Christ's path and the path that our True Parents have followed

Hyung Jin Moon
May 1, 2011
Rome, Italy

The day before yesterday we went to St. Peter's Square, in front of St. Peter's Basilica, in the Vatican where the Pope speaks in front of huge crowds while giving outdoor mass. When the Lord of Second Advent came, it seems very sad that he just came alone, quietly like this.

As I was coining here, I thought a lot about Jesus. We have to remember that when Jesus Christ was on earth, when that cornerstone was here in this world, only twelve disciples followed him. He worked in the shadow of Jerusalem. Jerusalem was a powerful city, a religious city, a holy place. Even though Jesus was the king among kings, he was not welcomed in Jerusalem. He was an obscure and unknown person. Jesus was meant to appear there as a king of kings; yet he was persecuted and crucified....

On the path Christ walked, he never experienced glory. As True Father has mentioned, there was sorrow and loneliness. If we truly understand what the Lord encountered on the path he had to travel... He was persecuted for us, tortured for us, he walked the road toward death and hell for us, was hung on the cross, had to accept hatred and ridicule for our sake. True Parents' life course has been the road to save us. That has not just been their life course; it is also an expression of True Parents' love....

I think that -- even though we are not in a situation where millions of followers have come while True Parents are in Rome now -- they are teaching with the truth and with the Holy Spirit just as Jesus did. As I've said, under no circumstances can we evaluate the Lord at his Second Advent based on how many believers are following him.

Only twelve disciples followed Jesus, but if we were to evaluate him based on that number alone, Jesus could be considered a failure. Yet, despite the tremendous power of religion in his days and within the Holy Land, Jesus was the Holy Land itself. Likewise, within this tremendous Holy Land of the Vatican and Rome, True Parents are the Holy Ground.

Brothers and sisters, because the Christians were persecuted, one day they were able to overcome even Rome. Today Christianity, Catholicism, is indeed seated at the center of Rome.

I was talking with the Italian church leader, who said that Unificationists are truly a minority here. In all of Italy, there are only about two hundred families. However, if we were to compare this with Jesus' time, this is tremendous, a tremendous blessing. If these two hundred families, together with all other members worldwide, would join their voices in singing Chambumonim Eog-manses -- the vibration of love, the vibration of praise for the Lord -- I believe the many Christians who long for the Holy Spirit today, Christians who persecuted the returning Lord, even Italian Christians, will come seeking Unificationism.