We are almost at the end of one of the most historical years. We have just one month remaining. Time is moving fast. Our physical life on this earth is very limited. Our time on earth is unpredictable. How about the time of True Parents? Do you imagine that time is moving fast for them also? (Yes) I recall meeting Father in 1957 during the month of December. At that time he was still in his thirties. But now Father is a grandfather and the years are passing quickly for him.

What is the purpose of our lives? Joy and happiness. Where does this joy and happiness come from? When we become true people of love we will be able to gain true joy and happiness. We need to center upon God and true family life and then we will discover true joy and happiness. Even then it isn't quite good enough. We need to make a joyful tribe, nation and cosmos. The beliefs of the Unification Church and the Christian churches are very different. The purpose of faith for Christians is to become sons and daughters of God. However, the goal of Unificationists is not only to become the sons and daughters of God, but also the create the true family of God. The family is our goal, not the individual. Our families will then become holy families of God. This is our purpose and goal. If individually we practice true love, then true love will blossom and dwell within our community and our world. Our purpose of life is the practice of true love.

Our True Father and Mother are in Taiwan. They will meet the President of Taiwan and other VIPs will welcome Father and Mother. True Parents will return on Tuesday to the United States, December 5. On December 7 True Parents will travel to Canada to give the important message of The True Family and I. Father and Mother are extending the invitation to all Canadian citizens to become true families. This is Father's teaching and invitation. Please remember these things in your prayers.

This year Father and Mother traveled to South America and opened the New Hope Farm. This is to a model for the third blessing. Human beings are supposed to practice love and embrace the environment, God's creations. It is our God given destiny to live in harmony with God's creation. Father is teaching this life style through the New Hope Farms project. True Parents visited twenty three nations of South America and then they traveled to Kodiak. In Kodiak Father matched many couples for the 360,000 couple Blessing. Then True Parents returned to Korea and True Mother went to Japan where she spoke to 50,000 in the Tokyo Dome. Then True Parents toured Korea speaking at the major cities and universities. Then True Father returned to America where he spoke in sixteen states and True Children spoke in the remaining thirty four states. True Father and Mother continued on to their world-wide speaking tour.

True Parents practice love and teach the truth and invite all families world-wide to become true families. This is one of the most important ministries of our True Parents during 1995. We need to understand this. When Father and Mother return from Canada they will travel to Montevideo in Uraquay. From December 11-15 Father will invite from South America sixty leaders of Christianity, both Catholic and Protestant. Also from North America sixty leaders, both Catholic and Protestant will also be invited. This North and South American Christian Leadership Conference will be conducted by True Father in South America. Then True Parents will return to the United States. I have some very good news to impart to you this morning. True Parents and True Family will spend God's Day 1996 in New York City. True Parents will extend invitations to world leadership to join this celebration. Especially pioneers who began church official mission from 1961.

Another category of invitees are couples who have over seven blessed children. If these children are very faithful and the family is very successful then Father has invited them. It isn't easy to have seven children and to educate them well. Making such model families is not an easy task. Therefore those families who have attained this we must praise them and also learn from them. We have to be proud of such families. This then is the theme of God's Day 1996. Father always comes up with new ideas for us; never boring.

As we look back through this year and all the things that have happened, we have much to reflect upon. How hard True Parents have been working for the sake of humanity and history. Father and Mother even traveled to Asia and African nations. It was not an easy schedule at all. Meeting so many leaders and speaking constantly to the general public and then guiding the membership in these countries until 1 and 2 a.m. Then the next day moving on to another country. This is a very difficult schedule. At the age of seventy five years, Father is moving in the most difficult direction. Compared to Father and Mother, what is our commitment and attendance during this year? We need to look back and to repent. If the tour was successful we can feel proud. If the tour was not successful we need to repent. If we dedicated ourselves whole-heartedly we can feel proud. However, if we didn't dedicate ourselves whole-heartedly we need to repent. Even during this last one month we still have the opportunity to invest our whole energy, body and soul, and bring the victory. This month is very important one for us to have the correct attitude. It is also a time to prepare for the come New Year.

This morning I want us to speak on the Family Pledge number two. Our family, centered upon true love, pledge to attend God and True Parents and follow the ways of filial piety in the family, patriots in the nation, saints in the world and holy sons and daughters in the cosmos. Actually, this year, True Parents and True Family taught what is filial piety, patriotism, sainthood, and holy sons and daughters of God. This is most important in Father and Mother's teaching. Father tells us that we have to attend God and True Parents before attending our family. This means husband, wife and children. We are living in the age of attendance. The Old Testament was the age of sacrifice. New Testament was the age of faith. What does attendance mean? In Korean moshinda which means to serve. Another meaning of the Korean word moshinda is following and supporting. It can also mean we are always together. It has many various meanings. In English we translate as attendance. We really have to learn Korean because without understanding Korean is not easy to fully understand the meaning of our traditions.

We have to attend God and True Parents as the central figures of our lives and our family lives. Family level, national level, world level, and cosmic level. We practice love at all of these levels. Therefore your family and my family need to reflect and ask ourselves, have we been attending God and True Parents? When Father gave the Family Pledge to us, he explained verse two. First, centered upon God and True Parents we become representative families. For example, within New York City the United Nations Headquarters is located. There are over 160 nations represented there. These ambassadors have the official mission as representatives of each country. That means they are representatives. We who are attending God and True Parents become their representatives. We are always standing in the position to represent God and True Parents. Your mission is connected to the Will of God and True Parents.

Central family means for example, here is the root and the tree. The center of the tree is the root. Our center is God and True Parents. Our families become central families for the other branches of the tree. We become like a central balancer. This central family is always educating and serving. God and True Parents wish to give all their love, truth and resources through these central families to the world wide family. This central family should bind closely with the world families so that they cannot go to the satanic side. They only receive through us God and True Parents love and truth elements. That is the responsibility of central families. It is the mission of central families to become balancers, servers, protectors, giving good influence and God and True Parents love and truth elements.

This Family Pledge is very difficult to translate actually. If we translate to mean replacing on behalf of God and True Parents, but still it is not really correct. Replacing is similar to representing. However this has a more internal meaning. The Chinese character means that we are functioning in mind and body like True Parents. It means God and True Parents are dwelling in me. Usually Father gives direction to do something and we do it. That is a representative family. This meaning is True Parents are actually dwelling within my family. We are moving and automatically God and True Parents are moving. This is the meaning of family. Our goal of family is like formation, growth and perfection. It is our goal to become families. Central families. Then we become families of replacement on behalf of God and True Parents.

When we become such families, Father tells us that we become sons and daughters of filial piety in the family and patriots at the national level and saints at the world level and holy sons and daughters at the cosmic level. Actually, 1995 Father and Mother have dedicated everything for God and mankind. They stand as our model and true teachers' position, True Parents position, and demonstrating and guiding us. Then in the family we become filial sons and daughters, at the national level we become patriots, at the world level we become saints, and at the cosmic level we become holy sons and daughters of God. This is the meaning of this teaching.

Is this easy to accomplish? No it isn't. In all of the United States how many true patriots do we have? George Washington? Thomas Jefferson? Benjamin Franklin? Martin Luther King? Not so many patriots actually. In this world how many saints do we have? The Catholic church has many saints. Muslims have many saints. However, there are only four great saints who are recognized world-wide. Jesus Christ, Buddha, Confucius and Mohammed. Only four. Father is commending that we become saints. Is that easy or difficult to accomplish? (Difficult) To become holy sons and daughters of God is not an easy task either. Then we might think that we should give up. (Laughter)

Father gives us an almost impossible goal to accomplish. Should we then give up and have an easy life. Is that much better? We feel that Father is always challenging us and giving us stress through these difficult goals.

Jesus Christ and True Parents are models of the Messiah. True Parents are constantly teaching how we can become filial sons and daughters, patriots, saints and holy sons and daughters of God. Let us look back at the personal history of Jesus Christ and how he dedicated for us. If you study the Bible you already know that before Jesus began his public mission, until physically thirty years of age, he stayed in Joseph and Mary's family. He became a carpenter. During thirty years he did physical labor and served his mother and physical brothers and sisters. Actually, Jesus demonstrated filial piety. During thirty years no one served him. From the most holy position he stepped down to servants position and worked hard to serve his family and neighborhood. He was perhaps making furniture and selling in the neighborhood. Do you think he made a huge profit or a small profit? (Small profit) He practiced sacrificial love. After the age of thirty years he began his public ministry for the sake of the chosen people of Israel. His mission as the patriot was teaching the gospel and truth, introducing God and the Will of God to the people. However, the people rejected him. In those days there was no recording machines and written text for them to study from. They were basically listening to the spoken word alone. For the disciples of Jesus to understand his teachings was not an easy thing. He always taught them into the late night. Jesus became a friend to the sick and the sinners. To the most hopeless he gave healing. Many miracles surrounded Jesus' ministry. However, he physically and spiritually he dedicated himself to give guidance to the chosen people of Israel. Matthew 4: 17 he declared, "Repent, the Kingdom of God is at hand." That means he wanted to establish the Kingdom of God on earth. The chosen people of Israel were the slaves of the Roman Empire. Jesus Christ was giving them true freedom from the Roman Empire and Satan also. Truly he was a patriot.

Actually the chosen people of Israel crucified him. They claimed that he was against the nation. This was his greatest public indictment by the chosen people. However, his life was totally dedicated to the nation and a true patriot. The leaders of Judaism 2000 years ago became puppets of the Roman Empire. Jesus did not seek his own safety, his own better life or position. Rather, under the most dangerous circumstances, he dedicated himself to the chosen people of Israel. Finally, the opposition of the chosen people brought him to his death. Jesus was a true patriot.

During 4000 years of historical background, God did not own His nation. Everything was dominated by Satan. Jesus truly wanted to liberate God and claim one nation for God. That is why Jesus was a true patriot. We now realize this. However, they killed Jesus and prevented him going to the world and cosmic levels. After the crucifixion, Jesus' spirit descended upon the disciples and they in turn became replacements working on behalf of Jesus Christ. Through the disciples Jesus went to the world and cosmic levels. Physically he only was able to dedicate for the nation. The goal of Jesus was to enter Rome triumphantly in his lifetime and yet he was unable to do so. Spiritually he was able to do so.

The crucifixion was a most miserable and painful death. However, his heart was more deep than his physical suffering. Because he was unable to reach to his dream. He demonstrated the way of true love for humankind. He came in the position of True Parent and true teacher, but was unable to fulfill. True Parents are the Second Coming. True Father demonstrated physical piety. We don't know True Father's early life first hand. However, through the many testimonies we understand as much as possible. But so many details are still unknown to us. Father had two brothers and several sisters. Of all of them, Father's mother truly loved and trusted True Father. Why? Because he was a son of filial piety. We can believe that Father was a son of filial piety.

Then Father began his public ministry and he worked for the independence of Korea. He was a student in Seoul and Tokyo. He worked with an underground movement and he received much persecution through this. He loved Korea. Father and Mother have not changed their citizenship all these years. If Father had changed to American citizenship it would have been much easier throughout the world. However, Father did not change his citizenship. Father is not nationalistic, but he respects the Will of God. Korea is God's especially chosen nation. From the Korean peninsula, true love, true life and true lineage began. It is the holy land. Father is working towards the unity of North and South Korea. This is Father's constant work. Father is a true patriot. Father also believes that America is his nation also. Therefore he is always trying to create a strong, God-centered America. He is constantly teaching us to become true patriots of America. Father never teaches us to defy the government and the law of the land. Father is the model of obedience.

In the case of Father's course trial in America. Father returned to America and went to the court and even went to Danbury. Even under dangerous circumstances Father became a model prisoner and inmate. He came out without resentment of any kind. Father is a true patriot. Father spoke in sixty cities this year. This is not an easy thing. His teaching is always to become true patriots. We learn from Father how to become true patriots.

Physically Father became a saint. A patriot is for the nation but a saint is for the world. One important mission of the saint is to become the central representative of God and True Parents and fight against evil power and bring the victory to God. This is the mission of a saint. One monumental victory of Father is the breakdown of the Communistic power. Father did this.

Father has done so much for this world. Recently I met one important political leader here in New York together with Dr. Hendricks. He told us how much he respects Reverend Moon. This year, 1995, Father and Mother gave the Blessing to 360,000 couples. That is not an each thing to accomplish. Dr. Hendricks's wife's in-laws are American and Dr. Hendricks's in-laws are Korean. Therefore can Korea and America fight one another? They cannot. If your wife is Japanese and you are from Monaco can these nations fight each other? (No) That is world peace. The other great service True Father and Mother did during this year was the Sisterhood Ceremonies between Japanese and American women. This is a true peace project.

Therefore, the people of the world have begun to truly appreciate True Parents contribution to peace. This year Father and Mother have traveled throughout the world teaching The True Family and I. You don't live only for your family, you live for and love your nation, world and cosmos. This is the direction and goal of love that Father is teaching us. This is the qualification for saints.

Also Father is demonstrating how to become holy sons and daughters of God. Holy sons and daughters of God means a person is connected to God and True Parents love, life and lineage. Do you follow? (Yes) Historically even though George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin and Martin Luther King were true patriots of America. And even though Jesus Christ, Buddha, Confucius and Mohammed are saints of the whole world, were they connected to this true love, life and lineage or not? No. Only Jesus Christ was connected to this lineage but he was unable to find his spouse. He was unable to have a family. Therefore historically the first holy sons and daughters of God are our True Parents, connected to God's love, life and lineage. Therefore we need to understand how important blessed families are. Somehow we are always looking in the world towards families such as the Kennedy's or the royal families. But Unificationists, you and I, we are blessed families even though we are externally very humble maybe. However, we are the owners of God's priceless, eternal treasure, true love, true life and true lineage. This connects us to the cosmos.

Father extends himself, matching for hours and days at a time in order to give the Blessing to as many as possible. That is Father's heart. Do you follow? Father desires to make the entire people of the world into the holy sons and daughters of God. This is a most important dedication and we need to understand this. During this year Father has really demonstrated this point again. Disciples you and I, blessed couples you and I, need to follow in True Parents footsteps and become sons and daughters of filial piety, patriots, saints and holy sons and daughters of God. That is truly the grace of grace and love of love. We need to deeply and tearfully appreciate this great gift. By our own effort we can become sons and daughters of filial piety, patriots and even saints. However, without God and True Parents we cannot become holy sons and daughters of God. This part is completely by God and True Parents grace. Effort does not work. Heaven comes down and embraces us through grace alone. This is the only way we can become holy sons and daughters of God. What is this year's motto? Let us inherit the victory of True Parents. If we indeed grow up to the level of becoming filial sons and daughters, patriots, saints and holy sons and daughters of God, Father and Mother will be so happy. If we grow too slowly and space out and end up in a different direction, Father and Mother will be very disappointed and sad.

We have only one month remaining during this year. Let us repent as we look back and reflect upon ourselves. How much did we indeed commit ourselves towards this beautiful direction and standard and model tradition? We discover that we have arrived at the patriots level but not the saints level for example. We each know where we stand.

Holy sons and daughters of God is the highest and most honorable of all. It seems an impossible goal. However, in Matthew 5: 8 Jesus said, "Blessed are the peacemakers, they shall be called the sons and daughters of God." What then is peacemakers. Create a world centered upon the Will of God. Reaching further and further. This is peacemaking.

Therefore, don't imagine that these goals are too far away for us to accomplish. Starting from this point it is really quite close. Small concerns for Father and Mother bring us close. During the early 1960s when I was pioneering in Korea I was always very hungry because our circumstances were so humble. At service one day one Korean grandmother came and gave me one bowl of eggs. In the Korean countryside people give one bowl of eggs at someone's birthday. But old grandmother gave these to me. I never forget this kindness. To reach to filial sons and daughters and patriots starts from a small beginning. This small becomes big and then giant. Then the giant becomes the cosmos. Do you follow. After this Sunday Service is finished if you see some dirt or garbage you pick up and place in the trash. Then already you have begun the role of the patriot.

When I am in New York City and I cannot find a trash can I carry some waste paper with me until I find. This paper napkin for example I have here, I used just one time and it is still good and so I use it again rather than throw it away. This is also the starting point of the patriot. Loving the nation and loving the environment. That is the starting point of the patriot. The position of patriot is not so far away from us actually. Likewise to become a saint we moment by moment not follow evil life, evil nature. Going beyond racial boundaries is already beginning the path of the saint. We already have inherited God's love, life and lineage and so we are already holy sons and daughters of God.

True Parents still have before them some goal and mission that is not yet completed and they are not always in good health. They need partnership. At this time they need our filial piety. In the night time Father and Mother cough. True Children bring water and medicine or cook something soft to eat. This is filial piety. Also when our nation is in crisis, patriotism is necessary. The patriotic spirit was strongest in America during the War of Independence and the Civil War. When the world is in crisis we need saints who can guide and liberate from the evil power. God has a lot of difficulty and is handicapped. This entire world belongs to Satan. God has no space for Himself to dwell in. Therefore God needs someone to work for Him in such a difficult time. Such people are holy sons and daughters of God. Do you follow? (Yes) Is God completely liberated or not? (No) True Parents mission is completely fulfilled or not? (No) Until the year 2000 we need the Kingdom of God on the Earth. This is the time of final seven years of tribulation. It is a most difficult time. We need to be united together, united with God and True Parents. Become representative families. central families and replacement families.

True Father and Mother have worked their whole lives to bring the victory. Even today they are working hard. During 1995 they traveled throughout the world teaching and guiding and inheriting God's love, life and lineage and extending the invitation to the entire world families to become true families. Let us becomes sons and daughters of filial piety, patriots, saints, and holy sons and daughters of God. (Yes) How wonderful that sounds. Our physical lifetime is so short. If we fulfill this goal it will be so good. Shall we give up or shall we challenge? (Challenge)

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