The Words of the Masuda Family
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The Words of the Masuda Family |
Excerpts from Dr. Masuda's book translated into English
Question: Why should we live a “life of attendance”? Could you please explain the purpose of such a life?
Answer: I chose to include this question in this book on “True Love, Sex, and Health” because a “life of attendance” is closely connected, not only with the “issues of love” -- how we can receive God’s love and how and whom we should love -- but also with the lifestyle to maintain and enhance health or “rules of health.”
Let’s consider the question of why we should live the “life of attendance” by quoting True Father’s words.
Then, if we attempt to live a life of attendance, whom should we attend first? We must attend God first. The purpose of attending God is, after all, for the sake of our own development. In order for us to make progress, we must receive God’s love. Without receiving God’s love, you cannot advance yourself, no matter how hard you may make external efforts. You cannot develop yourself unless you become a person in whom God’s love can dwell. …
When considering why we have to live a life of attendance in this manner, we should know that it is for the purpose of receiving God’s love. Therefore, first of all, everybody has to attend God. …
We Unification Church members live a life of faith so that we may receive God’s love. Then, in what manner should we receive His love? It is True Parents that stand in such a position as the secondary owner of love upon the foundation of their spiritual and physical perfection centering upon God’s love. Thus, we come to the conclusion that there is no path other than doing our best in all sincerity centering upon True Parents.
That life is what the Unification Church calls “the life of attendance.” In the past, people dedicated themselves to the spirit world or God through offering sincere prayer and setting up offering tables in Korea. You do not have to do so from now on. Our own life is the living offering now. Living a beautiful authoritative life worthy of receiving such love within a realm of God’s love is superior to the old ceremonies centering on the offering tables. As such a time has come, everybody must live a life of attendance to God and True Parents.
Then, what kind of life is the life of attendance? It is a life of sincere devotion. People used to spiritually devote themselves to God in the old days. Nowadays, however, you are to offer your filial piety and all sincerity towards substantial True Parents. …
Thus, by understanding in that way and living a life of attendance, you can enter the realm of God’s love. You should know that you can stay within the realm of God’s protection, if you do so. (May 1, 1975) [1]
In this way, True Father says that the purpose of our attending God is, first of all, to receive God’s love and develop ourselves. In other words, we may also say that the reason we attend God is to attain happiness by receiving God’s love and safely settling down within the realm of God’s love.
It is also very important for the maintenance and enhancement of our health for us to unite with God and True Parents, into one mind and one body, and safely settle down within the realm of God’s love and God’s protection. In other words, our life of attending God and True Parents is the lifestyle that those who attempt to fulfill “alignment with God” and “the high noon settlement” must practice as a matter of course. …We can also say that the life of attendance is the foundation of the rules of health and one of the necessary conditions for us to attain the greatest happiness.
[1] Sun Myung Moon, Koutenjidai-no Seikatsu Shinkou (Life of faith in the Age after the Coming of Heaven) (Tokyo: Kogensha, 2005), 227-49. Newly translated for this book.