I Prayed for My Enemies to be Blessed

Sun Myung Moon
June 12, 1967
Tokyo Church
Excerpt from “The Boundary of God’s Heart”
Unofficial Translation

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When you face painful and agonizing situations and feel like you have reached the end of your rope, you must focus on the central point -- God has never experienced real joy in His Heart. His Heart is only embracing sorrow and agony. Therefore, your question is how to comfort God’s grieving heart. It is your most important responsibility as a member of Unification Church.

When you gain a victory, you must thank God with tears of gratitude. The victory you gain today is not a victory won by your efforts alone. From the first victory, to the one-hundredth, to the ten-millionth victory, every victory is won because God’s decisive motive is behind it. Thus, you who understand this principle must always keep grateful hearts to Him, even when going through courses filled with tears. Jesus offered his gratitude to God, when he went the course of the cross. Unless the heart of gratitude had remained, even after death by crucifixion, there would not have been his resurrection.

Therefore, you must fight on and continue fighting on. After a victory, with gratitude to God, you must move on-ward to the world on the road of battle. This is where you stand in the process of restoration. Don’t ever forget that.

Excerpt from “Longing for Eden”
June 28, 1959
Former Church Headquarters, Seoul, Korea

Jesus prayed for his enemies to be blessed. He prayed for those who hammered the nails into his hands and feet and who put the crown of thorns on his head. He blessed the ignorant enemies who pierced his side with the spear. Why did he do that?

Excerpt from “Total Indemnity”
April 3, 1983
From God’s Will and the World

Jesus was born as the first begotten son possessing the love of God, as His beloved. Even though being placed in front of Satan, the fact that Jesus prayed for the people who were trying to kill him was great. It was great indeed because he really did it. If he had hatred or enmity toward his enemies when he was about to die, then the providence of God would have been overturned. However, because Jesus prevailed over his situation practicing God’s love, from this point on, Satan must begin surrendering. Thus, Jesus qualified as God's true son.

Excerpt from “The Restoration of the True God’s Homeland”

If you want to inherit God’s Will, what must be your resolution to declare to the world? You can never claim to be following the direction where the secular world loves to go. Rather, you must declare to the world that you will go the opposite direction.

The declaration is represented in the following phrase, “Love your enemy with your loving heart.” God’s Words, “love your enemy” can restore the wrong history to the right like an anchor holding a ship tossed and swayed by the sea during a hurricane. Jesus thought, “Oh Rome! You tried to conquer me with your great military might; however, I will conquer you with my love.” Because of this thought, he prayed for his enemy even though he was crucified by that enemy.

Excerpt from “God’s Fatherland”
February 21, 1980
World Mission Center, NY

In order to regain God’s Fatherland by your own hands, you must love your enemy. To love your enemy, you must love your personal enemy, then love your family’s enemy, love your tribal enemy, then your national enemy, and the world level enemy. Unless you go through these principled steps, the ideal world will never appear on earth. You must understand this.

I never condemned my enemies who opposed and persecuted me on the pathway. Some Americans were not friendly to me. However, I never uttered even one word cursing them. I never complained about it. I never took revenge nor brought accusation against them.

I learned the secret -- how sweet the persecution was. It is because when you endure the persecution with the right heart, you will gain so many like-minded brethren without fighting for them.

“Simple Principle of loving Your Enemy”
Excerpt from God’s Fatherland
February 21, 1980
World Mission Center, NY

From this one point where you love your enemies, the Kingdom of Heaven shall prosper. Rev. Moon’s philosophy is very simple. The principle is very simple. If you have the attitude to love your enemy and practice this principle, then you can overcome any situations. And no obstacle can block you.

My topic today is the “Fatherland of God.” God needs a nation – a Fatherland here on earth. We don't have the nation. God’s Fatherland begins from practicing one simple principle, “Love Your Enemies.”

Excerpt from Future of Korea, Future of the World, Chapter Seven “As a Peace-Loving Global Citizen” (Page 294)

The most important wisdom needed by humankind comes from knowing God’s heart and His ideal. For this reason, the role of religion continues to be important, especially in the twenty-first century, when science and technology seem to be replacing the role of religion in understanding how the universe operates. Religions around the world must understand the destination of the human journey and immediately cease all major and minor struggles. They should not be fighting for the purpose of protecting their own honor. Religions must pool their wisdom and combine their energies and work diligently to build the ideal world. They must forget the past struggles filled with hatred and work out peaceful solutions. No matter how much we have done for world peace, there is always more to be done. Religious people, whose mission is to lead humanity into the ideal world, must not forget for a moment that truly their only mission is to be apostles of peace.