Kook Jin Moon
July 24, 2008
Cheon Jeong Peace Palace
Good morning. It was truly gratifying to read True Father's message together with one voice at this morning's Hoon Dok Hae. In the future, if our church reads True Father's message with many other people, we can't help achieving great progress. Truly, the strength of our church lies in our members. If we march forward together, centering on True Father, there is nothing we cannot do.
What I want to talk to you about today is the helicopter incident, which came up in some U.S. broadcasts. When you are in the U.S. and hear about such an accident, you can't possibly realize how serious it is. If you hear about a helicopter accident in which everyone on board survives, you can't help thinking it wasn't very serious. Often when there is a helicopter accident, everyone on board is killed -- not one person survives.
When I heard there had been an accident but everyone survived, I didn't think it had been a serious accident. After I came to Korea, though, and went over to the accident site, I realized that it definitely had been a serious accident, one you wouldn't have expected anyone had survived.
However, we are all Unification Church members, and some of us have followed our True Father for forty or fifty years since before I was born, forty years ago. As Unification Church members, there must be times when you wonder if what we are doing is actually connected to the work of God. The followers of Jesus harbored the same thoughts from time to time. But when we lead religious lives, serving and attending God, we learn that there is no such thing as an accident and there is a reason behind every incident. God has His plans, and He decides things in advance. Therefore, when he talks about Jesus, True Father says that by Jesus being born on earth, leading a life of faith and public service and forming a family, Jesus would not have died prematurely. However, because there was no one Jesus could form a family with or anyone to protect his family -- no one to sacrifice himself in Jesus' stead -- Jesus had to sacrifice himself. That is freedom. This is the case whether you view it from a viewpoint aligned with the Principle or a biblical viewpoint.
As I came here, I had many thoughts in my mind. Truly, I thought a great deal. I am the chairman of the Foundation, so I am in charge of managing the church funds. Since Father started flying in helicopters, we actually purchased them for his use, and I was not sure why that was necessary. Many members may also have wondered. However, now with this accident happening. When I ponder this, it seemed to me that it was all prepared for the sacrifice of True Father's life.
In the course of living for the providence, True Father has always been prepared to sacrifice himself. This is the situation even today. Father is fully aware. Because we are now crossing over a great hill in the providence and trying to bring Satan to voluntary submission, the price of doing so is paid in True Parents blood, as is always the case. And True Parents' blood is also the price that has to be paid for their coming to earth and releasing us from the original sin. This is not something True Parents have told us. How could our providence be elevated to such a level? There is only one way. Father was born on earth; he met True Mother and formed a family, thereby emerging victorious. And from the time Father formed a family until now, those of his own blood have been sacrificed for the providence and in order for Father's work to continue. Heung-jin hyung nim passed away. Young-jin also passed away. Hyo-jin hyung nim, too, has passed away. A son is given as the price of Father's blood.
True Father has taught us strongly to establish our church. You too have made many sacrifices. However, Father was the first to sacrifice himself. From the time God gave him the responsibility to carry out this work until now, Father has continued to work while expecting his own death at any moment, and yet thinking that for his work to continue, it is all right even if he has to die the very next day.
This is the type of life True Parents have been leading, and that is how they could release us from the original sin and liberate us, thus enabling us to live together with God thereafter. That is a great blessing, but you need to be aware that a price has been paid for it. You need to understand that all this has been I achieved through the blood of True Father. You need to realize that True Father's blood was the price exacted for the removal of the original sin.
I came to think that if Hyo-jin hyung nim had not lived courageously firmly resolved to give his life for our Father, something might have happened to True Father in the accident. Father already knew about it. True Parents have lived with the knowledge that such a sacrifice could be required of them at a difficult time like now.
I knew about all the troubling developments Rev. Yang talked about and True Parents, too, were very worried and concerned. But now that his eighty-eighth year has come, I believed such worries have been resolved. Many difficult things happened this year. But now that such an accident has happened to True Parents, I cannot help concluding that Hyo-jin hyung nim genuinely sacrificed his life for them. That is the only way I can interpret it. He has protected them by exchanging his own blood for True Parents' lives. If you wish to be involved in our work, you need to be prepared to do the same. That is why it is not at all easy to work for God. This kind of work is not something that anyone would want to do. Who would wish to carry out this work? You may only see the glory and honor of True Parents, but in actuality they are sacrificing their lives. You all need to realize this. You all need to know that True Parents are sacrificing themselves, and they are not doing so for their own personal glory. They are sacrificing themselves for God and for you.
[Kook-jin nim weeps and wipes away his tears.]
From now on, we should continue to read Father's speeches as we did today. True Father's teachings are truly wonderful; they are the new gospel. What could be greater than hearing that Father has come, sacrificed himself and made a True Family, thus releasing everyone from original sin? However, in order for us to convey this idea to people all over the world, sacrifice is necessary. In that case, who will make the sacrifice? Who should sacrifice themselves so that the rest of humanity need not make: the same sacrifice? I will tell you. It is the church leaders who should make the sacrifice. It is the people who work for God that need to make the sacrifice. It is the responsibility and duty of the church leaders to sacrifice themselves so that others need not do so and can live well. This is the work you should do for the church, though it may not be what you want to do. It is the work of God that you need to perform because you are told to and have no choice but to do so. Who wishes to make such sacrifices? However, if you assume responsibilities, you should sacrifice to the extent of those responsibilities.
I went to see Father before I came here to Hoon Dok Hae. I offered a bow and... [Kook Jin nim weeps] He told me that it was five o'clock and time for Hoon Dok Hae. He said he should attend it and not stay in the hospital. I told him, "Father, you've been in a really bad accident, and your body has been under such strain, so going to attend Hoon Dok Hae is out of the question. You must rest so that you can recover your health. I will give a short speech at Hoon Dok Hae instead." Father said okay, and that is why I came.
That is the life True Father is leading. That is how he is living. Indeed, to lead our Unification Church, an unimaginably high price needs to be paid. So, I believe that the higher ranking Unification Church members should make sacrifices, which is why you cannot do this work if you don't have faith. If you are working here thinking of the glory and honor you will receive it the future, you should not be here at all. Even in the future, the Unification Church will remain a church that works for the sake of all the other people in the world.
Our church does not exist to give glory to our church leaders. The purpose of this church is to liberate and restore to God all His children who are estranged from him. And that is the way this church should be run from now on. So, if you are thinking only of yourselves, and you are staying here solely for your benefit, it would be best for you to leave and not remain in the Unification Church. God truly does exist. You'll die if you say this is false. So from now on, we should teach everyone living in the world, for their own sake, that True Parents have come and successfully formed a family; they made all the sacrifices through their own blood and have thus liberated all humanity from original sin. That liberation comes from True Parents, not church leaders. It comes from God, as compensation for the blood we have shed.
When church leaders become arrogant and self-centered, there can no longer be church leaders. They cannot be people working for Heaven. At this time, and based on this serious incident, we should look at the sacrifices made by True Parents and renew our faith. That is all that we can do. So let us all make our True Parents healthy again and attend them faithfully. When we have done that, there is nothing we cannot do. It would be truly wonderful if we could make this resolution and carry it out. I would be deeply grateful to you all if you do so. Thank you. [Applause]