be won solely based on the power of the mind. It needs strong spiritual conviction and protection for defensive and offensive efforts to be effective:
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we are not contending against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the equipment of the gospel of peace; beside all these, taking the shield of faith, with which you can quench all the flaming darts of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Pray at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that utterance may be given me in opening my moth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.”
So the formula would reads like this: Word of God + Faith in that Word + continual and pro-active relationship with God = Method to resist the temptation and power of deviant and unprincipled love and to keep up the momentum and the hard trek towards accomplishing the ideal of the Three Blessings. We need to avoid the fall and advance towards Heaven through our vital and vivid connection to God and faith in His Words. We must absolutely trust and have faith in His Words and with Him from the depth of our soul, original mind and heart and allow ourselves to be governed by these groundings.. The Divine Principle explains this in Chapter 2, section 3.2, pages 66-67:
“Because the power of love is stronger than the power of the Principle, God foresaw that if they ever formed a common base with the Archangel, there was a possibility that they could succumb to the power of deviant, unprincipled love and fall. To prevent this, God gave Adam and Eve the commandment that forbade them from relating with the Archangel in this way. No matter how powerful the unprincipled love of the Archangel might be, had Adam and Eve adhered to God’s commandment, forming a common base with God and engaging in give and take with Him and no other, the power of the Archangel’s unprincipled love would not have affected them and they would never have fallen.”
It is my understanding that these three elements or the word, faith in the word and an abiding relationship with God are crucial resources that can be instrumental in furthering your journey towards attaining spiritual growth and perfection. All three can contribute towards that crucial awareness that each of us were created to be an object to God and further, for us to truly honor and embrace that understanding. Each person must come to the awareness that they must use their sense of self and independent volition (free will) to seek God’s greatest will and then be willing to wholeheartedly work to fulfill it. God has certainly gifted each of his children with free will, but that freedom will have the greatest value when it is applied within the greater Will of God, not apart from or taking an independent direction from that will. We may have free will, but actually, if we know what is truly best for us and will ultimately bring us the greatest happiness, we have no choice but to, by our own volition, live for the sake of that greater good and Godly purpose. The following quote conveys great insight into the type of discipline course that needs to be embraced, and preferably sooner than later in a person's life (dare I say, from the point where spiritual growth is started in earnest) -- from Blessing and Ideal Family, page 227:
“In the satanic world there can be no connection between hearts. In your case, you can only connect with true love after you have gone through a revolutionary change in your personality. You should always remember that unless you free yourselves from your self-centered, private mind, earthly greed, attachment to yourself, or personal cultural superiority, you will never be able to perfect yourselves.”
This whole struggle gets even more complicated because God can at times seem to be absent during crucial time in our lives and perhaps in ours. One reason may because man’s portion of responsibility must be exercised in the environment of freedom of will. Essentially mankind must willing participate in the process towards and the final accomplishment of Perfection and additionally, must be able to navigate and grow without exception through the potentially difficult path towards that Perfection without fail. We may often feel alone in this journey because God, to ensure the sanctity of the Crown of Co-Creatorship, cannot interfere with human responsibility. Which brings me to the second dimension of faith.
That is the need for us to have faith in God and utilize our 5% responsibility to make great efforts to connect to God at times of spiritual trial, sometimes experienced as “A Dark Night of the Soul”, times of spiritual trial when you must make superhuman effort to keep that connection with God. This might be likened to the experience of Jesus on the Cross as revealed in Matthew 27:51 -- “And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lama sabach-thani? That is, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” These experiences have been explained in the Divine Principle as an indemnity experience to reverse the faithlessness of Adam, page 287, Moses and Jesus Course: “Since Adam became faithless and forsook God, Jesus had to restore Adam’s mistake by enduring when God forsook him, all the while showing unchanging faith.” It is at these times of spiritual trial that we should cling to God with unswerving tenacity.
Just as Adam and Eve were to have made heroic efforts to avoid the fall in the midst of the growth years while they were working on growing their spiritual lives, so we, who are to pioneer the way of life of a true son and daughter of God, must also make continual progress towards fulfilling the 1st Blessing in the midst of our lives. There are so many benefits to this tact, not the least being that the closer to perfection we get, the easier it would have been for us to see with God’s eyes and heart or for our hearts and minds to resonate with God. To apply this scenario in our lives, we need to learn and also apply / practice the Principle, especially principles of spiritual growth, on a daily basis.
This would probably be a good time to introduce the idea that God can and does work through representatives on the earth. We need to hearken to God’s chosen champions and their words of insight and goodness. Our True Parents have the unique anointing to be the source of humanity’s salvation into a Godly Lineage and also the models of lives lived based on a heavens traditions; the example we should study and emulate in the building of true families, societies, nations and world imbued with a Godly Culture. We should also be vigilant to watch for the presence of God words and heart revealed through those representing a vertical / parental position or simply an Abel-like attitude or heart (look for the internal Abel) -- though we always need to check those words against the principle and our original minds.
By our doing good works centered on God’s Word, studying God’s Words, developing a vital and vivid relationship with God through utilizing pray, by setting indemnity and living a living for the sake of other’s lifestyle we can divest ourselves of distortions in our spiritual self and gain the good vitality elements needed to hasten our advance towards perfection. By living a public lifestyle and connecting to God’s Providence, we also make conditions to separate from Satan and elevate our spirit and thus come closer to God. This is a proactive approach as opposed to a reactive / defensive approach. This is the meaning of Chapter 4:8-10 from the Book of Philippians:
“Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, do; and the God of peace will be with you.”
Now it doesn’t hurt to reinforce the perspective that all of our efforts to achieve and strive for perfection do not occur in a vacuum. The task of achieving perfection on the foundation of ethics, purity and fidelity constantly occurs within a pretty pervasive environment of evil or sin, sometimes subtle and sometimes blatant. All efforts to advance and fulfill God’s purpose occur in a veritable battleground between the forces of good and the forces of evil. It is paramount that we enter into this spiritual battleground with effective weapons and armor and equip ourselves with the best strategy and tactics possible. To not do this is naïve, foolhardy, shortsighted and can end with disastrous results. You can be sure that the satanic forces are well equipped and professional in advancing their cause. On key protection that is required to keep the momentum of spiritual growth advancing is the utilization of sexual and moral purity prior to a blessed marriage and fidelity after your blessed marriage. The central position of such behavior is deeply underscored in the following quote from the 10th Peace Message given by Reverend Moon on the occasion of the 47th True Children’s Day, Nov 21, 2006:
“Ladies and gentlemen, it was necessary for Adam and Eve to establish a model, peaceful, ideal family. God, the Absolute Being, created human beings as His children in order to instill in them absolute values on the basis of an absolute standard. Thus, human beings must follow the way of that absolute standard in keeping with the demands of the heavenly path. This means we must follow our destined life course in order to attend God, the Absolute Being, as our Parent. In other words, for people to perfect themselves in resemblance of God and obtain the stature of people of character who can be called sons and daughters of the Absolute Being, they must follow the path based on the absolute standard God has determined. The essence of this path is the standard of absolute sexual purity.” (Moon, pg 144)
Certainly one keys reasons for this requirement lies in the need for humanity to practice for and prepare to uphold the absoluteness of conjugal love and to uphold the heavenly law of absolute fidelity.
“Second is the model of
absoluteness in the love of husband and wife. More precious than life
itself, this is the heavenly law of absolute fidelity. Husband and
wife are eternal partners given to each other by Heaven. Through
having children, they become the co-creators of true love, true life
and true lineage and the origin of that which is absolute, unique,
unchanging and eternal…without adhering to the principle of
absolute sexual purity, the path to the perfection of one’s
character and spiritual maturity is closed. Furthermore, without
securing the foundation of absolute sexual morality within a true
family of perfected individuals, it is impossible for God to manifest
His presence in dignity as the incarnate God of character.”
(Moon,
2006, The Family Rooted in Absolute Sexual Ethics, pg 145-146)
I would like to digress briefly to discuss this dynamic in a little more depth. As we study in the Divine Principle, each and every human being and further, all beings / species and elements / expressions of substance / matter in this vast creation embody two dual characteristics -- internal nature / external form and the dual characteristics of masculinity / positivity and femininity / negativity. Further, these dualities are vibrantly, constantly, dynamically interacting (give and take action) due to the directive power of Universal Prime Energy and subsequently generating forces of give and take action which act as the foundation for the existence of their union and as well as resulting in multiplication.
A special expression of this dynamism of dualities is found in the human social dynamic known as a marriage union, or that bond that is created between husband and wife. Father is declaring that such a union must be grounded upon the law of absolute fidelity, that the founding of a marriage must be entered into based on absolute exclusivity. In light of this revelation, the preparation for such a union needs to respect the exclusive nature of the resultant relationship and thus requires that each individual, while in the process of arriving at that sought for goal, discipline him or herself in order to achieve and then eternally maintain such an absolute standard by embodying a celibate lifestyle, shunning all premature / exploratory attempts to sample or investigate exclusive coupling.
Thus, a casual dating lifestyle, especially one of a promiscuous nature, is definitely out. When it is time for a person to marry, which itself should be determined on the foundation of prayerfulness and a vibrant spiritual life, he or she should approach the process with a deliberate and focused seriousness of spirit, by absolutely and prayerfully eliciting and seeking God’s help in finding the right person for their exclusive spouse since God know best the person that He has uniquely designed to be that person’s eternal mate. The best way to learn of His Will and choice is to seek that expression of His guidance and will through those who represent the vertical, parental position / standard, especially the Messiah or His anointed representatives or, as granted in this era for those born into the true lineage, faithful parents.
The phenomenal characteristic of this exclusive union is that, in fact, it is the very doorway by which couples can attain a phenomenological, cosmological experience of the multiplicity and variety of all the dualities of this creation / cosmos and further experience a sympathetic, empathetic vibratory sense of oneness with the vastness of this creation / cosmos on the deepest and most profound level. It is through the ONE that we, in fact, experience and embody the many and perhaps more importantly, this same dynamic doesn’t work in the converse direction, or you cannot achieve that one perfect union by experiencing as many unions as possible -- such a profound and overwhelming experience will elude you if you attempt to follow such a convoluted track. Lets review the following quote (Moon, pg 30, Divine Principle) in light of this revolutionary statement:
“Let us discuss from another viewpoint how human beings are the center of the cosmos, which is composed of both the spirit world and the physical world. Every human being embodies all the elements in the cosmos. Yet, as we discussed earlier, everything in the cosmos can be divided broadly into subject partners and object partners. Had Adam, the first human ancestor, reached perfection, he would have embodied all the subject elements in the things of creation. Had Eve attained perfection, she would have embodied all the object elements in the things of creation. God created Adam and Eve to have dominion over the natural world. Growing toward perfection, Adam was to become the king of all the subject elements in the creation and Eve was to become the queen of all the object elements. If they had then become on as husband and wife, they would have become the center that could rule the entire universe consisting of subject partners and object partners.
Human beings are created to be the center of harmony of the whole cosmos. If Adam and Eve had attained perfection and united as husband and wife, it would have meant the joining into oneness of the two centers of the dual characteristics of all beings. Had Adam and Eve moved together in harmony and attained oneness, the whole cosmos with its dual characteristics would have danced in harmony. The place where Adam and Eve become perfectly one in heart and body as husband and wife is also the place where God, the subject partner giving love, and human beings, the object partner returning beauty, become united. This is the center of goodness where the purpose of creation is fulfilled…”
It is my personal opinion that the cosmic design of multiplicity being embodied within an exclusive union has its root in the nature of God, that the creation personifies this reality in either image or symbol form. God is One, and yet that oneness is the source of all the latent, potential and actualized manifestation of every characteristics and dynamics that were ever or will ever be manifested in the totality of creation / cosmos / universe -- without end, -- radically awesome!
The key point of this section is to underscore that you should never forget, at all times in your Blessed life, to continually to strive towards accomplishing your first Blessing, reaching personal perfection and oneness with God. In addition, after being Blessed, you are responsible to encourage and support your spouse’s and then your children’s efforts to fulfill their first Blessing. By doing this you will ultimately be contributing to the success of your Blessing.
Let me share from Davelin Popov, of the “Family Virtues Guide” and “A Pace of Grace:”
Spiritual companioning requires the awareness that we cannot keep each other happy but we can keep each other company. We can only walk beside one another in the journey of life. We cannot control one another nor do the spiritual work of the other in our relationship. The purpose of spiritual companioning is to help one another empty our cups and get to the heart of the matter. We do this by asking cup-emptying questions starting with “What”, “when”, and “how” -- never “why”, which puts each other on the defensive.”
And also from Mehri Sefidvash, Coral and Pearls, page 26-27:
“Respect means wanting the other person to grow and develop into what he is and can be. Respect automatically excludes exploitation and selfish expectations. To have respect for a person we love means having the desire that he should grow and develop according to his own wishes and his own capabilities, and not just because this is useful for us.”
And also from Linda Kavelin Popov, The Family Virtues Guide, p.3:
“Virtue is sometimes associated with perfectionism. When it comes to human beings, to be perfect does not mean to be flawless. It means to be whole and complete. Part of the completeness of being spiritually alive and aware is to accept our flaws, our mistakes and our failings as teachable opportunities which can bring us new learning. It is in working with the virtues which we have over- or underdeveloped, that we find the energy for new growth. Live is not about being perfect. It is about perfecting or cultivating our virtues. Perfection is the process of bringing our gifts to fruition.”
So, constantly keep up the pressure and commitment to spiritual growth and perfection for yourself, your spouse and your children until each have accomplished that ultimate goal of reaching oneness and union with God.
And finally, through the Divine Principle’s clear explanation of the Purpose of Creation we have been given a tremendous illuminating gift and spiritual tool. I am sure that most of you have friends, contacts or even family that are completely confused and unclear about their purpose or even if there is a purpose of life. Yet without a purpose to live by and for, the latent potential of every human being remains just that -- latent potential.
Montaigne is quoted as saying:
“The great and glorious masterpiece of man is how to live with a purpose. Washington Irving said “ Great minds have purposes, others have wishes”. Napoleon Hill, writing in the classic Think and Grow Rich, said that having a purpose was so important to success that people would have a different (and better) story to tell about their lives “if only they would adopt a DEFINITE PURPOSE, and stand by that purpose until it had time to become an all-consuming obsession!”
Also, from Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe:
“Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative and creation, there is one elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, the Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one’s favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and material assistance which no man / woman could have dreamed would have come his way. Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. Begin it now.”
Utilize the great understanding that our purpose is to fulfill the Three Blessings to aid your efforts on this great and difficult journey. The three blessing can be utilized as a compass and beacon or guiding light when our journey takes us through foggy and murky circumstances. Reflecting on it can remind us of our goal and destination and the hope, beauty, joy and love that will be our Sabbath. This great wisdom can bring peace and joy to our soul, as well as nourish us and us strength. Latch onto it, anchor your soul in its promise and be completely enraptured, galvanized and consumed by its possibility. Utilize it as both fuel and aspiration to inspire you to reach for the stars and the great vision and promise of God.
In addition, the Three Blessings can provide a sure standard and gauge to which we can compare our present state and to illuminate the difference between the future hope and our present reality. If used correctly, it can help us clearly see and admit to our shortcomings and open us to the required right actions and heart that needs to be urgently adopted and practiced if we are to fulfill those Three Blessing. We should be careful that we apply this approach primarily to ourselves and do not use our knowledge of the Three Blessings as a way to judge and separate from others. If we must discern or judge, then make the proportion of judgment something like this -- 9 parts love to 1 part judgment. It is wise to remember that when a person points a finger in the direction of a wrong, he or she also has three other fingers are pointing back at themselves.
One other point, since we now have the beginnings of the tradition of accomplishment and the development of a momentum of goodness (something that Adam and Eve did not have though were suppose to develop for all future generations), please utilize the blossoming community of faith that is your spiritual environment to support you in all your God / goodly inspired efforts to accomplish the Three Blessings. This is another valuable tool that cannot be underestimated. Also, utilizing the principle of “pay it forward”, as each of you gain victories in your family lives, please give support, wisdom and love to others and encourage them on their path.
I hope the preceding content can have awakened in you both a clear awareness of the true nature of the path that stretches out ahead of you as well as encouraged you to welcome with enthusiasm and hope both the challenges and joys that will fill that path. It is so worth it! We truly stand on the threshold of a new and exciting future for humanity and for each of you and your family. As my husband wisely said, it may be work to bend down to pick up a radiant, precious diamond but the fruit of that work justifies all the troubles you have to face and efforts that you may have to make!
The following list of Character Qualities is taken from the Character Qualities noted in the book “Pure Gold, Encouraging Character Qualities in Marriage” by Susanne M. Alexander, p128. Among the many character qualities that will enrich your life and your Blessing, I wish you:
“Acceptance, Assertiveness, Beauty, Caring, Chastity, Commitment, Compassion, Confidence, Contentment, Cooperation, Courage, Courtesy, Creativity, Detachment, Discernment, Encouragement, Enthusiasm, Equality, Excellence, Faithfulness, Flexibility, Forgiveness, Friendliness, Generosity, Gentleness, Helpfulness, Honesty, Humility, Idealism, Integrity, Joyfulness, Justice, Kindness, Love, Loyalty, Mercy, Moderation, Patience, Peacefulness, Perseverance, Purity, Purposefulness, Respect, Responsibility, Self-Discipline, Service, Sincerity, Spirituality, Strength, Tactfulness, Thankfulness, Thoughtfulness, Trustworthiness, Truthfulness, Unity and Wisdom”.
I also wish you integrity of spirit / heart, zest for life and the tasks ahead and most of all that you will quickly reach and dwell in the full love of God forever and ever. Peace, Love and Wisdom to you and your family.
Those of us wishing to pioneer a Godly world need to be even better equipped and trained in this crusade than those forces of evil. And we have the ultimate secret weapon; we are so fortunate to be living in the era of the True Parents, who for the first time in history can offer a way out of hell and into Heaven. True Parents represent a beacon of hope, a real, tried and tested pattern of victory and a new root and lineage for humanity to inherit.
So though the way is steep and rocky and wrought with difficulty, this restoration course out of hell is nonetheless an expression of the grace and love of God. My purpose in sharing the preceding thoughts and insights is to offer support, tools and encouragement each of you during your journey on the path of restoration and accomplishment of the ideal and in your efforts to help others on this path. God Bless and Keep you always in His care and may you also remember to continually comfort His Heart.