Mother of Heaven and Earth: My Mother

Yeon-ah Lee Moon
June 2011

Brothers and sisters, good morning! I am very happy and pleased to see our members again after so many months. I was just outside and saw that a charity bazaar is being held. I hope that everyone enjoys it. As you all already know, True Parents were victorious in concluding the Cosmic Assemblies for the Settlement of the True Parents of Heaven, Earth and Humankind and for the Proclamation of the Word by God's Substantial Self in Europe and the United States and are scheduled to return to Korea this afternoon along with the international president. I arrived a couple of days ago. It is a great honor for me, unworthy as I am, to stand before our members today.

Through the tour in Europe, I had the opportunity to attend True Parents at their side with Rev. Hyung Jin Moon. Being at their side I was able to see how much Jeong Seong True Parents offered in preparing for each event. Once True Father brought his speech and read it to us and said, "You two, do you know how many times I have read this speech? Yet, when I read it again I always discover something new in it." True Father offers Jeong Seong on a daily basis and regards the word as precious. I was repeatedly made to reflect on how much and with how much appreciation I have accepted that speech.

True Father did not even sleep at night and continued to push himself in a superhuman way. I have often thought that he travels between the spirit world and physical world and transcends time and space.

Through this opportunity I was able to reflect deeply about True Mother, who lives in attendance of Father. With the idea of being able to share a brief testimony about True Mother, though it will have its limitations, I have prepared my sermon under the theme, "Mother of Heaven and Earth, My Mother."

True Mother is introduced in True Father's autobiography. But I think it would be impossible to testify about True Mother's life in just the thirty minutes that I have. That is why I would like to limit my testimony to three themes. We have seen True Mother at events many times. I hope that by my sharing a number of anecdotes with you today, we can think about True Mother's internal life.

These are my three topics: I will talk about True Mother who attends True Father with utmost sincerity. I will talk about how much Mother loves the True Children, and I will talk about how much she loves our members.

One elderly lady member gave a testimony about a time when she was in her thirties. On seeing True Mother from a distance she had vaguely thought "I envy True Mother. I wish I were in her place." This member said that she thought about this over several years as she attended the church. Then one day she had a dream in which True Father was presiding over a large meeting. Father was speaking his words of grace to a room packed with women. The meeting came to an end and people began to leave one at a time. This member was also about to leave when she saw True Mother waving to her, beckoning her to come. Thinking that True Mother was calling her, she approached True Mother. True Mother grabbed her hand and told her, "I'm actually very lonely. I am going through a very difficult time." The member said that this dream served as a turning point for her in thinking about True Mother's course. She said that she realized that she should not perceive True Mother just externally but that she should consider what kind of course True Mother must have gone through internally.

I would like to first talk about how much True Mother loves and attends True Father. Let us read from page 441 of Cheon Seong Gyeong. "Suppose that God, who is omnipotent, all- knowing, and controls all of heaven and earth, were here. With His power, He could blow away Mt. Taebek and put a hole through the earth. Do you think you could survive watching such a God? So it is good that God is invisible. If He were visible, you would have a nervous breakdown and you could not survive for even an hour." If this is the case, how do you think True Mother feels as she attends True Father, who lives as God's vessel? When we take part in Hoon Dok Hae with True Parents, we are so exhausted throughout the day. Yet, True Mother has lived at True Father's side for more than fifty years while maintaining the standard of absolute faith, absolute love and absolute obedience.

True Mother was prepared by Heaven and came from a household that had been Christian for three generations. On that foundation of Jeong Seong, she was married to True Father at the young, lovely age of seventeen. In following the path of God's will, True Mother submitted completely to True Father's guidance. She cut all her ties with her relatives and thought only of True Father and God's providence. Thus, in the early years, Soon-ae Hong, Dae-mo nim, was prohibited from using the main door to True Parents' residence. In the early years of our church, after the Holy Wedding, True Mother had to go through a three-year indemnity course by living at a member's house away from True Father. After delivering a baby, she had to warm her frigid body in a cold room. This aspect of True Mother's history is mentioned in True Father's autobiography.

When True Parents are in their living room, I sometimes see True Mother clip True Father's nails as he lays in her lap when he is tired. In True Father's autobiography there is the part where Father says that although his toenails are his own, he can't see them very well.

Since the early years of our church, we have seen how much affection True Parents have for each other. We have also seen True Mother take the role of True Father's life-long hairdresser, taking it upon herself to dye and trim True Father's hair. Isn't that such a beautiful image?

Next, I have seen True Mother expressing deep love toward the True Children. In True Father's autobiography, he briefly explains that True Mother has given birth to fourteen children. "While it was difficult for her to raise fourteen children over the course of over forty years, she never complained.... Once a member wrote me about her [Mother's] difficult financial situation. There was concern over whether she was getting sufficient nutrition. Even then, my wife never complained about her difficulty."

The story of how the last four True Children were born within five years, and through cesarean section, is quite well known. In those days, if you gave birth to a child through cesarean section, you would have to have the same operation for any children you gave birth to after that. Under those circumstances, True Mother put her life on the line in order to give birth to enough children to match the providential number of children that should be born. In those later days, True Mother's doctor said that having any more babies was too dangerous. He was not a member and was not Korean. The physician said that Father was like a barbarian and strongly objected to True Father about Mother giving birth to more children. Yet, True Mother's strong resolve changed the physician's mind and thus she was able to complete her providential responsibility as True Mother, even at the risk of her life.

Even though Mother was very busy while she was overseas in other countries, she would take the time to buy postcards and write letters to each of the True Children. When it was one of the children's birthdays, True Mother would always remember to write a message of blessing in the card, bring it to Father and have him write the date and the child's name in Chinese characters on the envelope before sending it. When she was away, she would always remember to call the True Children and ask them how they were doing.

True Parents had to send off to the spirit world four of those dear children that Mother had given birth to. Three sons and one daughter have passed away. Even when they had to bear that cross, True Father made it clear that they could not blemish the Seunghwa with their tears. Thus, True Mother was in the position of never being able to fully express her tears, to disclose or show her innermost heart to others. Once when True Mother saw a photo of a child that had passed away hanging on the wall, she comforted the parent saying "When Heung Jin passed away, I packed away all his photos and personal belongings within a few days. You should do the same."

Our international president recalled, "I lost my beloved older brother Young Jin. I will never forget the day that True Mother called me and Kook Jin hyung to her room to inform us of Young Jin hyung's death, saying in a composed manner 'Young Jin is gone. You should brace yourselves to deal with this in your hearts.'"

Many of the True Children gathered for the recent Hoover Dam -- Las Vegas proclamation rally in the United States. I think it was the first time in recent years that so many of the children had been together. I remember how moved I was when I saw all of them in a small room discussing True Parents' wellbeing and how the church might attain healthy growth in the future. I sat in the back of the room by myself looking at each of the True Children and thinking what a blessed day had come. I was truly grateful that they could be with True Parents.

Finally, I would like to speak about how, while being at her side, I was able to see how much True Mother loves the members.

In Father's autobiography, he mentions that Mother remembered the name of each missionary for whom she was packing goods to send. Observing her at her side, I have found that she has not changed at all in that respect. Sometimes she calls over her daughters-in-law or leaders and asks, "Who is working hard these days?" She gives us something for the hardworking member and says, "Take care of that person." I have seen how she can be so considerate of others. When Father was in Danbury, she visited Father every day with the heart of entering the prison with True Father. During that time, she led the members in Hoon Dok reading and received reports and encouraged members. Many of the members in the United States even now testify that they were able to revive in their lives of faith because they saw True Mother offering Jeong Seong for True Father while he was in prison.

There were a lot of memorable incidents during the speaking tour. I will share one with you. We had been unable to prepare a proclamation event in Greece. When Father arrived and came to know about this, he instructed that an event should be prepared even though there were only two blessed families. Father gave instructions to organize a rally in just one day! Our members in Europe began preparations under those hectic circumstances.

Father was actually at a restaurant when he gave these instructions. We had already ordered food and it was being served but Father left without eating it, saying that eating was not important at this time. He then gathered the leaders and gave instructions. At that time, Father was very angry. True Mother absorbed the brunt of his providential wrath. Nobody was able to say anything to Father. Despite the circumstances, I saw True Mother embracing the church leaders and other members. After the event concluded successfully, Father explained that he had had to hold a rally in Greece, which was the origin of Greek religions. Father blessed Greece, saying that in the future, hundreds and thousands of people would join there. As I was reminded again, I believe that before Father gives a great blessing, he always gives trials and tests us in order to strengthen us.

Sometimes certain people that I know of would tell True Mother that she must provide them with a lot of material goods, saying that they were going to hold a joint prayer for True Father. Some elder members would say in a threatening voice that if Mother didn't provide this, they might die. I have seen Mother with such members, facing that kind of difficult situation, but unable to express anger or reject them. Though she is not seen, Mother takes care of members. She invited members to visit her who had been imprisoned in a Southeast Asian country due to religious persecution and listened to their stories. I have seen True Mother going to places, taking care of the members where Father had wished to give even more, being like a bridge, so that Father's love could travel farther distances and be expressed more fully.

In 1960, when she was seventeen years old, she married Father in their Holy Wedding. They were in the position of father and daughter. Since that time, Mother has upheld the purity of her faith. On April 10, 1992, through the Women's Federation for World Peace Inaugural Rally, Mother was elevated to the position of True Mother, at True Father's side. It was in 2003 that she was officially allowed to rise from the position of offering a full bow to True Father to one of receiving people's full bows alongside him. Throughout her life, and until she ultimately fulfills her providential responsibility, True Mother, who will be seventy next year, has shown us how she has trod this turbulent path and brought victory.

In the proclamation in 1999, True Father presented an award to True Mother that says, True Mother "fulfilled the mission of a true child in front of Heaven, the mission of a true wife in front of her husband and the mission of a true parent in front of her children."

Dear brothers and sisters, one thing is clear. True Mother's authority comes from True Father. True Mother retains the value of the restored Eve and has been victorious on the course of paying indemnity to resolve, and liberate people from, the bitter resentment that has been held by all women for six thousand years. Somebody who once attended Mother at Cheongpa-dong told me, "The True Mother that I have seen up close is someone who has endured and has been victorious over all kinds of sorrow and grief in her heart, and trials, tribulations and threats which all the women of the world have had to endure." On April 29, 2010, at the Coronation for the Establishment of the Abel UN and Golden Wedding Anniversary, True Parents held a Holy Wedding in the position of God's substantial self. Thus, True Mother is in the position of simultaneously being True Father's wife and God's wife.

If we truly love True Father, we should surely value and love True Mother, because according to Heaven's providential program, the two are one as the True Parents. True Mother is the mother of heaven and earth; she is also our mother -- my mother, who has enabled all of us to be reborn through the Holy Spirit. Since we are all True Mother's children, anything that pains her heart and hurts her would cause even greater pain in our hearts. We must love, value and respect our mother. We should not forget that True Mother is the mother of heaven and earth and at the same time our own mother from whom we were born.

I find that I must hold back tears when I reflect on a brief conversation I had with True Mother during the magnificent celebration of True Parents' Golden Wedding Anniversary. Having the opportunity to spend some time alone with Mother, I asked her, "Mother, there is something of a group of daughters-in-law to which I belong, but who do you talk to and find comfort from when you go through hard times, when your heart is in pain, and when you are in a situation where you cannot even share that with Father?" I watched as Mother began to cry, her tears flowing at hearing these words from such a young daughter-in-law. Seeing her crying like that was so much in contrast with the Mother we see at magnificent celebrations. I cried by myself after that incident.

Whenever True Father is lonely, angry or disappointed in us and in humanity, True Mother is always at his side. True Mother is the one who will steadfastly be at Father's side in the future and forevermore. To paraphrase from Father's autobiography, True Mother is "truly a kind and beautiful person. My wife and only True Mother, Hak Ja Han."