This is excerpt from the Sunday Morning Sermon given at Belvedere on July 23, 1995. The interpreter was Mr. Peter Kim.

Whether you will become successful or unsuccessful as a human being, should be determined before the age of forty. After the age of forty is already too late to try. That means the age ten to twenty, the boyhood period, is critical. As you know, our ancestors Adam and Eve made their mistake during the teenage years. If they had reached beyond the age of twenty they would not have fallen. Throughout the entire human history nobody ever knew that without the Fall, Adam and Eve would have established an ideal family. The ideal family would have been the cornerstone to establish the ideal nation which would expand to the ideal world. Eventually we would have had an ideal world without any problem. But because of the Fall this never came to be. That is why Father has established the idea of Ideal Family Ideology which we are working on now to spread throughout the entire world. This is the ideology that all people should follow.

Do you think that God would prefer young people or old people? (Young people) How old is God anyway? Don't you feel it is a little bit unreasonable that the oldest figure, who is God, prefers young people rather than old people. How can we eliminate the gap between the aged God and young people today? With money power? (No) What about knowledge or power? (No) What does it take? (True Love) That's true. The power of True Love can cause anybody to revert back to the time when you were young. No matter how old you may be. Father himself will reach the age of eighty very soon. However, remembering the times of his youth, he dissolves into tears easily. Because of the power of love. Particularly remembering our parents we easily cry. The power of love is the only power that can cause you to travel back to your youth and remember the love of your parents and cry.

Those of you who have international marriages raise your hands. Father sees many of you. Who was the cause for you to have international marriage? (Father) Wrong answer. God was. (Laughter) Of course you say True Parents, but even for True Parents the origin is God. Therefore our response must be God. Does a Japanese woman for example, have the desire for an international marriage from birth? If you go out sometimes you see clouds floating in the sky and if we were to ask them where they came from, the answer could be from the Pacific or Atlantic oceans, or the result of evaporation from a natural spring around one village. If you are American do you have the right to demand an American spouse? (No) When the clouds form, they don't care where the source of the water comes, they just naturally mingle together and form clouds. This same principle applies to our lives.

In order to live we need to breath. But do you think that the air we breath here in America is purely American air? Don't you think that it might be mixed with air from Africa or Japan? It follows natural laws. If high pressure appears on the north pole and low pressure appears in the south pole, then the high pressure will go down and fill up the pressure in the south pole. By natural law it just flows. Does the water in the Hudson River belong solely to America? We have to admit that the water in the Hudson has not come about only by clouds formed in America but rather by clouds also from the Pacific ocean that rained here. Therefore we cannot say that Hudson River water belongs solely to America. If we bring a baby sparrow from Korea and raise it here. Would that sparrow be persecuted by other sparrows or would it find a spouse here in America? Would it be discriminated against here? (No)

Who decided the boundary of America? Does the world of sparrows require a visa in order to come to America?(No) What about the winds we encounter in Spring, Autumn, Summer and Winter, do they need visas in order to come to America and blow? (Laughter) Also there are ants that live on the border line between America and other countries. Do they require a visa to pass back and forth several times a day? (No) What about the flies, that we hate, (Laughter) they fly back and forth across the borderline many times. Do they require a visa from the United States Immigration? (NO) How about human beings? If we all have the same common ancestors, why today do we have the problem of so many languages? (Satan) Well, have you seen Satan? Suppose that Satan is visible to everybody, do you think he would have been able to create such an evil world? (No) By the same token, if we can visually see God, do you think that there would be evil people existing in the world? (No) Do you want to see God? (Yes) Do you really want to see God? (YES) When do you want to see Him, when you are young or when you reach to eighty or ninety years old? (Young) Young. Suppose you are infants, if God is right in front of you do you think that you would recognize Him? At what age do you want to see Him? What makes you desirous of seeing God? Because God is the best. What do we mean by the best? It is because your life line stems from God and your source of love is God.

You may have experienced that when you have a small baby, that the baby will easily fall asleep in its mother's arms. But then father may feel jealous and take the baby and try to imitate mother and the baby usually wakes up and cries. Because the baby has to feel comfortable. When it comes to the give and take relationship between baby and parents, particularly at the infant stage, over ninety eight per cent is inherited from the mother's nature and physical body. In other words the baby is an extension of its mother. Who do you think loves the baby more; its mother or father? (Mother) What about father? The children's father represents the bone structure of the children, whereas mother represents their flesh. Combined together they form children. Do you feel better when you touch flesh or when you touch just bone? (Flesh) It makes you feel more soft and comfortable. Mother is in the position of flesh and so the baby naturally feels more comfortable with its mother. In that sense who is more important, man or woman? (Woman) (Laughter) Well no matter how abundant in flesh you are, if there is no bone then the flesh will simply collapse into nothing. Even after knowing that, do you still feel that woman is more important? Especially American woman? Woman number one! If you feel that woman is more important then you have an incorrect concept.

Suppose there is a beautiful woman model, what makes her beauty most enhanced, the bone structure or the skin itself. (Bone) That's correct. No way to escape from that. Man provides the seed of life. As for women, your bosoms and hips exists for the sake of your babies. Your beautiful face and your love organ exist for the sake of man. Is that true? (Yes) In other words there is nothing that belongs to you. Because the objects of your love are your husband and your children, nobody else. Therefore, in order for woman to mingle and be in harmony with the law of nature, she must love her husband and her children. That is the key. When we look at women, particularly here in America, do they want to have children because of their love? It becomes less and less right? Those women who do not have the desire to have children, do you think that desire is the result of natural law or some misconception? (Something wrong) Yes, something wrong and something bad.

In the case of men, they usually have broader shoulders. Do they exist for their own sakes? No. They exist for the sake of women. When you get lost at the airport you simply follow the sign. The wide shoulder sign is for the men's bathroom the wider bottom shape is for women. (Father draws on the board) (Laughter) This way when we put them together the wider angles meet with each other. During rush hour, in the busy commuter buses when big hipped women sit together it creates an imbalance. When the bus moves quickly they all fall to one side.(Laughter) However, if in between them is a man with broader shoulders and narrow hips then they can sit together and create stability. (Laughter) Therefore the conclusion is that man is born for the sake of woman and woman is born for the sake of man. Who is the center? Throughout the history the philosophers and thinkers have been arguing is spirit or matter first? It all stems from this relationship.

Who is the subject, man or woman? I ask American women this question. You have to be steady. Because of misunderstanding concerning this, society here in America is all confused now. You have to make a plan always with your husband together. You should not draw up a plan by yourself and give it to your husband as the plan he should follow. That kind of woman is an American woman. That is the wrong attitude. When your children watch what you do to your husband, without knowing, your children will come to resemble you. When girls get married they follow their husbands, not their mothers. That is where the family level separation begins. However, people in general in this society do not realize that. Without knowing this reality, American people live their lives giving this bad influence to their children. The branches and the leaves must belong to the major trunk and root. But the small branches and leaves try to act as if they were the trunk and root. That is the wrong way. If the leaves and branches of a tree attempt to subjugate the entire tree do you imagine that tree would survive. It would eventually die. That is natural.

When we say that we need love, does it mean only young people? Do old people need love also? (Everybody) Who needs more, young people or old people? (Young people) What about God? Does God need love? (Yes) But if we say young people need love more then as Father explained in the beginning, if God is the oldest figure, then how come He needs love? There is a beautiful young lady here, does she want a handsome old husband or a young ugly looking husband? (Young and ugly) (Father laughs) Well, even if a man is old and very handsome, but he might not be able to function as a man. (Laughter) In that case everybody will go with the young one even though he is ugly. (Laughter) If young people know and enjoy love more than God it means that God would have to follow behind them. Is that logical? (No) Then what should be the answer? In any tree there is a main trunk and branches shooting off and on the top is a bud. (Father draws on the board) But as long as this tree continues to grow you will always be able to see the new bud on the top of the main trunk. Now put yourself in the position of this root here, do you think you would like one of these branches or the bud on top of the main trunk? (The bud) God is the center. The center is only one. It cannot be two. You can have thousands of different branches, but the center is only one. By the same token, when we look at any individual branch, we see the main branch and the bud on the tip of the branch.

Here we can formulate the vertical and horizontal concept.The branches and twigs are in the position of horizontal concept and the main trunk in the position of the vertical concept. The deeper the roots, the taller the tree. There are many different sizes of trees, even here at Belvedere estate, and the birds prefer to sit on the tallest branches of the tallest trees. That is the position from which they can look around and see everything. Suppose this entire tree represents humanity, but the root represents God and the first branch which formed the trunk, were Adam and Eve. Do you think that Adam and Eve would receive the equal love from God as the bud on top of this tree or less love? The tree was small then. Equal love. Father has thirteen children, do you suppose that he loves one particular child more than the rest? No. Parental love is equal. In other words, love from the center is balanced equal love. It is not one-sided love. It is well balanced love to all of the branches; all of the children.

Reverend Moon's teaching is that it does not matter whether you are from the north pole or the south pole, whether you are Occidental or Oriental, all have to be loved equally and blend together. That is why Father has been practicing international and inter-racial marriages. Through these marriages love travels everywhere. Father plans to bless 360,000 couples this year. How many heads is that? (720,000) Wow! Even if we want to pronounce the number itself we have to struggle a little: 720,000.

When even one couple marry in the world they face many difficulties. But Father is talking about 720,000 people. Is that an easy or difficult task? (Difficult) This is a reality, not a concept. Is this 360,000 couples blessing a story or a reality? (Reality) Once it takes place as a reality, don't you think that it will become a world wide sensation? Those who have experience of marriage, don't you think they will be curious to find out more about it? (Yes) They know what kind of marriage life is available in the world, and if they are serious enough they will reflect upon these 360,000 couples who are participating in this Blessing ceremony. It means that these couples are really serious about their married life. Will they successfully live together as married couples, or are they participating in some kind of show here? Don't you think that people will pay attention to this? If this 360,000 couples become successful in their marriage life without divorce, then those who know them will all pay attention to them and eventually want to participate in such a ceremony themselves. Even opposing people will eventually follow.

Strictly speaking, do you believe that there exists a solid family system in the world today? No. They are all broken. Is their any society where man and woman, without any fear or hesitation can stay together in the same room without fear? No. The reality is that man and woman need each other absolutely. Then what shall they do? Why did God create men and women with concave and convex parts? Because they were made for each other. What belongs to woman is for the sake of man, and what belongs to man is for the sake of woman. If you want absolute love then you have to absolutely combine into one so you never separate. That is the content of love. The world out there is doomed to perish. If it doesn't perish by itself, then we must destroy it. That is what Reverend Moon is teaching.

Suppose after 360,000 couples blessing this year, Father's next target is 3.6 million couples. Would you like that? (Yes) If indeed this 3.6 million couples blessing really takes place, which would be more attractive to the people of the world; the Olympics or the Blessing? (Blessing) When the American astronauts first landed on the moon virtually the entire humanity watched that event. When 3.6 million couples are blessed by Father, it will be more exciting and sensational that even that event? (Applause) If when this 3.6 million couples blessing takes place and Father declares this to be the blessing for the entire humanity and an extremely rare opportunity for everyone. Therefore, each village should invite at least one couple and offer a large celebration in each village. Do you think that every village would accept this proposal or refuse it? (Welcome it) If indeed they welcome it, what do you think will happen to this world? [Father makes a big kind of noise here] This is what would happen. (Laughter) The entire world would do that. This is not so far away now.

It is becoming a reality. Father is giving you an example here. Even for this 360,000 couples blessing in the country of Taiwan, one government official in charge of ethics and morality, mobilized hundreds of different organizations in order to promote Reverend Moon's Holy Blessing event. This particular minister has sent his own personal letter many times and held press conferences promoting Father's Holy Wedding concept, and is now soliciting participants from throughout the country. The numbers have now reached way over 10,000 couples already. We didn't do anything. They did it all. Every day hundreds more are joining. This is a reality. (Laughter) (Applause)

If each country has approximately thirty or forty million people, we aim for 3.6 million couples in each country, if there are even ten countries like that then we can even go up to 36 million couples. Why not? That is truly reality. Not a concept. Reverend Moon is no fool. Do you think that he is capable of grabbing the entire world in his hands? (Yes) In his hands do you think that national boundaries exist? (No) No geographical boundary. Because in Reverend Moon's hands everything is love and within love there exists no boundaries. The representatives of 160 nations will gather together and start building the ideal village, ideal nation, ideal world. That is what Father is going to accomplish in South America. (Applause) Right now the United Nations has 183 member nations. Looking at these 183 nations from a vertical perspective there are many different levels. Each level has national boundaries. We have to destroy this national boundary concept. Then when we expand horizontally we have to connect them together [Father draws on the board] and what is the power to unite all of these nations together? True Love.

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