Sun Myung Moon
December 30, 1979
Excerpt from Abel's Right Path from the Providential Paoint of View
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In your years in the Church have you become a person of complete faith and righteousness? Have you become a person of heart? Or have you become someone who is filled with heavenly thought and ideal? Regardless of being recognized or not, once you set out to witness to people, you must invest yourself in order that people whom you witness come to surrender and follow you. You must understand how difficult it is to follow the tradition of Abel.
Suppose God promised the prophets when they were sent to earth, they would be welcome by the people of their respected ages. They were excited, feeling they would be seated at the King's thrown and be going on the path of great success and be recognized by the world. Even when they were persecuted they thought that soon the people would understand and follow, but as years went by and that did not happen they got discouraged and felt they couldn't even trust God, and wondered where they themselves were going. Should a prophet feel this way? Is this prophet genuine? (No)
Abel finds that he is not able to serve kings or wealthy people, but only the servants of servants. When we compare who led the more miserable life -- the servant's servant of Satan's side or the Abel on the heavenly side -- Abel can be acknowledged when Abel can boast of living in more misery than even the servants of this world.
In the Satanic world one of those servants will say to Abel, "I thought I had a lowly life in the world, but when you came to teach me I was surprised to find that you had lived a worse life. Yet it was you who never forsook hope and gave me the support I needed!" Abel can reply, "I know we both had bad situations. When you were low, you had no hope, but I was able to maintain the ideal of faith and righteousness, loving heart, and ideal of heaven. Because of them, I trusted you and gave my best for your sake." That person cannot help but say, "Actually I don't own anything and I have nothing to offer you, but since you have come down this low and tried to love me, even sacrificing your own life, I cannot help but love you. I will give up everything and follow you, no matter what."
When someone feels he wants to love you more than anyone else, you become Abel at that moment. Abel can only be Abel when there is a Cain. That Cain is your elder brother, not your younger brother. Abel may be breaking his back trying to teach Cain for years and years, and then one day Cain confesses, "You have already done your share. You sit down and I will do the work in the way you showed me." When Cain decides to go out on the front line to work, then Abel is truly an Abel. After many years that person has been so moved through his experience with Abel that he knows clearly it is the only way to live. Then he approaches Abel and says, "It is not fair that you do everything. Let me work for the world." When Cain volunteers like that, then you find that you are Abel. This is exactly the reverse of what happened in Adam's family.
God began the work of dispensation in Adam's family through Cain and Abel. Being the eldest, Cain had responsibility for his younger brother, but did Cain protect him? No, he killed him, and thus the work of restoration was prolonged. Likewise, today Cain must protect Abel. But does it make sense for Abel to say, "This is the boundary of heaven, and since I was here first I ought to be Abel!" No. If a person doesn't show a good example or work harder with more heart than anyone else, especially younger people, then it does not stand to reason that he can automatically be an Abel.
Originally the eldest should be first when everyone goes to stand before God. But because of fallen history it is the Abels who should be first. Cain will say, "Abel is better than me and therefore he ought to go first. I will follow after him and then meet God." It is Cain who will point out Abel. Abel cannot say, "This person is my Cain." It is not Abel who decides the situation, but Cain.
Any staff members or people in so-called higher position who are not working hard are swindlers and false leaders. How many people in the Unification Church feel they are the Abel-in the truest sense? Those who feel they are more Abel than Cain, raise your hands. If you feel like Cain, who is your Abel? Is there a Cain who does not have an Abel? If you are a brother then there must be someone else you are related to.
If you say you feel like Cain but you don't have an Abel then you are neither Cain nor Abel. You have to work out among yourselves who is Cain and who is Abel. The relationship between Cain and Abel should be so close that their faith and love are immovable. No matter what bad things happen or what the world thinks, that relationship should be so strong that it is unaffected.
Why is it necessary to have an Abel and Cain? Being Abel is difficult and being Cain is also difficult, so why can't we all just become the same? If all you want to do is go to heaven, why can't Cain go by himself and Abel go by himself? Why can't things be simpler? When you come to the Unification Church and start looking for an Abel, you might say, "That Abel worked too hard and now he is old and wrinkled. I want an easier Abel who looks better." But seriously, think about the person who saves you, your messiah. Cain is saved by Abel and Abel is also saved by Cain. We have to understand this relationship.