by Carl Redmond
I would like to express the depth of what it means to me to have "True Parents." We use the words so casually, and yet the significance of them is truly great. For those of us "in the Church," we already know and realize the historical significance of those words and the idea they convey, which is specifically: "You must be born again"-that is to say, "all mankind" must be born again through the True Parents.
Adam and Eve were destined to be the "True Parents" but they fell and became false parents. Jesus came as the "true father" and there should have been a "true mother" also. Who was to be this true mother? We don't know, due his undue death, but the Holy Spirit came as the spiritual bride of Jesus. Since that time they, Jesus and the Holy Spirit, have been giving spiritual rebirth to Christians around the world.
How about today? Today we have the True Parents again, living with us on earth-not specifically Jesus but someone walking the way of Jesus. At the age of 15, Sun Myung Moon was praying on a mountainside when he met Jesus who said to him: "Please help me to fulfill the mission I started 2,000 years ago-that is to say: building the Kingdom of God on earth."
While many Christians are awaiting the appearance of the Messiah out of a clear blue sky, today we are saying quite emphatically in the Unification Church: "Stop looking. He's already here." In fact, if you keep looking that way, Jesus might never show up. But someone walking the way of Jesus-now that's an interesting thought!
For those of us who have already accepted this reality, miraculous as it may seem to have the True Parents walking amongst us again, the next item to consider is: to what degree are we united in heart with them-the True Parents? Quite flatly, the level of "unity of heart" we have with them will determine the quality and also victory of our life on earth and in the spirit world.
How much do you love True Parents? How much are you longing for them? Do you keep their speeches in a box or drawer somewhere or do you read them? Is your thinking aligned with them-are you calling on them in your heart, day and night? Do you read the testimonies of early members who went the way of God's will before you? Are you familiar with just how incredibly sinful this world has become? Do you long to see our Church functioning positively and effectively in this world? Then you surely know we have some work to do?
Please examine yourself in light of Father's teaching or credo: Life for the sake of others. Another maxim of True Parents' life would be: Advance by being beaten-and also: Investing and forgetting. Don't look at the situation in a discouraged way, but rather use it (i.e., where you are in relation to Father's teaching) to challenge yourself to establish new horizons.