The Words of the Ryu Family
|
|
The Words of the Ryu Family |
Sun
Myung Moon and Hak Ja Han July 28, 2011
Personally, I have no desire to receive admiration from men but only from God, our Father. There is much secular glory to be gotten in this secular world, but we must not seek that which comes from the fallen world. We must seek the priceless glory that comes from following our Father. Through suffering ordeals we can gain that precious glory.
Without resurrection, no one can be reborn. There are two kinds of resurrection. One is the resurrection that comes from living a life of faith and doing good actions, the other is the resurrection we can receive when we are judged by heaven for our offenses and irresponsibility. Which of the two would you prefer? Light is light, is it not? But there is a tremendous difference of degree between, for example, the light of the sun and the light of a firefly. Who among us would be content with the degree of resurrection that could be compared to a firefly's glow?
In John 4:24 we read, "God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth'' When we worship God we do so according to the truth as we understand it, but we must also relate with God in spirit. Why? Because God is spirit. We may know truth, but what value is our knowledge if we are lacking in the power of the spirit, which is eternal? This understanding is profoundly significant and of extreme importance for our life of faith.
We joined this church in order to gain spiritual power. In this controversial Unification Church we experience all kinds of suffering, but we undertook this challenging ordeal for the sake of our spiritual lives. We have all been through tortuous experiences in our life of faith, but we have been able to overcome them.
Observing a life of devotion can be compared to watering a withered tree. Once I had an experience that gave me a profound insight into the spiritual life. I came upon a flower bed whose shrubs were dry and fading. I watered the shrubs, and when I returned the next morning I found them vivid and fresh with new life. I had provided for them the "water of life."
If dry weather has caused drought, then we need to give water to the dry and parched land. As a result of the fall we are born not into life but into death. We know that our religious life, our faith, and our prayer constitute the "water of life" that provides nourishment for our rebirth and resurrection. For this reason Jesus taught us to pray constantly.
We need nourishment for both our physical life and our spiritual life. Our physical life is precious, but we know our spiritual life is more precious, because it is subject and eternal. Having gained eternal life we can soar without limit to every corner of the endless, infinite cosmos. In our spirit life we will be able to visit the innumerable planets of the universe. Where does eternal life come from? It is the final, ripe fruit of our devout life of faith. We will be saved by God through our suffering. Through adversity, trials, and ordeals we will win our eternal life.
Father has frequently emphasized the meaning of suffering. What kind of parents want to let their children experience suffering? Only parents who are concerned about their children's future success allow them to suffer. For the sake of tomorrow we should suffer today. The present moment does not exist simply for itself but for the future as well. If we are able to endure hardship to the very end, we will gain great blessing from above.
God has shed innumerable tears for His children. When we feel God's painful, tearful heart, it permeates every single part of us. Until now most Christian people believed that they could enter the Kingdom of Heaven only by God's grace and forgiveness. This idea was like a daydream, dreamt under blue skies. In reality it is only by our own effort, with our own tears, sweat, and blood, that we can establish the Kingdom of Heaven. As Christians, we really need to examine ourselves, because this is the most important point of our church's teachings.
I would like to share some points from one of Father's recent speeches at East Garden.
If you do not discipline your heart on earth, even if you enter the Kingdom of Heaven you will not be able to share your heart with anyone else.
We can lose or break our horizontal relationship with our husband or wife, but we can never break the vertical bond that exists eternally between parent and child. Only based on our strong vertical love relationship with God and True Parents, who are the bone of love, can we create an unbreakable horizontal love.
When in old age we approach death, our consciousness on a horizontal level often becomes reduced. It is not uncommon for people of 80 or 90 to experience a diminishing of their faculties. It is a very natural phenomena. But there is no amnesia of love, only amnesia of the intellect. Why did God make us with this tendency to lose control of our physical bodies? Because as we near death we need to focus our attention on our vertical relationship with God.
Though we have vitality in the present moment, we are still mortal beings. We are all in the same boat! During our stay on earth we should do our best for the sake of True Parents. Only they can be the source of our eternal life. They will forgive us and help us forget our sinful past.
Let's march on together. Every effort -- large or small -- helps. All of us are part of True Parents' heart. Don't let yourself be disappointed by suffering or hardships. We have a dream! We have a future. We have a vision. Present suffering will only bring us future happiness. Our Heavenly Father will not give us suffering forever.
Two hundred years ago God chose America to become the Canaan of the world. He blessed America, enabling her to become a great and powerful country. You and I are now living in this great country. Why are we sacrificing ourselves here? Only for the sake of God, and for the sake of this world.
God blessed America; He loves this land. His promise is to "stand beside her and guide her, though the night with the light from above." From east to west, from mountain to prairie, from brook to sea, and finally reaching beyond to every corner of the world, He will be with her, forever and ever. Those who love God will naturally love America.
Brothers and sisters, we must fulfill His will in this land. We should decide once again: Nothing can stop us; no one can prohibit us; no force can uproot our strong determination.
Let's have great faith, wonderful confidence, and beautiful conviction.
May God bless each of you, and may God bless this great land of America.