My son and daughter, I’m very happy to be here with you tonight, to begin this year together and to share our hearts together about things that are so important, not only for you but for the world. Yes, I will send help to [name]. I’m concerned about him too and I know that he’s almost beyond his strength at this point. Though I don’t want to deal with that situation tonight, please call him tomorrow and tell him you received My great concern for him, and ask him to really pray. This kind of spirit can help him far more than liquid spirits.

The concern of many people rises around the world for the destiny of the Unification movement. I want to share with you tonight some thoughts on this matter because, as I said, from all parts of the world the concern of many people who are related to your movement, both members and those who are close to it, rises to Me. I do not, as you know, single people out, or would ever accuse anyone in front of you. That is not My role or My desire. I stand alone for that which is True. And when we speak of truth in My realm, it is not merely doctrine written on a page or certain beliefs, however logical, however reasonable, and however universal. Truth is a state of your being. Truth is the state of your heart.

How much it is in line with My heart, that alone dictates the real Truth. If your heart is not in line with My heart, however much you speak of true things: view of history, the meaning of life, the purpose of life, the goal of life, all of these things have very little meaning because it’s only external, it’s what you learn from outside. But especially now, in all of human history especially now, the question is: Who can really recognize the fundamental importance of aligning your heart with My heart?

When I say that I don’t mean just a matter of obedience or knowing something and then following it (in your head anyway) but that really our hearts come together into one. If religion cannot teach this, and if religion actually blocks the way of this process, then it has no ultimate use. And also I want to say that religion itself is a neutral thing; the institution of religion is neutral. It can be used for good things or it can be used for bad things. Look at Mother Theresa, for example. Her faith is Catholic. She uses her faith for only the highest and the best true service to Heaven. But I want you to see that she’s not merely inspired by her beliefs or her Catholic affiliation. She daily lives a life aligning her heart with mine. And in that way I can’t resist helping her; I can’t resist being close to her because she is such a good daughter.

On the other hand, you might have some priest somewhere who is completely corrupt, using his priesthood for the wrong purposes -- same Catholic faith, same set of beliefs, same words coming out, but totally different lives. Because internally his heart is not in line with Mine, and his efforts day by day are not to accomplish that. He’s taken by his position. He’s taken by his particular desires. And though he may be a person who has overcome all of the obvious sins, he’s not overcome pride, pride which comes from misalignment with Me.

However much he is aligned with his church and however much he got a good report for his duties, this man ultimately cannot bring the Kingdom in his life or in the lives of those around him. And so, as it is true in any faith, it is true in the Unification faith, that there are those who, in the name of the Unification faith, are living profoundly sacrificial lives, and whose daily efforts are to align their hearts with mine. There are others who know that this is true but may not have the kind of spiritual maturity to make this kind of effort yet, but they know this is true. And these people are coming to Me. But there could be some, again like that priest, who have put all of their focus on their position, on the material things. And make no mistake, religion can be just as materialistic as anything else in the world. And these people cannot accomplish much.

They will become insecure. They will become driven by position and power. And their up’s and down’s will be very immediate. Whether they are recognized or not, whether they are rewarded or not, they go up and down. This kind of life is as vain as any atheist who is self-seeking. And so truly, in the final analysis, that person who is not daily recognizing a growth aligning My heart with his heart, that person is living the life of an atheist. It is not enough to believe in God, it is not enough to believe in Christ, to believe in something true.

This is an age where those people who really want to emerge through that door into the Kingdom of God need to become fully conscious of Me and, again, to align their heart or consciousness with Me. This can bring about a profound change. H [husband], I know you have asked in heart many times of recent days about religions in this age. Truly this is the age of going beyond all religions. And when I say this I don’t mean so much the institutions: the churches, the synagogues, the temples, I’m not speaking of leaving those behind, but this religious mentality that puts the institution and the structure that is man-made ahead of the structure that I want to build and that, truly, is already there.

Religion is but a dim shadow of the true glory of God, which is in the heart of every human being, which is meant to be shared with each and every human being and among you also. That’s the meaning of the Kingdom. But I’m afraid that down through history religion has become very much limited by these insincere attitudes that breed out of this lack of daily effort of aligning your heart with My heart, of being open to Me and totally sincere.

You need to look within your own faith, within the movement that has been initiated by your founder, and see this. It is not enough to look around and see those in high places who are not practicing what they preach. It is most important to begin with yourself. And if you will, you can then, as I’ve told you before, begin to stand on a higher ground. And in that way My judgment can occur, and I can help you, one by one, to separate that which is useful from that which is not -- the so-called good from evil. The evil is a useless thing that consumes and destroys that which is good. We don’t need that.

Good is something that is ongoing, growing; it does not become attached to itself, it doesn’t stand in front of a mirror and admire itself. Good is something that evolves toward Me. And if that direction is stopped in the name of looking within the mirror or the ego, whether that ego be in an individual or an institution, then there must be a force to break that mirror and move you on. This is such a time. I want to witness very directly to all My children that this is no longer the age of the many religions, no longer the age of separate institutions. And I want them to understand that while I completely honor and respect all the good that has come from all the historical achievements of those religious people of the world, those who have lived humble serving lives in My name, in the name of Christ, in the name of Mohammed, in the name of Buddha, this is no longer that time.

This is the time I want to claim you for My own. Don’t you think the path that Jesus walked, that Mohammed walked, that Buddha walked -- where do you think that path was going? You are not walking a path toward them. You are joining them in walking a path toward Me. And they, themselves, if they could be heard with an objective ear, without anybody’s concepts, these men would each say, "Yes come with me, go toward God, don’t idolize me, don’t turn me into something to worship. I am like you, I was just called; but my greatest purpose would be only to help you find God and to help God work through your life to build this thing we call the Kingdom." It is not a reality yet, and these historical figures are very frustrated. Again I want to say that the real problem is not just the religious institutions that have been built, but it is the attachment to these institutions and the attachment to all the many positions and structures.

It is like people who are almost tied by ropes to these institutions, who find their identity, their purpose in life completely wrapped up in these institutions, but who have at the same time lost their way on that road following the example of those great religious founders to follow Me each day. This is the essence of a spiritual life. It is not just doing good deeds for people, it is not just studying holy books, it is not just doing the thousand and one things that religious life is supposed to teach.

The fundamental point is making contact, making contact with Me. Four years ago, when you were at your lowest, physically speaking, was there any other thing except that? No. It was just a fundamental point. You needed God! And you screamed for it. When people are in danger of dying or in the most dire circumstances, then it’s always that fundamental point -- they’ll call out for God. There is not enough calling out in your organization. There is not enough deep heartfelt calling out because many people have, I’m sorry to say, a rather conceptual or false sense of security that everything is fine, that they have everything they need: they have the True Family, they have their work to do, they have the Divine Principle, they’ve been to a hundred workshops, they teach themselves, they know all these things.

But there is not the desperate heart for Me. And when the heart is not involved in the deepest sense, there is no progress. There is only a stronger and stronger rope around those persons, tying them to their particular identity and beliefs and structure. This is why, finally at this time in history, these institutions and this kind of mentality have to pass away. They have been helpful in the past, but they are no longer helpful today to build the world that I want to build. And it makes Me sad to say that when I see the very institution, that was meant to be only temporarily in place toward an evolution beyond itself, trying to stay around for too long a time, then I recognize that the only reason that that is happening is that peoples’ mentalities focused on that and not truly on Me. If you are to follow Me, you’ve got to recognize that daily I will challenge your identity, daily I will take away from you those things that you want to hold onto.

Those things that you’ve become comfortable with, I’ll remove them from you if they keep you from progressing. But you don’t have to live that way, you don’t have to reach out for Me. In one way you can shield yourself from Me. As you know, I don’t force Myself on anyone. But it is this realm of heart that once you open up and once you find Me in that realm, once we find each other, then we want to go on together and we want to become something new daily together.

So sometimes a little wealth is a very dangerous thing, a little recognition can be a very dangerous thing because people don’t want to let it go. And they hold on and then become dead in their hearts and in their minds and in their lives. It’s so important to analyze these things at this time. And again I say to you, don’t judge your institution with anger or with a feeling of condemnation. Each person must look deeply within themselves and really make that judgment in their own hearts as to what they really want from this life. And if someone is not ready, if someone is attached to the external, all I can do is wait for the moment when an eye will open, when their heart will open a little bit and I can try to reach them.

There are times coming on the earth that are not easy at all. There will be times of great tribulation coming in the future. In the coming 20, 30, 40 years it will become worse and worse on this earth in terms of economics, chaos among people, social chaos, crime, all of these things before it gets better. And I’m sorry to say that it will be because people are not reaching out for Me, and they have attached themselves, very much like earth-bound spirits, to things that are not that important. In this year coming up we can speak about many things. And it is good for you to make up a list to know those people with whom you’ve had contact in the past few years via these talks and to share these things with them. H, you need to focus yourself more in a regular sense. So, H and W, [wife] both of you, try to make a schedule each week when there is a time you know you absolutely can have a quiet moment when we can meet.

Whether it be once a week or more often, the important thing is consistency and that it not be just now and then. Because, again, you’re not practicing what we’ve been talking about tonight -- the daily reaching. How to clarify and purify your heart, this is the important thing. And really put it in line with Mine. You’re struggling tonight -- the kids, the interruptions. In a way it’s a reflection of your internal situation that we don’t meet enough. As it becomes stronger and stronger, there will be times where both of you just look at each other and know that this is the moment when you should meet together with Heavenly Father. I know your situation, your pressures, your difficulties, but what we have to do together is important. And you know in your hearts that is the most important thing of all. So don’t let this become a random time, a random thing.

Here is the beginning of another "memo" to you, and I’ll separate it from what we’ve just finished in the first talk.

As I told you there are many hearts and minds awakening in the world, and specifically people who have been through the Unification experience, some as old as you in the movement (20 or 30 years), others who have more quickly seen the challenges and the difficulties of the particular structure of leadership and the mentality that has been formed in your movement. As you heard from [name] earlier today, people are coming alive to doing something together, not just sitting and criticizing that which has been, and this makes Me very happy.

I tell you, it is not the number of people doing something, it is the quality of heart -- even if it is only one person. I proved that many times in the lives of the great saints in history, who were perhaps even unknown people, who had tremendous impact in their communities, their villages, their homes because of the quality of their hearts. People are looking for that quality today. H, you were worried in the past year that perhaps these talks are enough now, that people should find their own experience with Me. And in one sense, in making that point, I agree with you. But on the other hand, there are many people waking up at different levels, different times.

Someone like you four years ago, you had a jolt and you were awakened to the importance of Me in your life and our relationship as a foundation for everything you do. But there are others who, perhaps this year will be their year. Therefore, I want to stay current in these talks because there are many things happening, and I want to be able to share as you go along. Also, your questions and your desire to know and to understand will be very important. So, as I told you before, I want you to think and pray and meditate deeply on the issues before you so that we can have meaningful talks together. I am not interested in being just a nice philosopher who comes and gives you nice words of wisdom, but that we really speak seriously about the basic points of the spirituality of this time and age. It is so important. People think, in the wrong way, that I am an unchanging Being.

They think of Me as absolute, almost like a stone, like the stones of the Grand Canyon, which never change or, as long as we see them, seem to be always the same. But on the contrary, I am unchanging in My foundations, My principles, but on that unchanging foundation I am very very changeable. And by that I don’t mean unstable. I am constantly growing, constantly sensitive to the moment. I gave you five percent, I gave you a free will. And any parent knows that if they truly want to educate their own child, knowing their child has his own will, the parent has to observe very closely, to be very immediate to the child, to see what this moment demands, what the next moment demands, and so on. And so, many people think of Me as a large stone in the middle of the house, and I have the standard, the truth, and you just try to live around this stone in the most Godly way possible.

But I don’t want to be turned into such an unchanging thing. I am a parent. And as you discover My heart you will become a better parent. I am the Parent of all parents. That means I really watch My children from moment to moment. Each and every one of you. Some of you think that because you’re not conscious of Me, I’m not conscious of you. This is silly. Well, your youngest is lost in his own world, playing in the corner; and you’re watching him and thinking many things about him. He’s thinking, "I’m not thinking of her, so she couldn’t be thinking of me." Of course it doesn’t make sense.

That’s the difference between a child’s heart and a parent’s heart. You can’t hide in your own ignorance from Me. And so, I am constantly seeking out those people who have become only a little aware of Me. Yes, you have to grow up. Many children have to grow up and realize that the parents are right there with them. So, coming back to the talks, it will be important this year for you to share these things. H, don’t worry so much about having the right motivation. This is what slows you up.

You think you don’t want to receive these talks if you’re just spreading them, because you’re afraid that your ego will get in the way. That is the very problem right there. Let it go! Let all of those things go. When the messiah comes on earth, he comes to share; and if he’s too worried about his ego getting in the way, he can’t do much. So, anyway, the same thing for any servant in any mission, truly to have the courage to, as they say, "Let go and let God" is so important for you. Let go and let God; let go of yourself and stop worrying so much. Don’t you think I comprehend you?

Don’t you think I can work with you and through you? This is what your famous teacher calls self-denial. It’s not applied in the correct way, but this is the meaning of self-denial -- that self which keeps you from being a real free-flowing pipeline for Me. So let it go and let Me express what I will. You are no one to stand in My way in that respect. So, go ahead and organize. I know that this month will be a difficult one for you because of the surgeries and the financial pressure. I am very conscious of your financial pressure, and it is good that you came across some of these ideas about affirmations, because they bring your mind away from negative thinking. If you have a choice between worrying, worrying, worrying and bringing low energy that can’t help you accomplish your goal or putting your energy to affirmations, which are more positive and give you greater power, which do you want to choose?

It’s obviously affirmation. And H, also with regard to that company you’re looking at, if you become involved, as your wife said, you have to take that first step seriously and not just with the idea that you will make a lot of money, something like that. I know your concern and I know your heart to try to finally become financially stable and take away that worry; but it’s not an overnight process and that’s why you have to take each step carefully and think deeply and pray about it too. Please organize for this year.

And W, this month, if you have a way before you go into surgery, to even make fundamental organization, it’s a good idea. I have many things to share with you in the coming year, and I can share them to the extent that you can really share your hearts with Me in giving Me the time and opening your hearts to Me regularly. Then we can build a stronger and stronger communication again. This is a beginning tonight, but we need to build a really strong focus. You can choose whether you want to put this second part in a paper or not. Some parts of it I think would be very good.

So, we’ll close and I’ll ask W for a short prayer.