Sun Myung Moon
October 27, 2011
True Father and True Mother light ceremonial candles in front of an offering on Nov. 17, 2009, True Children's Day, at Cheong Pyung, South Korea.
Children’s Day was declared on the 1st day of the 10th month of 1960 on the lunar calendar (November 19, 1960) at the former headquarters church at Cheong Pa Dong, Yong San Gu, Seoul. Later on, at the pledge ceremony of the 35th Parents’ Day in 1994, True Parents decreed that the word “True” be placed before the names of the Four Major Holy Days, and thenceforth the day has been observed as True Children’s Day.
The first celebration for Children’s Day, held under the title of Thanksgiving Day service, was personally carried out from beginning to end by True Parents, and in his words True Father stated: “This Thanksgiving Day we are celebrating is truly the festive day of heaven eagerly awaited by God for six thousand years since the creation and the onset of human history. Henceforth, the 1st day of the 3rd month and 1st day of the 10th month on the lunar calendar will be celebrated every year as an important festive day. In particular, today marks the day of the children and the season of fruition.”
On that day, twelve kinds of grains carefully prepared by the members were orderly displayed at the front of the room, and all members were given an envelope each for thanksgiving offering, which were dedicated with devotion.1
Prayer at the 9th Children’s Day Ceremony
The following are the words of Rev. Sun Myung Moon on November 20, 1968 (10.1 by the lunar calendar), at the former headquarters church in Seoul, Korea.
“Heavenly Father, today is November 20, 1968, (10.1 by the lunar calendar), the day on which Children’s Day was newly proclaimed on this earth nine years ago. During that time, we have lived through many days and years. As we walked the course following the Will, we have yearned to become the true children You would desire to have, and whenever we are in attendance on an occasion such as today, we, knowing the standard you desire of us and seeing ourselves falling so short of it, cannot help but feel ashamed of our present selves before You. Heavenly Father, please look upon us with compassion.
“Father, we are aware of the fact that to celebrate this joyous occasion on this day, all of your children spread out across the land of Korea are offering our bows before You in the direction of the headquarters, with sincere hearts full of devotion. Not only those in Korea, but also many of Your children scattered around overseas and weary in their lonely courses of pioneering, are thinking deep in their hearts about the value of being in attendance of this day, and are waiting keenly with earnest hearts for the day when they can receive this day in the land of Korea, and praying with tears for that day. We know all this, and, though their situations and circumstances are different from one another, please be with them all and sympathize with their hearts and thoughts, and liberate them from their anguish. We beseech you from the bottom of our hearts to do so.
“There are so many religious believers on this earth walking the path of righteousness and offering devotions, so please let them find their desired places and attain the glory of children, and since their desire to find the day of liberation should achieve success on this earth at any cost, please bring under Your control their hearts harboring admiration and anticipation for it, so that they may actually meet with Father on this earth and take part in celebrating this day together with us.
“We know that not only those on earth, but also the many martyrs of the past and our ancestors in the spirit world have walked the course of indemnity for restoration of earth until now. We are also aware that when an individual failed to fulfill his responsibility, You established the next descendant to pioneer the course of restoration through indemnity. Though the great number of our ancestors who have passed on into the spirit world had endeavored in accordance with the Will and established the foundation for the public good, the day of liberation from anguish could not be instituted on earth. And yet, when we consider the fact that we of this day and age can be liberated through the establishment of Children’s Day, we should realize fully that our receiving this Children’s Day is of great significance in cosmic history, so please help us comprehend this amazing truth.
“Whenever we are in attendance in one of such occasions, please permit us not to think of them as just perfunctory and customary gatherings and ceremonies of the world. We are truly grateful, and we truly commemorate the fact that such holidays as today have come to be for the first time since the onset of history. Please allow us and help us to become Your sons and daughters who can remember Your loving heart and show gratitude for the fact that You have labored hard and incessantly to pioneer the path of the providence of restoration.
“Please remember Your sons and daughters present here today, and though it is disappointing that not all the members of the nation could be gathered at the same place to hold this ceremony, since You know that it was not possible to do so on account of environmental conditions and everything else not under our control, please comfort and solace the hearts of the sons and daughters who could not be here with us.
“We should bring about the day whereon we can serve You, offer obeisance before You, and celebrate all we want to our hearts’ content in a free environment as quickly as possible. Realizing that the disappointment we feel in such situations as these are all due to our failure to fulfill our responsibility, let us feel even deeper in our hearts our given mission as pioneers of tomorrow, and help us make resolutions anew to prepare the foundation for the restoration of our people and the world.
“Please allow us to clearly comprehend that the position we occupy as the members of the Unification Church is a very important position of the great mission of cosmic magnitude. Permit us to know the truth that You have established each and every one of us to do away with the historically embedded grief and sorrow, and that by establishing our families You have created the framework for the cosmic liberation from anguish. Help us to know all this and become Your children who can be grateful of this amazing mission and responsibility given to us.
“We hope and pray that You will bestow more blessings on all Your blessed children celebrating this day. Grant them grace thousands of times and tens of thousands of times more, so that it will overflow in their hearts and bodies. We ask You from deep within our hearts to let the remainder of this day be a day of joy before Your Will and a day to be commemorated in all solemnity. Please let the many peoples living around the world feel Your loving touch so that they too may be restored as new peoples who can prepare for the coming Kingdom of Heaven, and since the forces of evil are still mighty, dampen their spirits and establish the standard of goodness that can serve as the beginning of the new promise to work directly through Your children gathered here today to push forward and accomplish Your work.
“We pledge to dedicate to You our remaining days, and to do our utmost best even on this one day to bring about results of loyalty and filial piety in front of Your Will. We hope and pray for the glorious victory of Your sacred Will, and that every day will be a source of joy to You. Heavenly Father, we implore you to grant the victorious foundation to the many spirits in the spirit world that they may work on this earth in a free environment. By so doing, such a day as today can also be a blessing to them as well as to the people on this earth and the entire cosmic world. We ask you to allow all this.
“We request you earnestly to preside directly over all that we do from this time onwards, and I offer this prayer in the holy name of True Parents. Amen.” (21-178)
- Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, History Compilation Committee, “FFWPU Eight Major Holy Days and Important Commemorative Days,” Sunghwa Publications, 2001, pp. 67~71