The Words of Sun Myung Moon from 1977
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The Words of Sun Myung Moon from 1977 |
Click here for Mother's Testimony
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 some day. 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 for the heavenly bride." But through the Divine Principle we can see that also one physical person will culminate that prophecy, and that is Mother.
Knowing the Divine Principle, I am sure that you can understand that when God sent His son in the position of True Parent that the Messiah is truly the bridegroom of mankind. The Messiah is in a position of bridegroom to all. Therefore, God wanted to have him adored by more people than anyone else in history. God must set that record, and for that reason this kind of phenomenon was seen. 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 to church members, as the heavenly bride. You can imagine the shock wave that went through our church.
There were many families who believed that the heavenly bride might come out of their own home because of the revelations they had received. Not only one family but many firmly believed that. Think what a shocking event it was to those families to have Mother chosen. There were also many spiritual old ladies who were like prophetesses. I had listened to them as instruments of heavenly revelation on many occasions, and they had participated in many dispensational roles. Therefore they felt a certain pride and authority, and felt that they were the ones who would decide the bride of heaven. But all of a sudden, without consulting them I chose Mother.
So many young women who were fully qualified from a worldly point of view were sure that they were the one who would be hand-picked. They were beautiful, had graduated from universities and had all kinds of social education and a good home background. They thought, "The Messiah must come to me. Someone like me shall become his bride."
Furthermore, in 1960 I was 40, a most significant providential age. In their own thinking the people concluded that the heavenly bride should be somewhere around 35, maybe 34 or 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.
In addition, they knew that the role of heavenly bride would be a role of tremendous leadership. How could any young woman, a teenager or someone in her twenties, fulfill that position? How could she exercise the leadership that would be needed in Mother's role? It would be impossible. Thinking of Mother's role in the church, they thought the candidate should be mature, some where between 30 and 40. Again, it was a very logical conclusion.
Since their hopes were so great and their expectations so high, when those hopes and expectations were betrayed their reaction was equally deep. Their disappointment and disenchantment were great. This is the first time I have spoken of this.
Knowing about this impossible, 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 see her own 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 being the mother of an empress. But I just 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 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. I was already victorious in all the dispensational levels, from the individual to the universal level; Satan had no right to accuse me. However, Mother was at the beginning, so the first seven years were Mother's training session, Mother's seven-year fishing expedition. The first three years were for her to struggle for her own victory as an individual woman, to be victorious in the sight of God by winning over Satan. The next four years were for the whole family to go through that incredible testing period. Mother started out at the bottom, moving toward perfection.
During those years, all kinds of things were said, even that Mother was a failure, and that I was going to handpick a new bride. You can imagine how heartbreaking that kind of rumor was to Mother. Furthermore, when it came out that our birthdays were the same day, some people accused her saying, "She is just creating a false birthday to make the days the same." It was all Satan's doing. Under those circumstances Mother had to be silent, persevere, and win.
As the days and years passed, what happened? Since Mother continually persevered, since she was patient and silent and maintained her faith in me, eventually the whole environment of accusation was reversed into respect and admiration. By then everyone was nodding and saying, "She really deserves to be the Mother of the universe. She really is Mother."
Because the reason for all of this was to restore the center of love, you can imagine how extreme the passions became. Heavenly love and heavenly jealousy were all involved. It was a fierce battle in a way. I came to conquer love and restore love for God, to conquer the heart, and restore the heart. Therefore I had to pay indemnity for love, be victorious over love, and restore all love for heaven. That was truly a cross of love, the most extraordinary cross of all.
At the time we never even discussed these situations. I never said to Mother, "You must understand this, persevere and win because I am doing this on purpose." If I had explained and comforted her that way, then even though she had won, it would not have been valuable. Mother had to figure it out herself, persevere in her own understanding, in her own right. I have been explaining this in depth, revealing it today to you as I never have even to Mother; this is the first time in my life that I have explained it in such depth.
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 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.
The restoration path is that difficult, that extraordinary. You don't know anything about it. Your heart will decide everything; your heart is the decisive matter. It is the same in my own dispensation. When my own heart is set right then everything can succeed, prosper, and expand. By the same token, when your heart is set in the right position in relation to the True Parents and God, then everything will start to work out around you. Until your heart is settled, however, nothing will happen.
As you can see, Mother and Grandmother were both chosen for a glorious responsibility and position, but they started out their journey at the lowest level. This is your lesson. The blessing of the glorious heavenly throne is not given from the highest, most glorious position. That blessing must be won at the lowest level of human misery. Then it will endure eternally and will embrace all humankind. Blessings never come in high places; blessings come to you in the lowest places.
The other Sunday I clearly explained that the Messiah's role started down in the dungeon. I applied that principle to Mother, and that same principle shall be applied to my own children. Therefore it cannot be changed for you. That is why I push you. Can you complain? Suppose that in those days of hardship Mother had complained against me and given up, thrown up her hands and said, "Father, no matter what you are, I don't care." Then she could not be a Mother to you all. In your case, too, if I place you in a certain position and you start to complain, then you lose your position entirely. When you become self-centered and begin to complain, then you begin to lose.
Selflessness is the key.