Sun Myung Moon
August 14, 1988
Chambumo Gyeong - Book 7. True Parents' Course of Suffering and Victory, Chapter 2.
The Ehwa University and Yonsei University Incident and Suffering in Seodaemun Prison, Section 3. Bearing Society's Sin, The meaning of True Father's suffering in Seodaemun Prison
Photo date and location unknown
6. I did not perish. People were saying that Mr. Moon of the Unification Church danced naked. If they were cursing me because I really danced naked, I would not have so much pain and grief about it. I have never seen anyone dancing naked; even so, I became known as the ringleader of a naked dancing cult. Nevertheless, by accusing me that way, if the people of Korea could receive many blessings, I would welcome it unconditionally. Let them strike and curse me all they like; if the Korean people would be greatly blessed by striking and cursing me, one person, then why not? It would be good for the nation. In that case, I would be more than happy and willing to be cursed. If their motivation in doing so were for the love of the people and the nation, I would personally report to God that they had done a holy and righteous deed. (032-270, 1970/07/19)
7. The providence of re-creation cannot be accomplished by money, power or knowledge. We can only do it with true love. Even when I was in Seodaemun Prison, I did not wish for the Republic of Korea to perish. I did not wish for Christianity to perish. Instead, my heart was, "Please forgive their sins, for they do not know what they are doing. Let me bear the burden to indemnify the sins of the Republic of Korea. Have compassion on the nation. They are cursing me, and I only hope that by my accepting their curse they will receive blessings. If that happens, there will be no greater joy." With this heart, I overcame every challenge, one by one.
When we sow seeds, we can harvest a hundredfold and a thousand fold. Accordingly, now we can connect tens and hundreds of times more people to salvation in God's love. Heavens law operates according to this fundamental principle for multiplying the root of life. When we go the way of love based on heaven's law, we can harvest a hundredfold and even a thousand fold. In the universe, such things can occur in the bosom of love. (179-300, 1988/08/14)
8. The 30 million people of Korea said, "You ringleader of heretics, you must perish." But did I perish? No, I did not. If they did not have a legitimate basis for striking me, they will have to pay me damages.
I was working for God under miserable circumstances while they were pointing fingers at me. While pioneering the path, they put me through all sorts of hardships. Nevertheless, each time I thought, "God has suffered more hardships than I have; how can I not endure this degree of hardship?" The more hardships and difficulties you endure in a public position, the more your storehouse will be filled with treasures -- treasures that no one else can ever have. (017-252, 1967/01/29)
9. The history of the Unification Church started from prison. Even after I came to South Korea, my path began with curses, betrayals and persecution.
I am not a spineless man. I have not forgotten what the manager of the cell block said to me when I entered Seodaemun Prison. Even after I die, I will not be able to forget it. But before one month had gone by, he came to me and said, "The Moon of the Unification Church that I heard about in the past is different from the Mr. Moon of the Unification Church that I know now. I am sorry." He apologized to me; I saw this clearly with my own eyes. In that experience, I witnessed that righteousness can defeat even the crudest prison chains.
Therefore, although the path of righteousness is difficult, we must not be discouraged. I am responsible to lead this group of people for whom God has been searching. This is my path, and I never let myself become discouraged along the way. I carry numerous scars from the ordeals, tribulations and beatings, but I do not mind the wounds. (064-148, 1972/10/29)
10. When you are going through hardships, ordinary things can be lifted up and become objects of absolute value. If you were to experience prison life or live through a severe famine, you would understand this.
Indeed, trials and suffering are not bad. Those who possess the strength, hope, and desire to affirm the value of life while undergoing trials and suffering are not crushed by the difficulties of those tests and hardships. Rather, they become a stimulus to find joy in the future. Not only that, they can enable you to find the nation of hope, even God's kingdom.
If you keep your hope alive while you are going through difficulties, you can realize the joy of the kingdom of heaven. Without overcoming difficulties, you can never achieve your hopes. Therefore, the God of love trains people so that they will be able to overcome a wide spectrum of trials that will come during the course of their lives. In this sense, the course of that training is not an end in itself. It is a path of suffering that is given as a gift, enabling you to feel value and motivating you to find greater joy.
When we think like this, suffering and difficulties are not bad. They can become the foundation of our happiness today and the means enabling us to inherit the happiness of tomorrow. (042-320, 1971/04/04)
11. I have been walking a long and arduous path alone, pioneering the mission of a forerunner. But I did not speak about it to others. My mission requires me to risk my life. Nevertheless I am not a lonely man. I do not need sympathy from you, either.
Actually, I am a happy person. Since God, the owner of the universe, recognizes me, I could be happy even through torture, when my tendons were cut, my flesh was torn and blood flowed from my torn flesh. I could be happy, because I knew the heart of God, who suffered more than I in order to send His Son on such a path. I was fighting to find the nation that would be able to embrace and comfort heaven. For that I could endure any torture, no matter how severe. Even when the path of the cross came to me unexpectedly, and even when that path drove me into difficult and despairing circumstances, I remained determined to go forward, renewing my resolve and renewing my hope. (065-091, 1972/11/13)
12. Looking at the trail of history until now, we see that the central figures of history are the ones who in their time surmounted suffering and fought unceasingly while never giving up hope for their nation and for the kingdom. Such people are the owners of history.
Saints and sages are the people who honored the will of heaven. They gave up any attachment to what the human world valued, and more than that, they changed its direction. They elevated the existing world to the world of hope by overcoming all the difficulties in their environment, even at the sacrifice of their lives. Hence, although their lives appeared to be miserable, all the pain and suffering they experienced internally became the motivating power that enabled them to connect the existing world to the world of joy.
The suffering path that God made the Unification Church walk until now was not for the purpose of bringing our church to ruin. On the contrary, its purpose was for the sake of God's love. The Unification Church has been developing so that it can meet the spring of tomorrow and become a greater light to the world. (042-320, 1971/04/04)
13. When I entered Seodaemun Prison in shackles, I was not ashamed. I had nothing to be ashamed of before heaven or earth. I kept my back straight and walked tall. When I was released from prison, I remember that four prison guards stepped forward and said that they would become members of the Unification Church.
The warden came to see me a number of times. He was thinking, "Is this the man whom the people of Korea consider so bad? He is not really the person they say he is." Outside the prison, all the Unification Church members waited in line, competing to see me. When the warden saw the young men and women lining up early in the morning, waiting to see me, he acknowledged, "Oh, I really did not understand him." This is the kind of path I have walked thus far. (065-063, 1972/11/13)
14. Never forget that I was chased out by the churches and the nation, which persecuted the Unification Church. Never forget that I stood before the presiding judge in a prison uniform, wearing shackles.
Now the season of sorrows is over, and our time has come. Springtime, the time for sowing seeds, has come. When we sow them they will sprout. However, sprouts will not germinate where people oppose us. Throughout history until today, we have been accumulating the merit of life and merit of love on behalf of our fellow citizens, all the people of Korea. The day will come when we can bequeath these merits to all those who are building the nation. Christians are still treating us as their enemies, but the path for those numerous Christians will be opened here. (048-318, 1971/09/26)