Grandmother Soon Ae Hong

Sun Myung Moon
May 3, 1977
East Garden

Father's calligraphy for Grandmother Soon Ae Hong, at her Sunghwa ceremony reads, "Loyalty of Mind, Dedication of Body."

Before the Heavenly Wedding in 1960, for more than 15 years I was alone, single-minded for the mission. Yet everyone who knew the Divine Principle knew that I would marry someday. That was apparent to everyone and each woman received in her own way a revelation that she could be a candidate to be the bride of heaven. God revealed this to them because in a certain respect everyone takes the bride's role to the Messiah. Therefore God can certainly say to anyone, "You shall be a candidate as the heavenly bride." But through the Divine Principle we can see that only one physical person will culminate that prophecy, and that is Mother.

This was the background of the Heavenly Wedding, and then all of a sudden I chose Mother, who was in Chunchon at that time and who was relatively unknown, as the heavenly bride. You can imagine the shock wave that went through our church. In 1960 I was 40, a most significant providential age. In their own thinking many members concluded that the heavenly bride should be somewhere around 35, maybe 34, or even 30. As a result the people in that age group thought that they were the most blessed age group and that one of them would be chosen.

Since their hopes were so great and their expectations so high, when those hopes and expectations were denied their reaction was equally as deep. Their disappointments and disenchantments were great. This is the first time I have spoken of this.

Realizing this impossible and tense background, as soon as the Holy Wedding was conducted in 1960, I asked Mother's mother to confine herself; she was not to come to see her daughter too often, or if she did she should come secretly through the back door. That put Mother's mother in such a miserable, cast-out position that nobody envied her role. Everyone had thought that becoming Mother's mother would be glorious, like becoming an empress' mother. But I silenced all those expectations and pushed her into a sacrificial role, not even letting her come to see her daughter freely.

Furthermore, in the first year I treated Mother almost like a servant instead of my wife. We were bride and bridegroom but that honeymoon period was nothing but an ordeal on Mother's part. She started out as a servant because I wanted her to start out from the very bottom.

The important internal meaning behind my actions in that period was as a test of faith for Grandmother and Mother. No matter what the circumstances, they should not complain or rebel against me. They had to accept and persevere. That was the real goal, what I really wanted. And they met that expectation.

It was the Cain and Abel situation all over again. In order to understand Cain's position you have to suffer for the sake of Cain or you have no way to become Abel. Grandmother and Mother were in the Abel position to all other people, but they had to be in a position to embrace all those who are despondent.

Through their victorious demonstration of faith, their untiring devotion and absolute dedication to me, Mother and Grandmother Hong were victorious. Therefore, after achieving this condition of universal victory, I have now decided to give Grandmother Hong glory as the mother of Mother. In her own lifetime she must receive the respect, admiration, and glory that are due her. If she died without receiving that glory, it would affect the coming generation of children. It is according to the Principle point of view that I am now treating her differently.