by Rev. Joong Hyun Pak--NYC
This is an excerpt from an address given on February 1, 1994 at the Leadership Transition Meeting, National Headquarters' Chapel.
Actually I received from Father special medicine. This medicine is bitter and hot and sour. Father told me to go back to North America. This is bitter and hot and sour, and I brought it with me for you. So let us swallow it together, you and me!
To assume this leadership position is a big challenge. In American English I like the word, "challenge". True Parents gave this hard word to us: It is the source of our blessing and our source of hope.
I joined 1957 and worked as a pioneer in high school. After several years in that life, I prepared to go to the university. I went to Father. Father so kindly welcomed me. Father said, "Mr. Pak how are you?" Then Father asked me to please enroll in the Unificationist university-a 40 day workshop. Of course, I obeyed Father. I was only a high school graduate, but I became a church leader.
I want to go to where no one has entered before, to an unexplored territory. I like missions such as pioneering a small island, owning no socks, no coat, a very small island. There one must completely mobilize the spiritual world. In 1963 I was witnessing in my hometown. I spoke out and witnessed in Korea until 1975. Then I spent five months as a missionary in Japan. I came to America after that, and then seven years ago went back to my hometown.
Father's most important educational mecca in Korea is my hometown Ch'onan. It is where Father established Seung Hwa University, on property which I found. Father then sent me back to New York, then to New Jersey. And now this is my third time to return to New York. It is very unusual for a member to be assigned to the same place three different times, don't you think?
What is the meaning of Completed Testament Age? It means that the power of Satan cannot attack us. Therefore if we really keep confidence and challenge Satan, we can liberate this world quickly. Father has great expectations for this great nation of America in 1994.
One by one, as brothers and sisters, please realize how you are important you are. Soon the world and history will recognize you. So, brothers and sisters, be courageous. To meet the challenge is the most important blessing for us.
Tonight I want to suggest three themes for 1994. We can do our activities under True Parents' motto, as a big umbrella.
(1) Inheritance and demonstration of True Parents' tradition. This is to inherit True Parents' love, life and lineage. This is complete sanctification of our lives. It is the Messiah's most important duty and mission, and God's heartfelt hope. This is the goal of Father's tears, sweat and blood. In the Bible also we find this teaching. In Matt. 22:37-39, Jesus Christ gave two commandments: love God and love all people. The vertical love for God harmonizes with the horizontal love for mankind. True Parents are practicing this. He has liberated 160 nations. He blessed brothers and sisters of all races and nations, based upon the hard work of our missionaries in 160 nations.
We inherited pure lineage from God, through True Parents' blessing, and in 1995 many hundreds of thousands of people are waiting to be blessed. Tribal Messiahship means tribal level true love. Tribal messiahship means that we become small messiahs. The Unification Church is like a factory of messiahs
Brothers and sisters, I want to suggest that if you have time, please see the movie, "Schindler's List." Schindler is really a type of the messiah. He was an evil man, but he recognized the dividing line between good and evil, and gradually moved to God's side. Finally he sacrificed his wealth and status to save hundreds of people. He was really like a Tribal Messiah.
Mother spoke 187 times around the world last year. 87 of those speeches were in America. We should be happy about this accomplishment for True Parents. We became filial children to True Parents last year.
I suggest we really become joymakers. How do we make joy? Joy is our response, our reaction upon receiving God's True Love.
We cannot see love; we cannot see God. But we know they are real. Every newspaper has so much bad news. However, Unificationist can find joy and happiness because we know God's hidden providence, which is being opened up day by day around the world.
St. Paul said, "Peace, righteousness and joy." Paul was in prison in Rome, but he witnessed and wrote epistles to so many churches. While in the depths of prison, Paul wrote letters of joy and inspiration. So, we should rejoice, always rejoice.
Who is Jesus Christ? He is a man of God, a man of true parental heart. St. Paul had true love. He had the right direction, and found joy in life, even in the underground prison. That was 2,000 years ago. We still have the same joyful life, smiling life, full of happiness. Amen.
Let us make New York City, America and North America a world of joy. So, the first theme is inheritance and demonstration of True Parents' tradition. This means that we become men and women of God. Based upon that, we can be shepherds of God and Tribal Messiahs. This is to fulfill our witnessing mission to our families and clans, in our Cain hometown and Abel hometown. We maintain the honor of being children of True Parents, with heavenly pride, not in our own selves, but in Father and Father's inheritance to us. This means we practice righteousness, make peace and create joy.
Then automatically we are fulfilling the second theme of this year, which is True Parents' motto: (2) Safe Settlement of True Parents and the Completed Testament Age. By our mind and body unity, we make the safe settlement of God and True Parents in my own heart and mind. By husband and wife unity, God and True Parents can settle in my family. By unity of our blessed families, God can settle safely in our city of New York and nation of America.
Then we can bring about the third theme of this year, (3) Establishment and Expansion of Kingdom of God on Earth. Father has already made the foundation, through so many years of hard work in this foreign land of America. For his own sake? No, for the sake of America itself, because America is the representative Christian nation to restore this world. It is our responsibility to take what Father has established and expand it, to build the Kingdom of God on earth. So many great things are happening, brothers and sisters. Please maintain your faith, hope and true love.
I deeply appreciate Rev. Zin Moon Kim. He really separated from his family for a long time. He sleeps on the floor. He gave righteous advice, very correct advice, and he successfully completed his mission. With this kind of foundation I can work with you here in New York and in America. God bless you.