The Words of Sun Myung Moon from 1982
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The Words of Sun Myung Moon from 1982 |
This year is a new chapter in history, yet, as you know, time continues without any gaps. Like a compass on a boat, both contain 360 degrees. When the needle passes 360, it returns to zero and begins again in a continuous circle. An entire year is a heavenly compass, which has begun again with 1982; we are beginning a new circle.
At the outset of this new year of 1982, I wish you God's blessing on behalf of Mother and myself.
When God looks at His created world and the universe, do you think He is conscious of days, months, or the flow of time? Can you imagine God before He even created the universe, still at the genesis of the world? When someone wants to remember a certain time, he will mark either the beginning of that time or its consummation.
For example, God must remember the day He created the angels. I'm sure He is a very meticulous God, and He must keep a good diary. Every time He created a new living thing, He must have marked down that day. "I created a rabbit today," He might have noted, or "I created the grass and lilies today." Even a poisonous little insect would be recorded in God's diary, because He put the poison there in the first place. Either the good, noble things are worthy of remembrance, or the unpleasant things -- like the insect -- are memorable.
Which day, then, would be most memorable to God? Do you think God would desire to recall sad days as much as the happy days? For parents, the most joyful day is the birth of their son or daughter, and the most sorrowful day would be the day that child dies.
The day God's children were born must be the day that God remembers above all. Even though little children are clumsy and inadequate in every way to give real pleasure to God, still there must be some element that gives God the ability to unconditionally rejoice over everything that His children do. That element of joy is something noble, sacred, and not of this world. Only love has that substance.
God's children here on earth cannot imitate everything God can do, since God is not limited by flesh. God wants His son and daughter to reflect His image and be capable of doing all the things He can do. The children have this desire as well, but there is an intrinsic difference between God and men of flesh. There must be some way that man, who is spiritual and physical, can fulfill the things which God, who is totally spiritual, can do. We must have some kind of body which is similar to the body of God.
The day we receive "new birth," becoming persons with God-like bodies capable of following God anywhere, is the day we call our "death" here on earth. Does it seem, then, that we should welcome death? What is the purpose of dying? We die in order that we can fulfill our craving to experience all the love of God. In a way, physical death is discarding our clumsy physical bodies, these vehicles we have used on earth. God enjoys total freedom in the universe; so when He sees His children on earth suffering so much, He can hardly rejoice in it. In God's scheme of creation, "death" is another birth for man. We can achieve liberation from the shackles of our physical bodies and enjoy the kind of freedom God enjoys.
Some of you might think my subject tonight is very deep and profound -- perhaps even weird -- and you may wonder why I choose to talk about death on New Year's Day. But I have good reason to do so. To become men and women of true happiness here on earth, we need to have conquered the fear of death.
Once we are given total freedom, we can exercise dominion over the entire universe without any restrictions. Everybody is interested in total freedom, total joy, total love; but in order to achieve those things, we must do something before we die. Death in itself would not bring us freedom and joy; we have to obey God's commandments while we are here on earth. Are you ready to obey God and His commandments to the letter, every iota?
The first law of God is derived from the dual nature of man -- that of spirit and flesh, or mind and body. Mind is subject and body is object. The body must obey the mind; that is the principle.
Man is designed by God to live three distinct lives: the first is the gestation period within the mother's womb. It is natural for the baby to want to stay inside. When the mother gives the final push, reluctantly the baby comes out into the world and starts to cry. In a way, the process of birth is equivalent to the process of death. It's fearful, unknown.
The transition from this world to the next is exactly the same sort of transition. Thinking that this is our only life, we cling to our little planet. As a natural consummation of our life, however, all men and women should reach the same level of freedom which our Father in heaven enjoys -- the freedom of having a spirit body.
The creation is designed so that parents and children can enjoy life together. The baby comes out of the mother's womb so he can talk and play with his daddy and mommy, and they become a family. By the same token, we are given another birth so we can join our eternal Father, God, and live with Him forever in the same realm. This has been the plan from the very beginning of creation.
Our life here on earth is like being inside the womb: we need proper nutrition; we need to be healthy; we need to live according to certain principles and rules set by God. Consider a humble insect: first it is an egg, then a caterpillar, then a butterfly. Haven't you ever wondered why you can't fly, when even tiny insects can? Even the seeds of the dandelion have a little parachute that enables them to fly. We are supposed to be the supreme creatures of God, but we cannot fly! Each of you must have at some time felt like protesting to God, "Why do I always have to walk everywhere? Why didn't You make me capable of flying?" God's answer is very simple, "You will fly; all you have to do is wait a little while, and you will fly better than any other creatures. But while you are on the earth, you must use your time wisely. You are in the workshop of life, where you have to practice My rules."
Have you heard a cicada singing on a summer evening? For a while, it lives encased in a shell and surrounded by liquid. As long as it refuses to break out of this cocoon, it cannot experience its wonderful destiny of flying from tree to tree. In a somewhat similar way, we are encased in a shell of flesh here on this earth, but destined for a wonderful future. So there is no more death.
Up until now we may have lived with a certain fear of death. But from now on, we can be free of that fear and understand what death really is.
The person who treasures only external things cannot ever achieve internal values. I would like you to be masters of the art of living. Internal effort will bring you into God's kingdom, but external effort alone will drive you into a hellish place. So the person who gains dominion over both the internal and external world can travel into hell and heaven, without limitation, along any path he wishes.
I wanted to become a man of total freedom, going in or out of any door from the internal world to the external; that is what God desires for all His children. God can travel freely into hell, without needing any visa; He doesn't have to present papers when He goes through the gates of heaven either.
Would you welcome me if I came to your home? What kind of gift would you like me to bring to you? You would prefer a gift of true value, incorruptible, everlasting. What you really want is true love, isn't it? There is no weight to true love, but still it is so heavy that no one can lift it. It is so deep that once it is entrenched, nothing can remove it. You cannot see the shape of true love. When I bring the gift of true love, every door is automatically wide open. This is true for people of every race. Once you have gained that true love, then the eternal world of spirit shall be opened to you, and you will be able to go anywhere in total freedom. If you continue to practice our way of life, then that sphere of freedom in the spirit world will be opened up to you.
Therefore, all of us can look forward to the time when we have our second birth into the spirit world; there will be no more sorrow or pain there. But we must prepare ourselves here and now so that we can be qualified to inherit it. The Unification Church is the instrument of God to give men and women the passport to such a kingdom; this is where we will claim the right to freedom on earth a, well as hereafter. We do this through our connection of love, developed through the family unit.
The ultimate goal and the most memorable day for God will be the day when His sons and daughters can be born into total life. Throughout history, God has wanted to tell people this one message: that we should have no fear of death, for once we go beyond it, we will receive eternity. The Unification Church was born to practice this teaching of God and consummate it. Our practice ground is Home Church.
The topic of this New Year's message is the Victory of Home Church. Our goal is the attainment of true love; to do so, we can break through any obstacles, because we have penetrating power. Because of the Fall of Man, incredible obstacles block our way. For example, all the things of the material world become formidable obstacles before us; also the world of Satan presents another obstacle. Satan is surrounding us, trying to isolate us and attack us on every level -- family, tribal and national.
In the secular world, people try to promote themselves with boastfulness; but in the Unification Church, we teach the value of humility and meekness, and we try to make ourselves small. Our philosophy or ideology in the Unification Church is the highest understanding. Do you want to be elevated above the level of the world and then remain there? Or, having once tasted the highest place, would you go down to taste the lowest place? With the latter goal in mind, I am not teaching you to go to only the clean places of the world. rather, I am pushing you out into the dirtiest places, to confront criminals, prostitutes and the dregs of human corruption.
Would you like to become the victors of Home Church? Do you go to your area to be served by the people there? Perhaps you visit only the clean, good places, where you expect people to come and bow down to you. In that kind of situation, true love does not exist.
When a woman does the work of a man, or a man does the work of a woman -- in other words, when a person learns to do the opposite of what is usual -- he or she becomes free to do anything. For example, when you mingle with great men of letters, you can learn to write good poetry, like they do. You may not be the greatest artist, sculptor or singer, but if you sing with true love, yours is the best music. The painting which is done with true love is the best painting.
From this year on, will you be different? Will you go to Home Church and serve the people there? Clean their bathrooms? Clean their garages? Forgive them? You may think you are doing a favor to the people in your Home Church by the work you are doing, but the one receiving the favor is you. It is not they who will be perfected by the work you are doing, but you. And your Home Church diploma must be signed by the people in your area. For whom are you doing Home Church? You are not doing the Home Church providence for Reverend Moon or the Unification Church -- you are doing it for yourself.
When your body tells you it doesn't want to go to Home Church, you should kick it. No one but you will do it.
The last time I went to Korea, I began a revolution among our elder members. The 36 couples, 72 couples, 124 couples and 430 couples were told to leave their positions and go out to do Home Church. They are all doing it now.
In order to be victorious in Home Church, you must go to the suffering people and make them feel happy -- that is your Home Church work. If you do this kind of work, then you don't have to make efforts to elevate yourself; the people will try to push you into a high and beautiful place, even though you resist and insist on remaining in the low place.
I want you to understand that each person is walking his own unique course of indemnity. One person may be able to finish his road of indemnity in one year, another person may take two, still another three years. Some people may need seven years. Why? It is not because of your lack of effort, but because of the debts which have accumulated in your family tree.
The world as a whole is guided by the attitude of first caring for one's self; people want to live for themselves and their spouse only, concentrating on their own happiness, with no regard for anything larger. We are taking exactly the opposite route. Why? Because when a person enters the spirit world, he cannot relate just to his spouse, but to everybody there. He meets all his ancestors and Jesus as well. Those who devoted themselves to loving everyone -- including their enemies -- at the sacrifice of even their own families, will be welcomed by Jesus.
Our goal is to enjoy total freedom, like the singing cicadas that jump and fly from tree to tree. Indemnity is a necessity right now, but it will not remain with us for eternity. True love, however, will be our eternal blessing. True love originates from God and True Parents; so the children naturally desire to resemble their parents. You, as the true children, should resemble the True Parents, carrying out their desires willingly and happily.
The Unification Church is the church of the Completed Testament or perfection era, in which you consider all people your relatives. Old men are like your grandfathers, old women your grandmothers. The way of restoration is to expand your family out into the entire world, thus creating the heavenly kingdom anywhere.
The Unification Church is practicing this impossible, peculiar way of life because we are living not for this world, but according to the standards of the next world. That is our distinction.
It is not an easy task to become True Parents; neither is it easy to become true children. One must be able to do incredible things in order to be a true parent to all people.
I have tasted true poverty, experiencing the way people eat their meager food with their hands, even just after having gone to the bathroom. When such people tried to serve me some of their humble food with dirty hands, do you suppose I chastised them and told them to wash their hands? Of course not! I welcomed their offering and ate it as though it were honey.
For the sake of love, there is nothing you cannot do. When you encounter something you dislike, you must think, "These are things I must conquer in order to reach true love." God does not dwell in some high, pure place on a throne, far beyond man's reach; He has the heart of a parent, trying to love people in the dirtiest, smelliest, most corrupt places. For that reason I am pushing you to go to the dirty places, for down there you will discover the shortcut to reach God.
Why should we live such a life? Because our job is to subjugate Satan, not by force, but in a way which will make Satan voluntarily surrender. Who are the true saints? Not those who are honored by the rich and comfortable of the world, but rather those who are revered by the poor and suffering. He who is considered a saint by the miserable people is a saint indeed.
Although we have talked about many things today, we end up at one main point: Home Church. Why do we need Home Church? Jesus needed to restore the Abel family of Zechariah and the Cain family of Joseph, uniting them into one. Because that was left undone, we in our time must go to the Home Church mission and restore those positions.
Home Church is not easy, but beyond it lies the clan church, the tribe church and the world church, which are even more difficult. No one individual is capable of fulfilling all these levels; therefore, True Parents came to earth and accomplished them for you and your posterity. Home Church is the microcosm of the world church -- a miniature world in which you can inherit my entire foundation. By setting a condition on the Home Church level, you win the right to do what even Jesus could not do, and you will indemnify his position.
If you want to become a true person, your words and actions must become one. A good teacher is the one who lives his own teachings; a true saint is the one who first cares for others, even those who like him least. Thus we can define the good God as the God who sacrifices Himself for the sake of others.
How then are Cain and Abel determined in the sight of God? Those who want to sacrifice more and suffer more in order to serve others are Abel; those who want to suffer less and still receive the greatest benefit are always Cain.
Why do I live this way? Because such is the role of Abel; no one can claim to have made greater sacrifices than I have. No matter what, however, nobody can outdo God, suffer more than He has, or weep more tears than He. Eventually, every man must bow down to God, recognizing God as superior.
Cain and Abel must unite with each other, and then with their mother, who will bring them to their father. In the Unification Church, True Mother, for instance, is able to embrace both the True Children and the Cain children. But she gives more love to the Cain children, desiring that Cain love Abel more than she does. Under such a mother, there is no way Cain and Abel can separate. Then the mother's role is to bring the couples formed by her Abel-type children and also her Cain-type children to the father and ultimately to God. For this reason, you should have spiritual children in order to be blessed.
You must become a tribal messiah in your Home Church in order to save your family, for the tribe is the strength of the family. When your Home Church is protected by the tribe and nation, nothing will be able to invade your home and family. When you can willingly drink the cup of persecution in your Home Church, trying to win over the people, no power can invade.
The Home Church providence started as a major crusade in 1979. That year our motto was "Home Church Is the Completion of the Kingdom of Heaven." The next year our motto was "Home Church Is the Base of the Kingdom of Heaven." In 1981 our motto was "Home Church Is My Kingdom of Heaven." After three consecutive years, this year's slogan is "The Victory of Home Church." If you have been working diligently in Home Church for the past three years, this is the year when you can finish and graduate. Then you can joyfully participate in the Blessing and live in your Home Church.
You cannot win the victory without committing yourself to fight the battle. You have learned the tactics for gaining the victory: to go out, be beaten, and then win. Satan's method is always to attack you, but ultimately, he will lose. Heaven's strategy is to be beaten, but in the end obtain the goal. In your area, if you can move the hearts of your five worst adversaries, the rest of the people will be easily won over.
Home Church is a far more precious gift from God than the position of head of state or royalty. Once your Home Church people welcome you wholeheartedly, the entire spirit world will welcome you. Even though I may be letting you endure suffering at this time, my ultimate plan is to take everyone of you with me, arm in arm, to the Kingdom of Heaven. At that time, you will be a true victor.
When you declare your victory, following my footsteps, and ask God to accept you, God will say, "Amen." In that case, every place will be your dwelling place; every possession of God and True Parents shall be yours. There will be no separation between God, True Parents and yourself. When you go to the spirit world, you will encounter the martyrs whose suffering on earth was much greater than yours. What will qualify you to go to the Kingdom of Heaven before them? Your one qualification is that you met the True Parents, obeyed them and served them in your lifetime -- in the realm of Home Church.
Spirit men do not have Home Church, but you do. Such an incredible blessing is hard to believe.
I want you to understand that in order for the providence to advance this far, so many people have suffered and died. When you enter the spirit world, you shall be able to comfort all those spirit men -- not because you suffered more, but because you served and obeyed True Parents.
Everything depends upon how much you serve and set the indemnity conditions; in accordance with those conditions, blessings will descend upon you. All your ancestors -- and those of the residents of your neighborhood -- will come down to your Home Church area. When your effort exceeds the level of effort made by any previous person, Satan will pack up and retreat from your area. You will see those who were adamantly opposed to you miraculously change, from one day to the next. Those who continue to give you a hard time will receive instant judgment from spirit world and then change. During my lifetime I have seen so many instances of this, and the same thing will happen in your Home Church area.
Until you have finished Home Church, you have no way to complain; you should not get tired. Knowing the Principle, I have no way to get discouraged or slow down. I have always known that I must go over the hill, and I cannot stop marching before I pass the crest.
You must overcome your fear of death, becoming men and women who can live without that fear, dwelling within the love of God. Unless you live this way, life is miserable. It is your good fortune to have met me and to have heard this message. More than anything else, Home Church is top priority. For the sake of yourself, your children, and your posterity, you must go to Home Church and be victorious.