Reflections On My Holy Land Experience

Ye Jin Moon
August 2009

For me, and for my daughter Shinhwa, this forty-second MEPI was our first time visiting the Holy Land. It afforded us a special opportunity to reflect deeply on what it means to be a part of the True Parents' foundation, which is also the extension of all the providential histories since Adam and Eve.

When we visited the Garden of Gethsemane holy ground, I was overwhelmed with emotion and a sense of repentant regret that Heavenly Parent's principled ideal of true love is still not yet manifest among all people of the world, God's collective human family. I contemplated how God's maternal heart is still in utter torment over the loss of Her children, as any true mother cannot be happy with just a few of her children, but only when she can embrace all of her children to her bosom.

At the Wailing Wall, we reflected on the divided reality between the Arab and Jewish peoples, who have a historically tense relationship, yet share the same parents, Abraham with Sarah or Hagar. We were also struck by the separate men's and women's entrances to the Wall, which forcefully reminded us of the still divided human reality between men and women ever since the Fall. We prayed that instead of separation by gender or religion, the day would soon dawn where men and women, brothers and sisters, can all weep with joy as Heavenly Mother reclaims and embraces all Her children in their equal original human value.

On the Temple Mount, as we welcomed not only Moses but also his beloved Zipporah to the Holy Land, we paused to ponder all the providential women before and after Zipporah who strove to succeed in their courses, but whose lives were eclipsed by the male narratives recorded in providential history. The obscuring of these women's struggles and contributions has had the effect of obscuring Heavenly Mother's hope and investment through women. As a mother, I wondered what kind of legacy I in the second generation would bequeath to my daughter, the third generation. Then I paused to ask myself, "What have I been able to inherit from my Mother, the first generation, who was the first to represent the ideal of womanhood alongside Father?"

In sum, my daughter and I agreed that the purpose of this pilgrimage was not only to initiate the conditional liberation of past providential figures but also to liberate our own womanly hearts. The experience better positioned us to be equal contributors in human endeavors to liberate our Heavenly Parent -- the one, unified harmonious being who is both Heavenly Father and Heavenly Mother. As my daughter and I embraced in joy, and understanding the invaluable knowledge gained through the pilgrimage experience, we were truly grateful for our Heavenly Parent's investment in us, opening us to His/ Her true and loving heart. With that thought, we wept at the Wailing Wall, not only in sad lamentation of loss, but also in joy and hope for a better tomorrow.