Seventh Annual UTS Commencement

Sun Myung Moon
June 25, 1983
Unification Theological Seminary in Barrytown

On June 25, 1983, 45 students of Unification Theological Seminary gathered at Barrytown, with their teachers, friends, and parents, to participate in the Class of '83 graduation ceremony. Most importantly, True Parents themselves attended the event, giving it a special, historical significance. To the surprise of many, Father left immediately afterward to continue fishing with Ocean Church members

Among the speakers was Mr. David Kim, president and "papa" of UTS. His last words to the graduating class included the following:

"When you go out into the field, you will be working on the front line between good and evil, harmony and conflict, and diplomacy.

"I hope that out there you will bring many more successes and achievements in order to become congratulated not only by me but by the nation and the world."

Commencement Address
Sun Myung Moon

Ladies and Gentlemen:

I am truly grateful to you, the parents and families of the graduating students, friends, professors, and distinguished guests, for your attendance at this seventh graduation ceremony of the Unification Theological Seminary.

The Unification Church has recently emerged as a unique group, without precedent in history. Parents of our members, the larger society, nations, and the world recognize our uniqueness but they generally fail to understand the nature of it.

People in the world tend to see things primarily from a self-centered perspective. However, members of the Unification Church learn to view everything from a higher and larger dimension. For example: money, power, knowledge -- even salvation -- are regarded from a worldly viewpoint as benefiting the individual, or at most the family. How rare it is to find a person who puts even the welfare of the nation above that of the family! But for us the entire cosmos, both spiritual and physical, takes priority over the individual, the family, and even the nation.

Goals

Goals such as liberation, freedom, and happiness are generally sought for the sake of a few people rather than the human-family as a whole. But unlike the rest of the world, we strive toward liberation, freedom and happiness not only for all mankind, but even for God. Anyone who overlooks this difference fails to understand our true nature.

Because our perspective is different and our goal is different, the direction and contents of our lives are different. This difference is analogous to that between a sprinter and a marathon runner. Like the marathon runner, we need not only long-range thinking, but also more training. Our task demands more perseverance, longer periods of self-sacrifice, and more pain.

Coming from a narrower perspective, many parents, families, and even nations have failed to understand this, and have opposed us. In spite of this opposition, we have tried to embrace everyone; and fortunately, more and more people are now reflecting on their previous attitude and beginning to understand us.

Holy Sons and Daughters

From the point of view of the family, sons and daughters who love and serve their parents for the benefit of the entire family are called children of filial piety. From the point of view of a nation, citizens who love and serve their country are called loyal patriots. From a global point of view, people who love and serve all of mankind are called saints. And from a cosmic point of view, those who love and serve heaven as well as mankind are called holy sons and daughters of God. In the Unification Church, our goal is to become holy sons and daughters of God.

What does history need most? Does it need people with a narrow, worldly perspective, or does it need the Unification Church? If the conscientious people of the world really understood the Unification Church they would agree that history needs us more than anything else. And if we were to ask God, the answer would be the same.

As sons and daughters of God, we can be proud of our historical mission. When our generation passes away, we must leave behind a worthy history, a secure mankind, and a satisfied God. Such a mission enjoys the protection of history, mankind, and God. For this, we can be grateful in our daily work.

Those of you who are graduating from the Seminary today are part of this historical mission. Reverend Moon and the members of the Unification Church have devoted considerable effort to your education, and have high hopes that in your future careers you will become true leaders of tomorrow.

We are praying that you establish a royal pattern which will liberate mankind and God, and will defeat Satan and communism. We are also praying that you will establish a new and higher tradition for future history, mankind and God.

I would like to close by congratulating the graduates on their achievement; and by thanking once again the parents of these historically important young people, the professors who have instructed these people whom history needs, and the distinguished guests who will watch them with new hope.

Father's Closing Prayer

Loving Father!

Before Thy noblest and highest Will, all human beings cannot even hide their miserable faces, because in the past, we failed to set up an acceptable standard of human dignity and prestige for Thee. Throughout the ages of history, Thou hast been following the path of human sorrows and miseries, working hard with these suffering human beings and sacrificing numerous people in the course of Restoration Providence, with the sole hope of fulfilling The Original Will. Our human ancestors failed to cooperate with Thy Will and failed in their heavenly responsibilities, for which we ask Thy sympathy.

In order to fulfill the noble task of Thy Will, Thou hast established many conscientious religions on earth; amongst them, Judaism and Christianity assumed special missions as central and leading forces to do Thy Will. However, up to the present, they failed to accomplish their noble responsibilities, for which we also humbly beseech Thee for Thy sympathy and forgiveness.

To totally indemnify all the failures of the past and present in the course of the Restoration Providence, Thou established the Unification Church, and Thou hast been the guiding force in overcoming severe suffering, hardships and unbearable persecution. The work of the Unification Church began out of the small and distant nation of Korea, now reaching out to the highest levels of the contemporary world. This development and these accomplishments, derived from Thy guidance, protection and love, now await the final confrontation and challenge to the whole world, for which I am deeply grateful to Thee.

To accelerate such a noble Will, the Unification Church inaugurated the Unification Theological Seminary nine years ago to train and produce important leaders. We are now celebrating the seventh graduation ceremony today: we pray that Thou be in this ceremony with these new graduates. They studied here for two or three years and worked very hard to become respectable, proud and victorious leaders-to-be in the course of God's Dispensation on behalf of all mankind, to influence the past, present and future of all mankind.

These new graduates will stand firmly in the front line centering on this land of America, the leader of the world; protecting free nations; controlling the rapid spread of Communism to conquer the entire globe; and establishing the Kingdom of Heaven on earth, the noblest task to be accomplished. We pray that Thou bless, protect and guide these 45 new graduates who will challenge this troubled world of reality. Thy divine protection, infinite care and intervention be with them throughout their entire life. I humbly place all these new graduates in Thy hands and Thy direct guidance. I again beseech Thee that they will not fail Thee, since they did already pledge their life to Thee a long time ago.

In expressing gratitude to all those who are attending this graduation -- distinguished guests, faculty, staff, parents, relatives and friends -- may Thy blessing today be upon them forever.

In the name of True Parents

Amen. Amen. Amen.

Graduate Response
James Flynn

Rev. and Mrs. Moon, Distinguished Faculty, Honored Guests, Brothers and Sisters:

On this momentous day, we are proud and grateful to stand before you as members of the 7th graduating class of the Unification Theological Seminary. We wish to thank you with all of our hearts for the love and support that you have given to us throughout our course of studies here.

Our education at the seminary has been broad and rounded. We have been challenged not only to increase our knowledge but also expand our hearts and our faith. In our increasingly secular society, it seems that theological seminaries often convey only knowledge about Gods But here, our intellectual pursuits are placed in the context of a vital religious life. The varieties of our experience at UTS have been rich and meaningful -- from community worship and personal prayer, from classroom work and individual study, to ecumenical dialogues, CARP, fishing, tennis-playing, and even washing dishes together. All this and much more has been part of our learning experience. We have had the opportunity to gain not only knowledge about God, but also understanding of God and experience with God. For this we are deeply grateful.

We have been taught by a diverse and distinguished faculty, representing various aspects of the Judea-Christian tradition. From them we have learned to respect and appreciate the rich spiritual heritage that has gone before us. We pray for the humility to inherit from those traditions, as well as for the willingness to respond to the unfolding of God's providence in our time.

Today is for us not only a day of completion, but also of new beginning: not only of celebration, but also commitment. For we have come here not to study and prepare simply for careers in ministry or religious education. Rather, we are striving to be the great men and women, God-centered people, through whom God can work to make His ideal real. Through the inspiration of Rev. Moon, we have come to believe that the great hope of the Kingdom of God on earth can be realized in our time. Therefore, as we complete our studies at UTS, we commit ourselves wholeheartedly to this great mission, to become the catalysts for the building of God's Kingdom.

We are especially grateful today to Rev. and Mrs. Moon. By their words and example they have imparted to us a vision of a better life and a better world. They have instilled in us the courage to take responsibility. The malaise of our world today is obvious. There is great need for inspired people with the strength and humility to serve, to minister, and to lead. It is our hope and prayer to become such people.

We are glad that you -- our parents, teachers, friends and relatives -- can join with us to celebrate this day. Each of you is precious to us, for your love and trust in us has been so meaningful and important.

We go forth from this seminary today with high ideals, a great vision, and the foundation of the skills we need to translate the vision into reality. We have shared much together here, and the bonds of heart that were forged will not be left behind. We are convinced that it is not simply knowledge about God that will build God's Kingdom, but further our cooperative efforts, with each other and with God, to create true and loving relationships.

The world today is desperately in need of healing, and God is in need of those willing to take responsibility. We hope to express our gratitude to God for all that we have been given, not simply in words, but more importantly, in our deep commitment to become the instruments of God's peace, God's hope, and God's love.

Thank you very much. 

The Ocean Is an Orphan

Sun Myung Moon
June 24, 1983

Why did I start Ocean Church in the first place? What is Ocean Church? Why do I involve myself in this activity, which I place such importance upon?

You may have heard me say many times. "There is no master or owner of the ocean. The ocean is like an orphan."

You can wonder how many more centuries man will be able to continue to live prosperously on the continents. What if the world population increases tenfold, to 40 billion people on earth? It will be crowded and there wouldn't be enough food, since so much of the land would be occupied. And it is questionable whether it is God's will to limit the offspring of man through birth control.

The population problem is an old question, but to me it is critical along with the problem of pollution. This means the problem of bad air. Maybe man in the future will have to live without fire; we will have to live without so much cooking, so that means eating raw foods.

We might say that mankind in live in space. But can we build a house up there? People will try that for a few years, but they'll decide to come right back to earth and then their choice will be the ocean.

Fish as Human Diet

Can fish be a good source of food for human life? The answer is yes. I learned that American white people have been going to Japanese restaurants to eat sushi only within the last ten years or so. Before that they didn't even dream about eating raw fish, and now they like it very much.

If fish becomes the common human diet, then what kind can supply such a huge quantity of food? Small fish or huge fish? Actually tuna and shark represent the two tastiest fish. You may not have tasted these, but I have, so I know. For dried fish you need a fish that doesn't have so much fat, so shark is best. Among the oily fish, tuna is best. These two will become the main source of protein in the future.

The Qualities of Tuna

It is a fact that one tuna lays between one and a half and three million eggs per season. Naturally the majority do not grow to maturity; only a few ever become as large as the mother tuna. But fish farming can be most valuable; if you take the eggs, isolate them and raise the fish to a substantial size and then return them to the ocean, there will be millions more adult tuna.

Tuna is the fastest moving fish, sometimes reaching about a hundred miles an hour. When they cruise, they go about 35 miles an hour. If you study the anatomy of a tuna you will see that it is a very striking creature. Like the shark, it doesn't have any bone, just two spines. There are no small bones. It's absolutely amazing when you see one.

How much food do you eat every day? You probably need about three pounds or 3.000 calories on the average, so if you catch a thousand pound tuna, there will he protein for so many days. One day tuna will be in such demand that the skin may be used for jackets -- the most fashionable jackets -- and the skin is very durable.

If you take one tuna and catch even 50 percent of its eggs, and raise them to full size, that would be enough to feed over a million people. If you raised the eggs of 100 tuna, the results would feed over 100 million people. By this calculation, it would take the eggs of 3,000 tuna to provide food enough to feed four billion people. That's the potential.

Where do we find such a big farm? Well, the whole ocean is a farm and belongs to mankind. We can also plant some vegetables in the ocean and harvest them.

I feel that the world problems such as the human food problem of the future can be worked out using the enormous resources of the ocean. I am now investigating other species so that we can fish all throughout the year without interruption. Every season has its own kind of fish.

Americans and Fishing

Ironically, American young people have no desire to go to the ocean to fish. Look at Gloucester, for instance -- it is the harbor of America. Today you see it so desolate; only a few ships. It isn't because the fishermen ran away from here, but because the young people ran away.

Historically, America's trade tradition is based on the merchant marine. America and the Atlantic Ocean have an inseparable tie in history. Your ancestors were so serious -- much more than you are now. They suffered from religious persecution in their countries, so they came to the New World for new hope. America's biggest city isn't out in the Midwestern plains, but right here where the Hudson River meets the Atlantic Ocean. And the other great cities. Los Angeles, and San Francisco on the Pacific coast, and even Chicago on the shore of Lake Michigan; it's evident that mankind has a tradition of dwelling next to the great bodies of water.

Only during the last 30 years during the age of the jet plane has this tradition begun to change. It is evident in the declining shipbuilding industry. For example, nearly all the American boat-builders have closed, even in Alabama, except our Master Marine company. When the industry is declining, the world's common sense is to flee the industry, but not us; it's the time when we just get started to bring it up again.

The world has four fishing grounds. Three of them are here off the shores of the United States, but Americans are not catching the fish. Japanese, Germans, the Russians -- these are the people who need so much fish and they want to catch America's fish. Eventually other countries too will go to the American government and ask, "Why don't you catch fish to supply the whole world?"

The American government knows it must do something but what can the government do when the young people run away from fishing? This is a serious dilemma, they should develop the industry, but they can't do it without young people to work at it. America needs someone to work the fishing industry or this will become a national political problem.

People in Gloucester may say, "Rev. Moon, we don't like you; go back to Korea," but the American government knows that Rev. Moon is doing a great service to this country, and there's nobody else doing it.

Manipulated Fishing Industry

When we speak about the fishing industry, we can generalize that it has been manipulated by a very small number of people who have money. For instance, you can hardly call tuna fishing an industry: the market had deteriorated so much and there was hardly any money going to the fisherman for his efforts. But between him and the Japanese restaurants selling sushi, there are middlemen, buyers and distributors who are the real money makers; they have no other motive than making a lot of money in the shortest time. They don't think seriously about creating a lasting industry for the sake of the country and the sake of the world.

Once they accumulate their wealth, they retire and sell their venture to someone else, and the fisherman suffers even more. We can see the result of this today -- nobody wants to fish.

It is our mission to provide a motive through which many people can see the apparent injustice. All fishermen and boat captains must get together and realize they must protect themselves from this system and they will fight the economic war against the middlemen and those higher investors.

You may have noticed that all the food prices have been going up except the fish index. Who sets the price of fish? Only a few people actually decide the prices among themselves, and this is what is happening right now; they are lowering the price of tuna fish. The market price is manipulated. Right now it is 51.25 per pound. But we are buying tuna at $3.00 per pound. Since tuna has a relatively short season, running only in July and August, there is a limited quantity of tuna to buy since there is a limited number allowed to be caught.

Persecution stops

Recently, the men of a tuna fishing fleet who had been opposing us for seven years, calling us names and such heard that I am offering $3.00 per pound, but they were suspicious. However, they wanted to find out, so they came to the New Hope and asked if this were true. Suddenly it dawned on them; and they really started to welcome us. Before, when we caught tuna, they would try to cut the lines here, or cross the line there to interfere with us; but this time they opened up a way where we could more freely catch our tuna. There is now a drastic change in atmosphere.

Three years ago they never entertained the thought of selling to us; today they are running to us to be number one to sell, before it's too late. Who would sell for $1.25 when he can sell for $3.00?

There are four major competitors in the business in Gloucester alone, which is the main port for tuna dealing. When all the fishermen sold to us the first day, and nobody went to the other three docks; they were really afraid. If they don't have tuna, they cannot supply their customers, and that means all their customers will drop away and find a new supplier. Once they fall away, they don't come back. This puts our competitors into a crisis situation.

Until now the town of Gloucester has been persecuting us. We wanted to establish our own gasoline station because our fleet is so large, but the town never granted us permission.

But now there are all these fishing boat people who sell their catch to us; if the Moonies leave, they may no longer get $3.00 per pound, so it's in their interest to do some lobbying with the town, saying, "Why don't you give the Moonies the license for the filling station?"

Actually there is a total limit of 2000 tuna that can be caught each season. If each fish weighed 1000 pounds, and we paid an average $3.00 per pound and bought every single tuna, the cost would be $6 million.

Quick Freezing

Many years ago we bought quick-freezing equipment. It is a freezer that freezes a fish within a matter of seconds; not taking two or three hours in the conventional manner. With that kind of freezing, the tuna is almost like fresh tuna -- it keeps a high quality, and brings a higher price. This extends the tuna eating season to autumn, winter and spring.

The Japanese say that the Boston tuna are the most famous of all the world for the best tuna sushi. Soon people will accept the fact that the Boston Bluefin tuna will cost 53.00 and they will be glad to pay for it.

Ultimately we will not even have to sacrifice money to bring the standard of fish prices up for the benefit of the fishermen. We can expect that the Gloucester tuna fishermen, and other fishermen too, will begin to cooperate with our new strategy, because they will directly benefit from it. The trade secret will be how to preserve the freshness of the fish.

Teaching Others

When we catch tuna and sell it for a high price, we still can make money. I will bring many young fishermen to America and they'll say that our way is the best way to catch fish. Thousands of people will have a chance to share this experience, and you members in Ocean Church will be the teachers for all of them.

American economy can blossom through this prosperity but someone must sacrifice himself. The need is there, and people understand it, but they don't want to do it themselves. Even though I am in my 60s, I don't mind. "If I go to the ocean and leave a good tradition, then millions of people will live by that; and that is my desire."

I started fishing way ahead of you; a month ago when the tuna season hadn't even begun. I do that because if you work harder than I do, then my conscience will bother me.

Experience with Tuna

Once young men have the taste of catching tuna, you cannot forget it for the rest of your life. It's so exciting. Every occasion that reminds you of the ocean reminds you of catching tuna. In their earlier years maybe someone thought it was very difficult and they try to escape it, but now they are waiting for me to call them. Like those members who have never met me before -- they want to come here so badly.

Suppose you lose the tuna after he bites, and that evening when you return home, you don't even want to look at those other tuna. Even that kind of experience is very precious.

When you cut fish, you can say to them, "Since you are a small fish, I will cut you up and throw you to the bottom to be eaten up by the big fish, for the sake of mankind. If you believe and pray like that, and then you catch one: that can really make a difference.

When you see me harpooning a tuna, and you see all that blood coming out you might think, "Why does Father as a religious leader, do things like that, since life is so precious?"

It's not that I don't know that life is so precious, but that the life of mankind is much more precious than that of fish. It is a sacrifice. The tuna will be happy, and we will be happy, for that matter, if we keep this awareness within ourselves. If our activity of fishing will help bring complete salvation to all mankind, it will bring joy to God who is the Creator.

In a way the boat is our altar: it's a holy place. We don't joke around, we don't sleep once we get on the boat. We are serious.

We should dedicate our hearts to the sea. And we must endure hardships.

By no means is it easy to catch a tuna. We have to be very quiet while waiting: they are very sensitive. The tuna is very clever: he goes around the boat with his slanted eyes so he can see who is on the boat.

Learn about the tuna's psychology. By the time he reaches you, the tuna has already gone through all kinds of experiences. Tuna never bite nice bait, but take the small unexpected bait. Very clever! The cleanest and most organized boat will catch more tuna.

If you get near the ocean, then you come to love the ocean: if you don't ever get near it, then you can't come to love it. You and the ocean remain strangers. I come to the conclusion that the real Moonie is the one who really loves the ocean. Why? Because the head of the Unification Church loves the ocean, and the son is inheriting this love from the Father.

In the very beginning, I never caught any tuna for many days. But I kept working at the tradition, and when that was set, I became very knowledgeable. Then, indeed, I became an expert. I've worked the ocean for almost ten years already, and that's why I can really catch tuna now.

One Who Loves the Ocean

Ocean Church was created by me for the sake of mankind. That tradition has to be established by someone, so I halve been emphasizing Ocean Church at every opportunity.

For the sake of mankind, it's righteous to go to the ocean. Who is that righteous American who wants to follow this tradition? I have been searching for that person for over ten years now in this country. Because the initiative is being taken by all other nationalities, America is losing the chance for using all these resources.

The ones who love the ocean most will be the owner or master of the ocean. I developed my business tradition based on what? Based on love. If you really put your heart into a business do you think that business can fail? No, the universe and also God would stand behind it. You might ask. "What is the limit of this Ocean Church business?"

And I will say, "Limitless. Ocean resources are limitless." 

Our Ideal Home: Part One

Sun Myung Moon
June 19, 1983
Belvedere
Translator - Sang Kil Han

America is a country which represents hope and the ideal for many people around the world. However, their understanding of this country is rather vague. They only think in terms of an abundant economy, advanced technology, and unprecedented freedom because these are the things which comprise their hopes and ideals.

Looking closer at this country, anyone can see that many homes and families are failing apart. The family is the building block of any society so any great nation must be built upon great families. However, many American husbands and wives are full of distrust for each other; even parents and children cannot trust each other.

There is no one closer to an individual than the members of his own family, so if he cannot trust them, who can he trust in the whole world? How can he trust his teachers, his politicians, even the president of the nation? Therefore, distrust is very widespread throughout this nation.

An individual suffers tremendous damage from being unable to trust the people around him. He feels a tremendous need to find something strong in which to place his trust. If a person cannot trust his family, they seem far away from him. Therefore the society, nation, and world will be extremely far away from him. It stands to reason that the concepts of religion, the Heavenly Kingdom and so forth are even farther away still from that person's reality.

Many people become totally imprisoned by their inability to trust. They tell themselves, "I don't need the world, I don't need this country, and I don't need my parents. I can even do without a wife/husband." They dismiss all thought of the ideals of religion, claiming that they don't need them either.

It is natural for an individual to want to feel valuable but when he realizes that he is not trusted by anyone in his environment-not even his parents and certainly not his society-how can he really believe that he is a valuable person? Thus he can easily fall into the philosophy that human beings are no better than animals.

Such a person will deny whatever his parents believe in, simply because he mistrusts them. Religion was flourishing in this country until just a few decades ago, but many of today's young people are trying to deny the value of religion for their own lives. Wanting to rebel against past generations, many young people follow their impulses of the moment; whatever they feel like doing, they do.

There is no basic standard or trustworthy model by which such people can measure themselves. Thus they go after momentary stimulation more and more. Many people, feeling that they cannot trust the opposite sex, turn toward their own sex. Desiring even more excitement, they start to use drugs, different drugs for different occasions, and so forth. All these things are natural outgrowths of their deep-rooted lack of trust.

If the father and mother of a family do not exhibit respect for each other, how can the child possibly learn respect? Although knowing inside that it is not quite right, many individuals avail themselves to different sexual partners almost every day. Chastity disappears for them and they become accustomed to such a lifestyle.

Although people do not talk about it freely, incest has become very common. Parents and even grandparents molest their children! It is estimated that up to 20% of the families in this country are experiencing this terrible thing! The victims of such abuse lose their self-respect. Imagine a young girl who is the victim of this abuse. She would watch her father and mother going to church and she would come to despise their hypocrisy. She would want to do anything to rebel against her parents, especially against their religion.

This is no exaggeration; it is a common reality in America today. If nothing happens to change this situation, it will continue to slide downward further and further. Such things can never revert themselves automatically and start to improve. This very country which was founded upon the ideals of religion and, until very recently, strongly religious is still practicing the outer trappings of religion. Is there any way to regain the internal morality of this nation?

Why has this decline occurred? We can blame the abuse of freedom for all of the problems we have mentioned. Those who espouse freedom above all other values do not want any restrictions upon themselves. Such freedom lovers are inherently non-traditional. If the democratic world cherishes freedom so highly, how can there be any tradition passed on to succeeding generations? Certainly it is natural for people to desire freedom but when they put it above all else, they will never achieve it!

Democratic countries pursue freedom but do they have any common tradition by which they can preserve democracy itself? We can look back in history and see that when the political ideal of freedom was first espoused in the Middle Ages, it was linked with the guidance of God. But when people started to leave God out of their pursuit of freedom, freedom itself started to collapse. Only as long as people sincerely tried to live according to God's will was a free society possible. By the same token, Catholicism became corrupted when the clergy started living only for their own interests, forgetting the reality of God.

Freedom for all people has become a pursuit devoid of God. Therefore it has lost its center. When people abandoned God as the proper center of freedom, they put themselves in that center. They began to deny cherished values of the past, including family and country. This is as dangerous as playing with fire when one is doused with gasoline. You can be burned up totally.

When this phenomenon is no longer limited to a few people but becomes a nationwide situation, nothing can be saved. If the rest of the world could see clearly what kind of situation America is actually in, they would be so shocked, especially if they were looking to this country as their hope. That is why the slogan, "Yankee go home," started. People of other countries became disgusted by the way Americans behaved when they came to their countries.

Of course, there is no way for you to understand what I am saying because most of you have never even been outside of this country. But since I have come from the outside, I am like a third party observing the situation from an objective viewpoint. Do you think that I am observing things correctly?

Although the Unification Church is supposed to be the hope for eradicating all these problems, there is still a remnant of that distrust lingering among us. Unification Church members from this society have acquired the automatic habit of distrusting their superiors because of their early experiences. Thus, even though you join the church, you maintain that habit of rebelliousness and destructiveness. Many people have left without a word of goodbye to anyone, just packing up and going off the way they did before, wandering from place to place. That happens to represent the lowest possible way of behaving, according to Oriental customs. When a person in the Orient leaves a place without saying goodbye, he is lowering himself into the animal kingdom. But Americans have been taught these ways and do not know any better.

Hearing these words, how do you Americans feel? You feel bad. Once you feel bad, immediately you must try to do whatever is necessary to feel good. In other words, if you have been going in a direction which was wrong or bad, you have to turn around 180 degrees and adjust your course toward the right and good. But in turning, would you want to just turn part of the way, say 90 degrees? No, you should want to turn around completely. Do you think that can be easy? You must clearly understand how difficult such a thing is before you can practically seek to achieve it. We could say that the difficulty is comparable to a woman becoming a man, or vice-versa. How totally difficult it is to change oneself from bad to good!

Even though you know how virtually impossible it is to change yourself, if you hear someone telling you, "This is the way for you to change" your eyes would pop out and you would want to follow him. What Moonies are to the world, Reverend Moon is to the Moonies. When I speak to you, you become awakened and excited by the ideas. However, when someone who is not in our movement bears what I am saying, they think I must be crazy and seeing ghosts in the night, or something. They think we are not just a little bit wrong but totally wrong in every way.

I can understand that the average American would not be able to understand me or what I am saying. Considering the way America is today, I know that if an ordinary American tried to do the things which I do, all the people around him would think him completely insane. The Federal Government which has been in power for two hundred years may tell me, "Reverend Moon, we have technology, universities, power of every sort and we have tried everything possible to bring a better society, so why should we listen to you? What could you possibly have to offer us? You don't even speak English!"

Furthermore, Americans would say, "Even though you criticize America so much, most of the rest of the people of the world admire us and follow our fashions! Do you still insist upon changing America?" They look at Korea, which is always begging for money from America and they know that is where I came from. Therefore, they cannot understand who or what Reverend Moon is.

Did Reverend Moon know about these problems before he began his task? Yes, I certainly knew them. One American might ask me, "How do you propose to accomplish your task, Father?" and I might not give him an answer. That is not because I do not know the answer, it is because that person would not be able to understand the answer.

Someone who has never trusted anyone else will want to trust himself but he cannot. Such a person will try to assert himself and his own freedom, yet he knows he cannot truly trust himself. Centered totally upon himself, he tries to insist upon his total freedom. That is a dangerous situation! We can see that the sooner this individual gives up that kind of freedom, the better off he will be. But how can that freedom be taken away from him and replaced with proper tradition and God's righteousness? How difficult it is to replace that kind of freedom, that absence of all inhibition!

Our way of going about changing America has been literally that of confronting each individual one by one. Until we can penetrate people's false armor, they cannot realize their true selves. We have been operating this way on the individual basis while on the cultural or society level, I have been leading a similar kind of confrontation. The first thing I did after arriving in America was to re-arrange the culture which the missionaries before me had built in the Unification Church. The members of the West Coast church were actually denied entrance to the church on the East Coast. Even the missionaries could not lose their attitude of "my church." They had the same problem of individualistic, self-centered freedom.

That offended me very much at the time but even today we still have the same problem. We can see it when people say, "This is the American way of the Unification Church," or "This is the way the Japanese members do it." Some Western people say, "We don't like the Oriental Unification system. We want an Americanized Unification Church:' But I say such thinking is absolutely wrong. Sometimes I seem merciless in my attitude but it is like major surgery-whatever must be cut off, simply must be cut off. As we already said, for a person to really change is as difficult as a man becoming a woman. Some Americans say, "Yes, I want to change, I want to change!" But then they add, "But I will only change 50 degrees. That is my limit."

Every Sunday morning you come here, some of you grumbling inside and unsettled in your minds, yet you come here to listen to me. Then I speak and show you the direction so clearly that even the most stubborn among you can understand the value of what I am saying. Then everyone raises his hand at the end and pledges himself, "Yes, Father, I will go that direction and I will change." Before you came to that point, you were fighting against changing but finally you gave up your personal opinions and were willing to change.

However, how many degrees have you changed? When you say, "Yes, I will go in your direction," you then have to turn around 180 degrees. But since it is as difficult as a man becoming a woman, even though you pledged yourself to change 180 degrees, you have only changed a tiny little bit. This is a continual process. Remember your own pledges and how many times you have said, "Father, I will change 180 degrees" and then ask yourself how much you have actually changed. The truth is that you have not turned very far at all. It is as if you were trying to hold on to something great but it is not so great in reality! Are you that way? Yes, you are; I know you well.

You seem to understand clearly sometimes, beyond any doubt, and I think, "Yes, now they will change." But the next time you come, I can see that you haven't changed very much at all and I have to speak all over again about the same things. It is not easy to explain the same points over and over from different angles. But you begin to see, and then you pledge again. But once you change, you must turn 180 degrees; otherwise, it is not really a change.

Reverend Moon has been working very hard, enduring all kinds of persecution from the Western world and you feel very sympathetic- and sorry to see me going through this. But stop to think-Reverend Moon is in such a pitiful position because the members of the Unification Church themselves are not following him, let alone the people in the secular world. Have you ever thought that my difficult situation is because of your own poor response? Certainly I too, know that my internal situation is very miserable.

Even though I know how impossible it seems to get you members to listen and follow my direction, still I continue. Sometimes you even seem to ignore what I am saying! So there are times when I feel like just giving up on all of you and letting this country drift the way it wants; I often feel that kind of anger.

I know that you won't change or turn from your position until you can understand the situation, so I explain everything to you. But you can change only to the extent of your changed understanding, not to the extent of my full explanation. Sometimes I might give you extra information to give you an extra boost of stimulation, but that boost puts you into a spin and turns you around to the wrong direction!

You must be able to think about where you really are. There is a great distance between the ideal home and where you are today. The usual concept of "home sweet home" is very different from the ideal home. The sweet home is one which is just horizontally devoted to itself and all the members of the family, while the ideal home is one in which both the vertical and horizontal relationships are important.

Since there is such widespread incest in this society, undoubtedly there are some of you who experienced that. This phenomenon alone shows us that the last days are here. Now that I have spoken to you for one hour, you probably understand one point at least: that you are at a low point which you must change but it is very difficult to do. Maybe this accomplishment is enough for this morning.

We must show the correct way of life to the rest of America and then we must show the rest of the world that they can have hope because of Moonies. Let me ask you a question and each individual must consult his own heart: How much have you changed your direction? Have you turned around 15 degrees, or 50 or 90 or 180?

Knowing that you must change, the second point you must understand is how difficult it is. If you think it is easy, you might as well forget about changing. If you think back to the toughest examination you ever had in school, you should realize that changing is more difficult than even that.

Another comparison is that of a war between countries. Imagine that you were a soldier doing hand-to-hand combat in a fierce fight. This is the same kind of battle you should consider yourself engaged in when you are trying to change yourself. In fact, the battle with yourself is more difficult and fierce. The internal battle is more difficult than any physical war. In that case how can you say, "We Americans have freedom and democracy; with these invincible qualities, we will win the battle"?

The reason why Americanism will never succeed in winning this battle is that the basic attitude here is humanism and pragmatism. Pragmatism is even lower than humanism because it is only interested in bringing some kind of profit to a situation. That profit is more often centered upon material than spiritual values. Neither humanism nor pragmatism will be able to help in the individual internal battle.

I know that if I expected secular Americans to understand these things, I would be too naive. This culture is saturated with humanism and pragmatism and it has known virtually no other way of thinking. Naturally I will be denounced by this culture. But what we are proposing is Godism, God's way.

Before you can write something on a dirty blackboard, you must first erase what is already written there. First the materialism, humanism, and pragmatism must be erased in America and then we can introduce Godism on top of that. This is the only way we can go to save America, especially the white people and the white culture. We are going through many things here and discovering how feasible it is to do this. I haven't yet seen anyone who can be the prototype for restoration here. When I asked you who had changed 180 degrees, no one raised his hand so our work is still continuing.

What is the unmistakable sign that someone has changed 180 degrees? If I see someone who is working day and night, putting his life on the line for God's sake, I know he has changed. What I am saying here is not just Reverend Moon's teaching. I am exactly repeating what Jesus said 2000 years ago: "Those who are willing to lose their lives for my sake will gain them; those who want to gain their lives will lose them."

If Reverend Moon is going the same direction as Jesus, then I can repeat the words of Jesus even one hundred times and there can be nothing wrong with that. Do you suppose that Jesus would say, "Hey, Reverend Moon, you can't use my words without permission!" Would he claim a copyright? No, Jesus would be only too happy to hear me using his words.

Do you think my own attitude has been, "I will not put my life at risk for this dispensation" or have I been putting my life on the line from the very beginning? How about you? Are you willing to put your life on the line in doing your mission? Are you putting your very life into what you are doing? Here is a secret: This way of life is very difficult, but once you have committed your life, there is nothing to it.

Suppose there was a Unification Church woman who had no time to comb her hair or make up her face, so her hair always looked messy. Suppose that she grew old and never got blessed; she had nothing except her gray hair. If she felt most fortunate for being in the Unification Church and doing this work, God would really praise her. She would be in a most wonderful situation. How do you American women feel about that? What about you men?

You are following me in this impossible task but I have already succeeded. I have succeeded in the religious realm but also in the realm of economics, technology, media, and culture. Do you really know that I have won these things, or do you just recognize it with your mind?

I am a smart person so I could condense ten hours' worth of speaking into one hour, if I chose to. You might say, "Father, your sermon jumps from one topic to another and your grammar is sometimes hard to follow." This is true. Even in Korean, my sentences are sometimes very long but they are absolutely logical and grammatically correct. The reason I use such long sentences is that the thought I am expressing requires many different phrases and clauses. They have to be pulled together to convey the meaning. But my talks are always consistent in the overall view.

Sometimes I will speak for such a long time that I could have made a journey by jet all the way from Korea to America, gone to a restaurant and had a nice meal and then returned to Korea! Even if I speak for 17 hours, it is like a jet traveling-my topic is always aiming toward a goal and it always gets there and lands safely. I have never done it but I could speak for 24 hours straight. Likewise, I could give 24 different 1-hour sermons in one day's time! If that was needed, I could do it.

As you see, I haven't really spoken to you today about our topic, "Our Ideal Home." Unless you are prepared to receive it, there is no use speaking about it. First, you will not appreciate the value of the words; and second, you would just forget them because you took them for granted. Perhaps I will speak again next week or next month about this topic. In the meantime, you can think more deeply about it.

What I have told you today has already filled you up. In order to turn around 180 degrees in the shortest possible time, you must simply bet your neck. If you are already sticking your neck out, you don't need any more sermon. It is only when you put your own life on the line when you Bet Your Neck-that your can achieve your ideal home.

Perhaps you say to me, "I have been working in this or that office for five years and you can't change me unless I give you my permission." That is not a good response because you are not betting your neck.

Let me ask you, do you want to achieve your ideal home? Certainly that is a desire of everyone. Please think deeply about that idea and then come to the conclusion on your own that you must risk your life to achieve that goal

That would be fine.

Without this attitude -- Bet Your Neck -- saving America, or any individual, is just rhetoric. Betting your neck is not just a one-year affair; all throughout our lives we have to continue this attitude. If you live that way, you won't even have to look for me in spirit world. We will all come together naturally in Heaven if we share that attitude.

Suppose your husband was given a new assignment, without your ever being consulted. Would you wives complain? Actually, you should have the attitude that if God needed it, you would even give up your spouse and take another one. Betting your life and changing 180 degrees involves such a total willingness. You should be willing to let your spouse be sent behind the Iron Curtain for missionary work.

We have a missionary in Zaire who has been very successful. However, when I first saw him I just shook my head and thought, "That person is too difficult to deal with. How can he ever make it?" Then he went to Africa and established a successful mission. He didn't have to tell me all the details because I understood that he had truly put his life on the line for Africa. Because of that, all the future descendants in Zaire will bow down to him.

In the same way, I bet my life for the sake of America and the world. Those who didn't do that will want to bow down to the person who did. Saints are those who laid their lives on the line for the sake of God. Sometimes I have been so badly seasick on the boat that I thought my intestines would come up, but I said, "No matter. I will not return to land."

These days I am taking the children of blessed couples out to sea in order to train them. They are working so very hard. I watch their faces and can see that they become very weary. But they, too, are betting their necks. They are living up to our tradition.

That attitude is what matters. If everyone in our movement had that attitude, we wouldn't even need as many people as we have! Only a handful of people is more than enough to accomplish our historical goal. Those of you who can pledge yourselves now to be the ones who can bet your neck for the cause, please raise your hands! God bless you.

Learning Tradition Europeans in America

Sun Myung Moon
June 13, 1983
Excerpts
Talk To European Leaders
Belvedere

True Parents congratulate Tyler Hendricks for being the first brother who successfully completed his Ph.D. On the same day, Father gave Tyler a new mission as the leader of Ocean Church. According to Father, there will be a new course for Ph.D. graduates. After completing their studies, they'll go through Ocean Church, CARP, become a state leader and finally a mobile team commander.

The task remaining is to integrate the organizing of the European churches with perfecting our tradition. In the instance of the Brazil Unification Church, Rev. Hyun Tae Kim received first award. He went from Korea to Brazil and set up the tradition consistent with the standard in the Korean Unification Church, which was learned directly from Father.

When Father gives a direction, it is received by Mr. Kim in no time and transmitted to every lower level of the church, to each of the thousands of individual members, and implemented within an hour. This is what Father calls "tradition," and this has been well established in Brazil, in addition to their witnessing and gaining thousands of members.

You do not know what a special time this is now, and since Father gives instructions according to the time, they should be implemented within a very short time, or else the opportunity passes. Using this example, what remains to be done in the European church is to take the Brazilian pattern and make the tradition clear in Europe as well.

Europe's significant role in influencing other countries lies in its position as the senior mission area. The earliest missionaries were sent from European churches, so the rest of the world is watching to see what you do. Especially at this time, they are keeping an attentive eye on you, and if you fail to do certain things in some circumstances, they will follow that pattern.

So what the European churches need to do is center upon one country, connect to the tradition and quickly connect all other countries.

Too many times European leaders have pondered Father's instructions, and then failed to act on them. American members have been watching, and have been affected undesirably and adversely, learning many bad habits. Father now has begun to renew the American church and transform those bad habits into the traditional practice of our church.

Why Is Tradition So Important?

Do you really understand why Father must place so much importance on "tradition"? In all the monumental works Father has done in the past, he needed all the spirit world to assist him. So long as we follow in the same traditional way, spirit world can reproduce the same power which helped Father 10 or 20 years ago. Spirit world has already established a tradition of cooperation with Father, and once a perfect standard such as this is set, it can be repeated successfully.

Those great works were done in the presence of God and Satan. Through cooperation of the spirit world with Father, the victory pattern was established by God, with Satan forced to recognize he had no place there.

Until you and your nations reach that standard of tradition, the spirit world cannot help you. Spirit world is waiting for us to reach the same intense level of heart and determination that Father reached. This is why tradition is so important.

The Christian churches provide a clear example of the importance of tradition. In the early church of Jesus, we find the Christian tradition of the Pentecostal experience. But why has it been repeated so infrequently since then? Without the intensity of people's yearning and heart, that level was not often reached, and Christianity consequently has drifted further and further away from that tradition. At one time Christians knew God was right beside them. Now they are even not so sure God exists. You leaders must understand these essential words for advancing your churches in Europe.

Father is the one who established this traditional beginning, so you must unite with Father in the same degree as early members in Korea united with him in working for the common purpose. Father sent President Young Whi Kim from Korea for this purpose so you could learn this from him.

Your prayer should become so intense that spirit world would just burst into cooperation with you, and you European leaders would gather together in desperation about the dispensation, crying for the people, literally becoming one. Truly we have one mission and one goal.

By not understanding the critical importance of tradition, maybe most of you just didn't know why President Kim should be in Europe, since he didn't know so much about the culture.

Whatever Father does he does for a reason, and you leaders should have figured out the reason. You should have gone to President Kim and directly asked him to teach you the early church tradition. Maybe you think that he's "Oriental" and your countries are Western, but East or West, our tradition and our lifestyle under God should be identical. We are the very same, Koreans or Western, do you understand? So quickly change your minds, and once you are convinced of this, then you will start developing.

Your present goal is to do the same as the 36 Blessed Couples. Take a look at yourselves, and you will see how far you are away from this heavenly standard. You and the 36 Blessed Couples are virtually at two different extremes.

Father's Way of Witnessing

In the early times, when witnessing was begun, Father didn't go out and witness as you do. Instead, spirit world told people to come to the center. Father himself worked and prayed very hard, thus gaining the help and support of God and spirit world. This became a tradition.

When people came to the center, then, he didn't take it easy but worked even harder and more seriously than the spirit world. He not only very much respected the new members, but also respected the incredible effort of God and spirit world who guided them to him. In other words, Father's attitude toward God, the spirit world and the members, plus his hard work and the united efforts of many members caused the spirit world to continue its support, which brought yet greater results and allowed yet greater goals to be attained. This way of witnessing is Father's tradition.

If he had been relying only on spirit world, taking for granted that they worked for him, their support would have stopped immediately. But Father worked even harder than the spirit world in order to maintain their assistance. If Unification Church leaders and members inherit this tradition, the church can develop naturally.

This is why tradition is important. No matter how hard you work, or how well-established you think your position is, it is meaningless without connecting to Father's tradition. Once you truly connect, you don't have to be there all the time supervising, telling members what to do. As long as the tradition is maintained in your country, providential church activities will be carried on automatically.

This is a historical statement that Father is making today. That is to say, as long as this tradition is kept, for thousands and thousands of years the spirit world can continue working in the same way, through the same miraculous foundation. But when a person departs from this tradition, even though he was strong at one time, he will gradually perish. Satan may not be able to destroy that person directly, but Satan may work through confusing his children, so that they stray, or through his wife, who may leave him.

Even though Abel feels secure and safe, that may not be true for those in the Cain role. Father has been working to set up necessary indemnity conditions for his children, but when a leader makes a false move, the spiritual well-being of his family is threatened. This is a law. We must recognize it and emphasize it as a principle.

Father maintained his tradition not thinking about himself, but thinking about God. You must leave no room for your own thinking. Your head must be filled with God's thoughts and with what True Father is saying. Empty yourselves completely and be filled with the attitudes of Father alone. Think, "Whatever Father is thinking now, I also am thinking." When you do this you receive the tradition. These words can substitute for Father himself.

Tradition Brings Unity and Achievement

Through proper tradition all the members become one with you. Until then, how can you achieve anything in your country?

Whenever a leader, even if it's Mr. Kim, knows that Father thinks one way, but still has his own complacent way of doing things, even if that leader prays very hard, he won't really bring much accomplishment. The reason is that he wasn't within the tradition.

Think about the early foundation of Tong Il Industries. Father used to make the hour-long drive there as many as three times a day, every day for years. To be prosperous yourself, you must stay within that tradition of total investment.

You don't just sit and wait for the fundraisers to come home with the money. You must go yourself. And other times, you should at least go out to meet them when they return. Your mind must begin working in this manner.

Father didn't explain the meaning behind sending President Kim to Europe, so maybe you have an excuse for saying you didn't understand. If Father tells you this, and you still don't follow, then you have to take full personal responsibility. Why? Because you would be working with Satan directly.

Now is a good time for an assignment change, and if you can understand all this correctly, repent and change your attitude, then even if Satan has been around you a lot, from this point on he must leave you. All your members also must receive this teaching so they will follow you with proper understanding. Then Satan will have no more accusation, and bad spirits will leave.

You don't think so much about restoration through indemnity, or that you are right in between God and Satan, each wishing you would go in his direction If this is the case in our religious life, if there is little condition for you to remain where you are, would Father just reject you all because you are so far from Father's tradition?

Please realize we must always keep repenting and trying to understand our errors. This is our way of removing ourselves from the midway position, and this is our way of survival.

We must show the existence of God and the spirit world to all people, down to the last man, before they can be converted. It is not enough merely to understand. What you are trying to explain to your members, you must show to them.

The directions Father gives to the Japanese leaders are so high that the Japanese have never heard the like of them before. But Japanese members, even if they think the directions are difficult, always try to repent. And they complain, but not to God. They complain to themselves that they have so little ability and goodness.

They search themselves to discover why they are not so Abel like. They torment themselves and try to repent for their fallen condition. They pray sincerely to God, "I am so weak, and I should do so much more, so please, God, help me." They do that before they go into action. This is not a concept but is a practical technique that works.

In spite of having worked so hard and prayed so much, and in spite of knowing that God must accomplish everything through you, you may have wondered why nothing happens in your church. You may have wondered, "Why didn't God help me? Why didn't spirit world help me?" Now you know the secret.

Connecting Tradition To Future Generations

Through this tradition, God can continue to work in the same way He worked with Father, and He will work this way with you and with the next generation of members. You have a responsibility to your own sons and daughters -- to your descendants as well as to your members. You are the connecting point.

The 36 Blessed Couples are mainly responsible for fulfilling this connection with you, and also the 72 Couples and other senior couples representing Father. By extension, all the blessed couples become the connecting point of tradition between Father and the coming generation.

The simplest way of explaining how we are connected is by saying, "When Father tells you something to do, you accept that 100 percent and carry it out!" That is the tradition. Pledge yourself, and declare to the world, that this is what you are going to do.

Once you do that, what you eat, when you sleep, how you dress, even your love-making is connected to that goal. Let the goal be everything, and by clearly adopting that purpose, you know that you are on the side of God's tradition, and then even making love will not be in the satanic realm.

You must know how to simplify your life, how to make your life orderly. You may wonder how to live according to such a purpose, and yet we never saw Father getting tired of living that kind of life. This is because Father knows so deeply that this is the most crucial life-or-death matter. How can he get tired?

During the next three years you have the responsibility to teach this tradition to the ends of the world, even to villages of only two or three families. To the most remote corner of the country, we will do nothing but teach this tradition.

Tradition Comes From Korea

The tradition started in Korea. So when you go to Korea, don't just go sightseeing or something like that. You have to be desperate to find that tradition. When you see Holy Ground in Pusan, you should not be able to turn around and come back. Instead, you should burst into tears there, thinking about what Father had to go through many years ago. At that time, Father did not pray for Korea, but for you. Because of that, you are in the Unification Church. So we should connect ourselves very much with what Father had to go through at that time in Pusan.

Why You Must Be Here

As an European leader, you feel your country needs you, so why do you have to come to America and work? Dispensationally, Father sees from above. From heaven's point of view, America, as a Protestant nation, is the Abel country, while Europe, upholding the position of the conventional church, is in the Cain position.

Three or four hundred years ago, the people who were persecuted (Abel) were expelled, and they all came to America. Coming from the Cain country to the Abel country, they must have been very happy and glad, which is only natural. Like them, you should come here and work.

By establishing an association (like a Swiss-American association) in America, your country in Europe will automatically come into the realm of grace, according to the law of indemnity. In that association, we will recognize no boundary, just as Unification Church members already have no boundary. Extending this, then, the world will see no boundary anywhere.

We are in a period of 40 years in the wilderness, and we have the last three years remaining. We must make full use of it. When the Cain country supports the Abel country, the condition is established so that God can bring restoration to every nation in the world. God needs that condition met.

Cain-type countries must bring wealth, people, and material into the Abel country, as Japan has been doing for many years.

So you see why Father must bring you from Europe into America. If you go back, all your members, all your descendants, and all the future people of that country will ask why their ancestor didn't participate in this great campaign.

Father cannot make it compulsory for you to do it. But now that Father has explained it, will you leave or stay? Following the same pattern as those Europeans who were the first colonists of America, European leaders should now come and invest themselves totally in this Abel country.

Winning Cain's Forgiveness

Through conforming to Principle, indemnification of the whole world really becomes possible. This 40 years is the time for total separation from Satan. You must be very confident that these next three years will complete a perfect 40-year period, establishing the condition for bringing everything under God's power. We arrive at the conclusion that even if you worked hard in your country, you must still work three times harder in this country. Then everything will be accomplished.

You must really do the good work of Cain now. Then all the mistakes of the past made by Rome, and others, can be forgiven. Cain always plundered someone. This time, Cain must reverse his tradition and do good things to indemnify the past. Do you think Father has thought this up in just an intellectual way, or do you think Father didn't even have to think very hard, that this is Principle and everything is correct?

The Day of All Things is the time of making an offering. You should have saved up money during the year, even if it was very little, and offered it, representing your country with lots of heart and prayer.

Father never says that you must do this because any offering is primarily something that you want to do. Offering has this important meaning.

Are you clear now what you must do? Even if your church is suffering back in your own country, it really isn't so important, even if it declines. Most important at this time is to set a new and crucially important tradition here -- the world-level tradition. Father has never spoken more important words before. 

Mission and Prayer

Sun Myung Moon
June 12, 1983
Excerpts
Grand Ballroom, World Mission Center

When you are asked about your mission, what is your answer? Is your mission to restore one person? One family? One nation? Hundreds of thousands of people? Or the entire world?

It's easy for you to say "the world," but can the world be restored overnight? You must have a foundation to reach the world. Do you have that foundation? Do you really know True Parents? Do you really know who they are and what Father has been doing? Each and every one of you must know clearly what "my" mission is, what "I" am doing now, and what "my" goal is in the future. You must have a clear idea about yourself and your mission.

People have great ambitions and wishes -- even greed -- but that should never get the better of you. For example, if you go out to the mountain to pick some wild berries or vegetables, some ambitious person will look for only the best wild vegetables of the mountain. So he spends all morning, and all afternoon searching, but he just can't find the really top-notch wild vegetables, and comes home empty-handed.

But another person will go and start searching that same day with the attitude of picking the ordinary as well as the excellent, maybe even the bad ones sometimes, so by the time he finishes the day, he has a roil basket, and chances are that he gets the best ones as well.

The best strategy here is to go ahead and pick all kinds -- A quality, B quality, and even the low-quality C variety, which is not exactly what you want, but you take it anyway. While you're going for the B quality, you may hit upon an A. A person who searches in this way is a wise person. Do you think this is appropriate?

Ask yourself: What mission do I have? What mission did Father give me when I joined the church? Think about it. It's a serious point to consider. I am speaking in a general way, but every individual must think about his own mission.

The Example of Tongil

When I started the Tongil Industry, I started it from the very bottom. I had the idea, a goal for the future, that this industry eventually would produce machine products among the very best in the world. With one broken, rusty machine, I began. In 35 long years, I never forgot that goal which served as my foundation.

That first machine was so simple it could hardly even be called "technology." But my idea was very large. "With this machine, I will make the best product at this level. There may be many qualities of products made with this level of machine, but I will make the best product at the level of this simple machine."

Other people working at Tongil just didn't have the same idea I had. They went to work when the time came, went to eat when the time came, went home when the time came, but their attitude toward the goal was far different from my attitude.

I wished each person could have developed his attitude so that long before it was time for work to begin, when it was still dark, he or she would rise in anticipation, and be thinking, "Yes, I will perform my work better than yesterday." And before the rest of the workers came, he or she would go and caress these tools, and prepare himself to work. I desired everyone to have that kind of an attitude. That spiritual attitude made all the difference. In order for anything, like Tongil, to grow better and better, larger and larger, you have to invest power and energy into it.

And while the physical process is being worked out, you must educate the people as well; not only the product, but you must raise up the people, too.

You might say that it takes money to do that. But where does the money come from? You make the money with one hand, and use it wisely with the other hand as you educate the people and improve the product. That is what I have been doing and today everyone can see what kind of machines Tongil has built. There is much admiration for Father today. But while I was building up Tongil, many people did not trust me, saying it couldn't be done even in decades, maybe even over centuries it couldn't be done.

"Nationally, in Korea, we have no foundation for building machines, -- they told me, but I kept right on building. Everyone took it for granted that Germany was at the top of machine technology, and that no one would be able to beat that. I went Germany and other countries, visited many famous companies, and observed their machines, because the machine industry will serve such a critical function in the future unity of the world. My goal was for the sake of the whole world.

Knowing Yourself

Do you really have the foundation to reach the world? You answered "yes" and said that True Parents were your foundation, but do you really know what I am doing? Whether you answer "yes" or "no" you should be very exact, even honest in your answer. What you really know about yourself is questionable. Sometimes you are going in the right direction, sometimes the reverse. Sometimes you make up your mind to really dedicate yourself, and other times you say, "Other people don't do so well so I might as well take it easy, too." What happens if you continue like that? Then you are confused, and you don't even know about yourself. Isn't it true? This is why we must be clear about our missions, because individual missions must be different, but our overall goal is the same.

When I ask, "Those of you who are willing to sacrifice your lives for the sake of the dispensation, for God's will, raise your hands," every one of you will shoot up your hands. But can you sacrifice yourself from morning until evening, all day long? Can you completely sacrifice yourself for even one day?

When you are ready to sacrifice your life to do this mission, is it because others must tell you to do it? Or do you volunteer to gain this goal, thinking, "I must determine to sacrifice my private life. Even though no one else tells me to do it, I will do it by myself."

To Liberate God

Our mission here is to liberate God and mankind as well. That's not easy; it may take ten times our life, so we must die ten times before that Will can be realized. Therefore, in order to realize my mission, I must die not only once but many times. That's why I sacrifice. If you can explain it like this, then you have a clear idea.

What happens if you physically die before you realize your mission of liberating God and mankind? We have to think seriously about this because we might die. Then you must think, "Yes, if I die, I must have someone educated so that he will do my mission in my place. When I go, this place won't be abandoned; my successor will continue on working. Since this is such a difficult job, there will be an even better person there to do the job, so I won't worry about dying."

When you are sixty, can you be thinking that your body isn't the same as it used to be, so you had better be taking it easy now? No, instead you'll say that you have to work even harder because the job isn't finished and you haven't died yet, and there's so much more work to do.

This is exactly what I am feeling now. It isn't enough to liberate just this nation of America; even after we manage to liberate God and the Americans we have to march forward to Moscow, which will be even more difficult than America. So can we take it easy? Ahead of us there is always an even harder task; a harder mission is waiting for us to continue.

When we live sacrificially day after day, sometimes we have to face actual dying. Death comes and the person meets dying with honor and glory. But for the person who has not lived his life in this sacrificial way, when death visits him he will be surprised and he won't know what do with it.

We conclude that we have one life to live and one day to spend at a time. One kind of person knows his mission clearly and spends every day living this way; another one doesn't know his mission so he'll just go along aimlessly day by day.

Which of these two categories are you in? Do you really believe in yourself, and that you are called by God? Is this your vocation, your lifetime work?

You might say, "Father, I have a better idea of how to liberate God and mankind. I would like to pursue my mission in this other way; however, when I see you it looks like you are smarter than I. Your way of doing it is better than my old way, so I'll follow your way in reaching the same goal! You have done so much already, and you continue to do so much, but until the time that God and all mankind are liberated, I will take over and try even harder than you have done. When you go to spirit world, Father, then I will take your place and continue this for you. And when I go to spirit world I know there will be people following me."

Most Difficult Task

Maybe you wonder why I continue to stay in this country, fighting this ridiculous court battle. I am determined even to go to prison for the cause. Why would I do that? In order to liberate the world, America must play a crucial role.

I have determined that whatever is the most difficult task at the time, I will do it. This is why I choose to stay in America and to educate the Americans, which is the most difficult task now.

Americans don't have any idea what communism is or what fighting communism is all about. They have no idea about VOC; therefore I decided that this is the most important thing.

You must judge with your own intelligent mind whether it is really possible to liberate God and mankind if you exactly follow my teaching and my way. When you do decide to follow, there will he so many temptations. For example if you want to smoke, ask yourself, "What is the meaning of my smoking."

Already you have quit many habits because they don't help your mission. Every time you are tempted, even with sexual problems, think, "Sure I am tempted, but will it help me do my mission? No!" When you can say no, you can simply eliminate whatever that temptation is. Also you are very very busy when you're living according to my way, so those temptations simply take up too much time.

I know that God helped me, accompanying me close by my side. Why? Because I had a clear mission. So if anyone follows me with that determination it is very sure that God will help that person as well. This is why I have told you this morning, "Have difficulty. Be miserable. Sacrifice yourself."

There is no exception in my teaching because I know this is the best guarantee that God will be by your side.

When you bring one person to God, that is not just one person; he is the world itself on that level. You must have the attitude that you have hundreds of people to bring in, so bringing in one person is no trouble. Saving the world is saving him.

Imagine that you have spectacles, even though you don't need eyeglasses, and through them you see nothing but the liberation of God and mankind. And you'll have some hearing device, too, so that even though some sounds may reach your brain they don't register. Rather, the only things you would be able to hear are those that have something to do with the liberation of God and mankind.

And to your mouth you give the restriction that it must eat for the sake of mankind. Whatever you do, you do for the sake of God's will. If you wear more expensive clothes, then you must also do more. Your nose will smell only those smells that help the liberation of God and mankind, and if that happens to be a stench, then no matter, you will go ahead, and you would even prefer that to perfume.

Even our nose should make that turnabout. And your hands, which are accustomed to enjoying the soft touch, now should prefer the touch of hardness -- the rock touch -- something substantial. We have to literally reverse our tastes.

Controlling Your Senses

Because our life is so difficult, mission and prayer are needed. In your prayer, admit to invisible Heavenly Father that your eyes are always desiring to see this movie, always seeking something pleasant, as in your past. Tell Him, "I know that's wrong and I want to change it. God, please help me change this."

That's why we need prayer. Our eyes are literally enemies, and we should be able to protect ourselves from our own enemy within.

"Sometimes, yes, but maybe not all the time," you'll say. But then you compare your husband with some handsome man passing by -- one like you dreamed of all your life -- and you think that he could be your husband in the future. And if he winks then it suits you, and then if you go along with it, Satan will snatch you right at that moment.

So you should be horrified at the enemy of your own eyes.

Some people may say something, and you know it's not principled, but somehow it sounds very sweet. Through this you know your ears are really your enemy as well. You must realize that when our mission is the liberation of God and mankind, our original rightful ears would say, "Yes, go this way because there is no other way," but as time goes on, some other voice will say, "Well, you have gone along so far and nothing has happened. Forget about this liberation of God. If you listen to me, you can have everything you want -- good food, nice clothes. Your life is too short to waste away."

Unless you become absolutely confident of controlling yourself, it's nonsense to even think about the liberation of God and mankind.

We know our mission is worthwhile, but it's difficult to overcome our weak points. That's why we need prayer.

There are no other enemies compared to this worst enemy which is ourselves; but what about me? Maybe you think I am completely different from other men since my birth. I don't think so. Even the degree of stimulation from temptation would be even more extreme in this respect. You must realize that I am more sensitive to all sensations. This is why I had to try a hundred times more for the sake of God and mankind.

I had to test myself completely even from a very early age. What did I do in the process? Naturally I did a lot of praying to make sure that God would protect me and give me confidence that I could succeed.

I was so harsh to my own eyes! Looking in the mirror I say, "I really gave you a hard time; you really had a lot of trouble from me, didn't you?" My eyes answer, "Yes, indeed we had, but now we are happy because you prevented us from making mistakes." With the nose and the ears it's the same, but now all the parts of my limbs and senses say to me, "You are our true master."

Have you already become the true master of your eyes, nose, ears, and every other part? Has every one become a true part of your body now? This is why you have to pray, in order to keep the consciousness that your mission is everything.

What can really bother you is your own emotions, not what some other person says or does. Lack of confidence can bother you.

Be harsh in keeping yourself to this standard. When you are absolutely confident then even when the concussion comes from the outside you won't blink; you will be just like a rock and the persecution will just fade away. I apply this discipline externally the same way as I apply internal discipline. Just as I defend myself internally, I defend myself from the invasion of persecution and slander. To do this prayer is necessary within ourselves.

If this is a difficult time for you, a time of weeping, don't just ask another person, but go into a dark room, or the corner of the room and pray to God, "What shall I do?" He probably will give you a much better answer than your colleague. Then you'll invest more time to overcome that temptation. You'll try harder day after day. I would spend more than 12 hours a day in deep prayer about one subject. Americans pray maybe five minutes at the most. Trying to solve a deep problem we have to practice prayer.

Think that you are on the ocean and you have to get to the deep deep water -- to the bottom -- before you find a solution. It takes more than five minutes even to get down there. Considering how deep it is the effort of travelling there, alone is partially solving the problem. So those who make the habit of praying never make so many mistakes. But those of you who don't pray so much always make mistakes and spend a lot of time trying to mend them.

Take my word for it, once you develop this habit or taste for prayer, then it is more rewarding than eating, than hearing good music, or seeing a nice movie. When you've been through this deep prayer, there's nothing you don't know.

Everything can be solved automatically and you don't even have to do anything after you come out of that deep prayer.

Prayer really has a mystic meaning. Today you Moonies are spoiled because you have a great Father and you try to get away with the minimum five minutes prayer, but that's not the normal way. To overcome temptations of good food and lots of sleep, we must pray. Since our mission of liberating God and mankind is so great and vast, we must have an equally deep prayer lite to go along with it.

Maybe you think of yourself as a not-so-serious American, but this one time, think that you must be more serious than anyone else in history. We must resolve that no matter how difficult it is for me, still, with the power of prayer, I will reach that goal. And I would not regret dying while doing so. Our 24 hours a day is almost like a prayer. For example, while you walk it's a kind of prayer. Every 24 hours should be normal prayer for Unification Church members.

And if we adapt that habit for ourselves, God is always with us.

When you are in despair, when you need help, you always think about someone who would surely help you, the person who would never let you down, somebody who cares about you and prays for you. You go to him, don't you?

God is the same way. He always goes to that person. So this is the truth, that those to whom God would go first ate those people, those Americans, who think about the future of America and about liberating all Americans and the world. God will visit that kind of person often.

Father's Philosophy

So always think of your lifetime vocation as your mission and prayer. And if you are good at prayer and make a habit of it, then you don't have to wonder whether you should do this or that. Your mind easily directs you. You never waste any time, and sometimes, without even thinking, you feel that "this is the right place" and you start working there. Then you'll feel, "This is strange. God must be right beside me."

Everyone must first experience this before we can take up the responsibility of our mission. If we cannot become like that, we become instead like a drunkard to mankind and a burden to God. Unification Church members must not be a burden to mankind or to God. It's not logical that such a person could have a mission of liberating God and mankind. We must be the contributors, not the receivers of help from other people.

So, there are two steps. The first is that we must become the contributors everywhere we go. In every small situation we should help others, not need to be helped.

The second step is, keep on doing this for the rest of your life, even though in the meantime you may not have enough to eat, or the right clothes to wear, or a place to sleep. That is my philosophy. It's never complicated or complex.

And what is our next goal? After liberating God and mankind we have to march forward to hell and liberate hell, because God cares about the people there. Unless we liberate hell, we cannot ultimately free God. This stands to reason, and I have had this clear goal all along, ever since I was very young.

You have seen my blueprint, and it's your blueprint, too. To carry out this plan meticulously will take all of your energy and time. What you must really be good at, then, is to persevere. So this morning we will decide on this new plan and practice it. Is it Amen? (Amen!)

Mission and Prayer

Sun Myung Moon
June 12, 1983
World Mission Center
Grand Ballroom
Translator - Sang Kil Han

When you are asked if you have a mission, how do you answer? What is your mission? In view of the dispensation, is your mission to restore one person, one family, one nation, or the world? It is easy to answer "the world," but can the world be united overnight? You need a foundation to reach the world. Do you have that foundation?

Do you really know the True Parents? Do you understand our essence? Do you know what we have been doing? Each of you should know clearly what our mission is, what we are doing now, and what goal we are working toward. Also you should have a clear idea about yourself and your own mission.

People have ambitions and desires, but they shouldn't take them to the extreme. Suppose, for example, that an ambitious person goes to the mountains to gather wild berries or plants, determined to bring back only the best. He may spend the entire morning and afternoon searching but if he can't find the best, he will return empty handed. In contrast, another person might spend the day picking all types of berries: poor, average and good. At the end of the day his basket is full, and chances are he brought back top quality berries as well. The second person has the best strategy in this case. He picks all types of plants: A, B and C. Even though type C is not exactly what he wants, they can be washed; he finds many type B plants and an occasional type A. Wouldn't you agree that this is a wise person?

Ask yourself what type of mission you have. Reflect on the type of mission I have given you as a Church member. This is a serious point to consider. You must understand, of course, that I am speaking to all of you in general, and not about the specific mission that you as an individual may have. Each of you should apply these concepts to your specific situation.

Let me give you an example so you can better understand what I mean. I started Tongil Industry from scratch many years ago. My idea or goal was for Tongil to attain the highest standard of technical expertise and production in the world. The foundation for Tongil Industry was 35 years of study and thought. Now Tongil machinery has reached the pinnacle of world technology.

To accomplish this goal, we didn't start out with sophisticated equipment but rather with the simplest and humblest machines. I determined to make the very best simple machines even though I realized there were more sophisticated types. After producing the best on one level, Tongil advanced to the next level and continued in this manner for 35 years until reaching its present level.

Not all of the people working at Tongil, however, had the same concept about how to reach the goal. Some people complacently came to work at starting time, took lunch breaks, and left as soon as it was time to go home.

The attitude I wanted to see was for the workers to rise while it was still dark and think, "Today I will perform even better than yesterday." Then they would arrive at the factory early, before the others, and prepare to work.

It's the spiritual attitude that makes all the difference. If you plan to do just what others do, you can never excel over the competition. You have to make things consistently larger and better. That requires investing energy into a project even if it is something you don't particularly care to do. That is the only way to accomplish it. If you think of your task as just a job, you will never excel. Furthermore, each time you improve the product, you must educate people. All this takes money which you have to make and use wisely, on product improvement and employee education.

Now when people see with their own eyes the kinds of machines built and sold by Tongil, they are filled with admiration. They say, "Father, you are just a wonder-man!" But during the company's development many people didn't believe me. They told me, "Father, you cannot develop that much technology in just a decade, and maybe not even in a century! We have no foundation." Yet, we kept building it up and now people tell me that the accomplishments are amazing.

I have always had keen insight. People took it for granted that German technology is the best and that nobody could rival it. They predicted it would take us centuries to surpass it. "Is that so?", I thought to myself. So I went to Germany, checked around, and found the industry a little shaky. I visited all the machine tool factories and examined their equipment. Machine tools can play a critical role in unifying the world and that is why their development is one of our goals. We are doing it for the sake of the world and for the sake of Germany, but the Germans didn't understand it that way. They were worried that we were trying to infiltrate their technological expertise, although they wondered what I could accomplish by spending only one day visiting a factory.

Even our members in Germany had only a foggy notion of what I was doing. "Oh Father," they said, "you go out visiting for a day and now Germany is all stirred up! Why didn't you just leave them alone?" Even now, can you say that you understand what I am doing? Do you have a foundation to reach out to the world? You say yes, based on my foundation, but do you really know what I am doing? Answer me honestly.

Actually, you hardly know much about anyone other than yourself, and occasionally even that's doubtful! Sometimes you are going in the proper direction and at other times you are heading in just the reverse. You may make a resolution to work for the goal and devote yourself for the sake of God and the world-and then at the next moment you look at what others are doing and decide to take it easy for a while. You are constantly changing, and if you continue living that way, you will become confused and not even know yourself!

This is why it is necessary to spell out in detail the nature of our mission. The overall mission is the same for everyone here although individual missions vary. One person might have a mission as a lookout, watching what is going on; another person might have a mission to witness and give life to people. You should know exactly what your individual mission is.

We are all working to advance God's providence and fulfill His will. If I ask how many of you are willing to sacrifice your life for God's providence and God's will, I know all of you would raise your hands and sincerely mean it. I know you are devoting yourself to this mission, but can you sacrifice yourself for one entire day, morning to night? Right now you may say yes, but at noon you might change your mind! Since you have vacillated in the past and may do so again, your promise is not absolute.

People may have various attitudes in making an offering. Which is better, to offer yourself when you are asked to, or to volunteer on your own? Would you be willing to offer your life to accomplish the goal, even without being asked? If you are willing to offer your life, couldn't you give just one day? You are still young; can you give one year out of your life? And if you are willing as a teenager, will you be sacrificial in your twenties too? if you are willing as a young adult, will you continue to be sacrificial when you are in your thirties? can you pledge to work harder so that if you were to die ten years from now you would have no regrets?

Some might be unwilling to die for the mission because they are working to obtain a blessing on earth. Which would be preferable: to receive a blessing before you die, or to sacrifice yourself and receive a variety of blessings after death? Actually, we need to take the sacrificial path in order to fulfill our mission.

The real content of the mission entrusted to each of us is to liberate God and to liberate mankind. This is not easy. Liberation may take ten lifetimes and we may need to face death ten times!

If we are unable to fulfill our mission of liberating God and mankind during our lifetime, someone whom we have raised up should carry on the mission in our stead. We should be able to say, "Even if I die, my place won't be vacant; my successor will continue the task. Someone better than I will take my place, therefore, I don't have to worry about dying."

Even when we reach our fifties or sixties, we should not expect to take things easy because our bodies are not what they used to be. Rather, we should work harder to make the most of the time that remains. This is how I feel.

With all its accomplishments, the United States is not big enough to liberate both God and Americans. Therefore, we must march on to Moscow. Moscow will be even more difficult than America. My attitude is, if you agree with me, can you take it easy after accomplishing the present mission? Actually, an even harder mission is awaiting us.

If we live this way each day, when the time comes to die we can face death with honor and glory, since every day of our life has been spent preparing for it. But someone whose daily life lacks this quality will be surprised when death visits him and will not know what to do. He may cry out to God to save him. If you can face death with honor, one of your heirs will volunteer to take your place. At the crucial moment, someone you have educated will tell you, "If you go to spirit world I will take your place and do even better than you. Please don't worry, I will complete your mission."

Since we have only one life, how will we spend it? One type of person knows his mission clearly and devotes each day to its fulfillment. The other type of person has a vague idea of his mission, so he just lives one day at a time. Each of you belongs to one category or the other. To which would you like to belong? Why? The first category is preferable because that way of life is more valuable.

There are some older members here who have been in the movement for a long time. As the years go by, some may wish to take it easy since their body is getting old, while others resolve to run ahead of the rest -- just as if they were still in their thirties or forties. When you reach your fifties or sixties, what attitude will you have?

As Unification Church members our goal is so clear. We should be willing to continue our mission joyfully forever, without regrets. We should eagerly await the dawn of each day so we can jump up to work. If we live this way, we won't get tired out or run down. We won't complain about being unable to continue and we won't lose energy.

How do you rate compared to this model? Do you really believe that you have been called by God and that this is your vocation and lifetime task? Could you ever erase all memory of me out of your head? Don't you feel that you and I are inextricably linked? One person might promise to follow me wherever I go, and other might say, "Father, I will not only follow you, but I want to help you." Which attitude is better? [The second] So do you want to help out, in addition to following me?

Actually, you are headed this way because it is your goal anyway -- whether I go there as well doesn't really matter. The correct answer to the last question would be: "Well, Father's goal and my goal are the same. He is going there ahead of me, so I will accompany him and help him reach that goal." You should be convinced that if I had not done all the work in advance, you yourself would have laid the foundation. Since I have already accomplished so much, you should be only too grateful to help me, because it is your work anyway.

You might actually feel like telling me you have a better idea on how to liberate God and mankind and you would prefer to do your mission differently. But as you watch me you realize that I have already laid a large foundation and I seem smarter than you and have a better way of doing things. Therefore, you decide to drop your way and follow mine in order to reach the same goal. This is why you want to follow me. In fact, you should say, "Father, you have already done so much and will continue laboring to achieve the liberation of God and all mankind. When you go to spirit world, I will be happy to take your place and try even harder."

If I go to spirit world without accomplishing everything, I know that my followers will carry on. In preparation for such a day, you should listen very carefully in order to grasp every word I say. You should pay close attention to everything I do because your mission will be to take my place and improve on what I have done! You shouldn't wait for me to go to spirit world so you can do things your own way. You need to absorb every detail and every secret from me while I am on earth so you can fulfill your mission. What you inherit from me will help you accomplish not only the tasks of today but also the projects of the coming decades and centuries. You need to learn from me in order to plan your future course.

If you announce you will accomplish a certain thing by a certain year, will I criticize you for being too ambitious or for reaching over your head? Never. I would be only too happy to hear such a thing that there is an American who thinks that way.

You should pay a lot of attention to where I go and what I say -- not because you are curious but because you are looking for even one more word to add to the internal knowledge you are storing up for the day when you can apply it. Only in that way will you be able to do good work. When you have to tackle something new, you can reflect back on what I have been telling you and you will remember my formula. You will realize that my accomplishments came from following this formula, so you will try it. You may have thought it would never work, but when you put it into practice it does. Then you will gain confidence in your mission.

You might be very tired this morning because last night's meeting continued until very late. Some of you may be dozing off. Others may have stayed upstairs to sleep instead of coming down to listen to me. They don't realize what a precious time they are missing.

Once more, let me ask you my initial question: Do you have a mission? [Yes] What kind of mission? [Liberating God and mankind] Is it easy or difficult? [Difficult] It is very difficult. How are you going to accomplish it? This is the most valuable and worthwhile mission a person can have. Think about what it means for the future. Are you determined to succeed?

I have staked my life on this mission. This has always been my attitude. You might wonder why I remain in the United States when so much injustice has been done to me here. I have had to fight ridiculous court battles. But I am determined, if necessary, to go to prison for the cause. Even U.S. citizens sometimes run away when they know prison awaits them. Why don't I run away? The answer is that I have already offered my life.

What do I need to accomplish in the United States? This country has a vital role to play in liberating the world. Do you really understand that? Do you realize that whether the United States likes it or not, it has a crucial role in world salvation?

Some might reason that since the United States offers the best life in the world, why not stay here and enjoy its privileges. Are you resolved to go to Moscow after fulfilling the task in America? Certainly those who seek pleasure and privilege won't make a determination to go to Moscow. They would rather stay here. Can you fight against communism? I myself am determined to confront whatever challenge is the greatest. Since staying in the United States and educating Americans is the most difficult task now, I chose to stay here. Most Americans have no idea what it means to fight communism or why it is necessary. But I have decided to do it because it is the most critical task.

Since you are intelligent people, you may respond, "Yes, I understand everything you are saying, but if we carry out your directions precisely, will we really be successful in our missions? If you continue what you are doing, can you really liberate God and mankind?" Use your mind to assess what I am saying. What do you think? If you follow my way in every detail, do you think it is possible to liberate God and mankind? Are you sure?

If you are confident that this is the way to liberate God and mankind, what more do you need to be concerned about? Why do you hesitate? Are there any unanswered questions? The liberation of God and mankind should be the motivation behind all your actions. Each day when you eat breakfast think about why you eat. It is to fulfill that day's liberation of God and mankind. That is the same reason you eat, sleep, and use the bathroom.

When you have this attitude, you can give up things which detract from your mission. For instance, you have already resolved to rule out cigarettes, drugs and alcohol from your life. It is very clear, for instance, that smoking will never -help liberate God and mankind. Therefore, since it has no meaning, you quit. You have given up many habits because they didn't help you accomplish your mission. Furthermore, many young people today have problems of a sexual nature, such as homosexuality. When you are tempted, ask yourself if such behavior will help you accomplish your mission. When the answer is no, you should be able to reject it.

Another deciding factor is time. We are very busy in our mission, and many other things take up too much time. There are so many things to do that the only way to accomplish them all is to cut down on sleep, even though we sleep very little as it is.

This is my third speech in 24 hours and my feet are swollen because of it. Why don't I just speak once and then forget about it? Why don't I let someone else give the sermons? Because I want to make doubly sure that every one of you understands. In my thinking, two sermons are better than one and three better than two. Perhaps something in the third speech may make a deep impression on someone and he will make the crucial determination at that time. There is no way to tell this in advance. I repeat things over and over in order to accomplish my mission. So, even with swollen feet, I chose to speak for the third time. I am doing things the best way I know how, and you should try to understand why I act the way I do and what I expect of you.

Whose prayers would God do everything possible to answer: those who happen to be in bed sleeping now or those who are here in the audience? There are hundreds and thousands and millions of people sleeping in New York City at this hour, but to those who rose early and waited for me to come and speak even one word, God will say, "I will help you to accomplish your mission in every way that I can."

If you follow what I have been doing in America and throughout the world, the ideal world of which we have been dreaming will become a reality in the near future. If you don't follow, that cannot happen. God knows that but, are you sure of it? I know that God is helping me and that we are working side by side. How do I know it? Because I have undertaken this clear mission. Furthermore, I am certain that God will also help whoever follows this path with the same determination I have.

Every speech I give, no matter how I start it, I always conclude it the same way: "Challenge difficulties, accept suffering, sacrifice yourself." I make no exception because I know this is the best guarantee that God will be on our side. There is no other way to have God's support.

I know this very well because I have lived this way myself and I have proof that it works. Every day I tell you to sacrifice yourself and endure hardships because it is the best way.

If I'm not here to keep reminding you, don't you want someone else to do it? If you have a husband, for instance, you would want him to keep reminding you to focus on doing more for God and mankind. If you have a wife, you would want her to do the same, wouldn't you? Of course, such advice may not always thrill you but still you appreciate such a spouse, don't you? In addition, if you have sons and daughters, you would want them to be able to inherit everything you have done when the time comes for you to go to spirit world. Your conscience as well urges you to live this way since by sacrificing yourself and challenging hardships you can succeed in accomplishing your mission. I am absolutely confident of this. There is no possibility that I may be mistaken.

Let me give you an example about how to view your activities in terms of your mission of saving the world. When you bring even one person to God, you should have the attitude that you are not just restoring one person but a representative of the world. There are millions of people to restore, so you may think that to bring one person is nothing. But that is not the right attitude. Right now, saving the world means saving that individual. Your attitude should be very serious because your mission is to save the world and at the moment that individual is the world. Every thing and every person is interconnected. The future is the continuation of the present. Time marches on, minute after minute, hour after hour.

Some people have been members of the Unification Church for more than 20 years. It is possible that if you ask one of them what his mission is, he may answer, "To provide a good life for my wife and children." Even after years of painstaking work, his objective may not be the liberation of mankind and the liberation of God. Each of you must prepare yourself and decide what course of action you will take if your spouse or child develops such an attitude. Any Unification Church member may have to face this.

You should know clearly that you are blessed in order to fulfill your mission and help your spouse fulfill his or her mission -- not to be a hindrance to each other. If you are going through struggles or difficulties, you should tell your spouse to continue with his or her mission and not worry about you. Since all aspects of your life are focused on your mission, you need that kind of spouse and that kind of children. When you live with your spouse, and children are born, wouldn't you want your spouse and children to be like that?

In addition, you need to build your foundation so that some day, when you are about to die, you can tell your spouse and children, "This is how I have lived all my life, and I expect you to carry on my work even after I go to spirit world." They will certainly reply, "Don't worry about that. We have known this all along. Just go to spirit world and have a peaceful life there." The great wife is one who has such a husband and children and the great husband is one who has such a wife and children.

Returning to the original question of what is your mission, you may have to admit that you don't know what it is very clearly and you need a specialist to teach you about your mission. So you come here to listen to me! And that is why I speak early every Sunday morning.

There are many thousands of Christian churches who observe Sunday as a holy day, a day of rest. But I work even harder on Sunday so I can teach as many of you as possible about your true self and your mission of liberating God and mankind. When God looks down, does He complain and say, "Oh, this is a holy day, they should take a day off and think about the coming week. These members of the Unification Church always wake up early, go to pledge service, and then gather to listen to Reverend Moon speak for hours and hours-they are violating the law of the Sabbath"? No, God would definitely approve and say, "You are the only people working for me and mankind."

I may seem to violate the law of the Sabbath many thousands of times, but the more I do, the more God will approve because this is a more effective way to achieve our mission than to take the day off. What do you think about that?

Even after giving this third sermon I will not rest -- I will go fishing. No one will expect to see me out there because it is so hot and today is Sunday. It is supposed to be a day for resting and thinking about God. But when I go fishing, I am not just seeking physical fish I am fishing for God and God's heart, and I fish for mankind and their heart, in order to bring them closer to God.

I know that the most difficult life on earth is deep-sea fishing. If you can liberate the fishermen, you can liberate all other workers. For many years I accomplished impossible things on the ocean, and you know what title I received, don't you? "The champion of tuna fishing." Now I can speak to others about what I have done and teach them.

Life is so short, but the depth of experience I have gained in this one area enables me to go anywhere and teach people. Our lives are brief, but, I have been living this way not just for a few days or years, but throughout my life. God knows this very well. Will He say I am overdoing it, or will He approve of how I live? God will agree with me. When I die the ground there will become a holy place because God will hallow it with His presence. I can live with utmost confidence the day of every year because this is the best way of life on earth. I am teaching you this because I want you too to learn the way of sacrifice. I know you are conscientious people and that your conscience is so clear that you will want to follow me wherever I lead.

Another way of thinking about your mission of saving the world is through your Blessing. Why were you women body Some of you might reply that you don't know. Others might reply, "I was born to save God and mankind from the position of a woman." When you look in the mirror, if you think you are rather pretty you might ask why you were born that way. You can answer, "It is so I can do a better job of saving God and mankind." To accomplish your mission even faster, you can think, "I was born for the mission of wiping out racial discrimination. Since I am a beautiful white woman, maybe I will marry the homeliest black man." How wonderful such a woman is!

I feel so proud and grateful when hundreds and thousands of Unification Church members come and bow down, asking me to choose their mate. I know that when people say this, they are thinking not of themselves but of their mission. When a beautiful woman comes to me for matching I know that she probably dreams of marrying a handsome man. However, I may see that for her mission, another type of person is perfect for her and I will match her to him. Although she may be a little disappointed at first, it will only be temporary because she will be much better off eternally with this type of husband. Because I know I am not making a mistake, I can match people with a completely clear conscience. I realize that you may not be happy at the time, but what matters ultimately is what is best for you.

If you marry centered upon the mission, one day you will be the center of your nation. Marriages based on personal attraction will quickly fade in a few years. Marriages based upon your mission will become monuments in the historical annals of marriage. This is what I am pushing for.

When people hear about my idea of marriage, they may think it is cruel and should be stopped. But as time passes, they will recognize that the greatest concepts of marriage came from me. Do you agree that my view of marriage is fantastic, or do you think it is a bad idea and has caused suffering for many Americans? The loudest answers came from Hispanic and black people. What about you white people?

I realize that our way is difficult now. I don't deny it. But it is so much more valuable than the conventional way, and as the years go by its value will increase. In contrast, the world's way of marriage seems good now but its value will gradually diminish.

I am confident that more tears have been shed by people from all five races studying my teaching than by students of all other teachings throughout history. Every Unification Church member knows the reason for these tears. They are not for yourself but for me. As you learn what I have gone through, you are filled with gratitude to God and cry out, "Oh, Father, this is what you must have gone through so many times! I didn't understand it until this moment." What a treasure this experience is!

In moments of desperation, you discover new energy surging up within you and you realize that this is how I devoted my life for the sake of mankind and God. "This is my new beginning," you say. Those of you who have shed tears for the sake of the Unification Church, raise your hands. This is completely normal. Could you separate yourself from me in such moments? On such occasions, you must have thought about how True Parents went through difficulties tens or hundreds of times greater than what you have experienced and feel grateful for what you have learned.

This is absolutely the first time in human history that one individual has brought so many thousands of people to tears. Jesus' accomplishments came only after his crucifixion. Only after his death was his work recognized and valued by others. My work, however, has been accomplished while I am physically on earth, and it will expand in the future to something thousands of times greater.

Even though our physical bodies do not last forever, our work will be continued by successor after successor until God and the last of mankind is liberated. I know this is so because since God and mankind need liberation, they will welcome this effort and make sure that it is continued. They cannot live without it. Therefore, we have the guarantee that as long as we stay on this path, God will come to our aid every time we need help. He cannot do otherwise. So don't you think we have to stay on the right course?

Suppose a woman marries, has children, and works hard for God her entire life. When she is about to die, her prayer is that someone will inherit her life work and improve on it. Holding her husband's hand, she urges him and her children to carry on her mission. God will look with tears upon such a holy woman and cry out for her to be blessed. My goal is to make each of you women into such a wife and mother, and to make each of you men such a husband and father. All of us share this common mission and goal.

Some member may consider the idea of liberating God and mankind foolish and decide to reach the top of some specialized field instead. I cannot see the wisdom in this. Perhaps such a person will rise to that pinnacle, but I can see no lasting value to it. He will wither away afterwards.

Of course the world thinks it is foolish to follow my way, but you will prosper more and more if you do. Your tomb will not be desolate; flowers will bloom on it. After I go to spirit world, nobody will have to tell you to visit my tomb. You will practically want to live there. People will feel the same way about you when you follow this victorious way. No matter how much people may reject, belittle, despise and persecute us, this is the best and most valuable way of life. Even though we have nothing today, our future is guaranteed. Are you beginning to think I may be right, or do you know it already?

Now you have a clear idea of what I mean. But is the ultimate aim just to understand clearly, or to practice it every day? Perhaps you would prefer to let others practice this way of life, while you just watch! Perhaps you think, "This may be great for Father and great for many Unification Church members, but it is not so good for me." Would you rather observe it or practice it? Do you really mean it? If so, raise your hand. If this is your true mission, isn't it fantastic? Is it so fantastic and worthwhile that you can drop everything else for it?

Am I famous? Here is the proof. Very important people, such as bank presidents and government officials who, have heard of my noble ideas and deeds would like to meet me. But I have never met with any person, regardless of how high his position may be, unless I wanted to. As I become increasingly famous, more and more people -- not only Moonies -- will be wanting to meet me.

People with deep concern for their country and profound ideas about how to save the world from its present crisis will want to come and listen to me. There will be hundreds and thousands of such people. Saints and famous people in the spirit world would like to come to earth, if only for five or ten minutes, to speak with me in the flesh. That is how famous I am. How about you Moonies? Are you taking me seriously enough? You may have long faces because I am speaking for the third time in 24 hours. You might be thinking, "Father, I need a little sleep; if I rest a while, I can listen better."

You Moonies are the closest people to me and should be the ones most excited to be with me all the time. But rather, it is the other way around. Those farther away are more anxious to be with me than the Moonies themselves. Actually, this is nothing new or abnormal. Children of millionaires or presidents don't think of their parents as such great people. If the minister of education visits their school, for instance, the children of millionaires may think, "He is greater than my own father." They have no depth of experience or any way to compare their father with others.

Let's assume that you take me very seriously and realize my importance. But how deeply serious are you? You suppose that you can see me anytime you wish. You assume you can come to Belvedere every Sunday; all you have to do is wake up one hour earlier. Is that the right attitude? The opportunity to attend whenever you wish is limited. In the future you will not be able to see me just any Sunday. If there are many world-famous people waiting to enter the auditorium where I am speaking and the seats are limited, do you think I will continue letting you in? I may say, "You have listened enough. Why don't you go out and accomplish, and let the new people come in to listen?"

You should not always expect preferential treatment. You shouldn't complain, "Father, we have been following you for so long and have worked so hard, and now these new people come and get to listen to you every day while we can't." That is the wrong attitude. Even though you may become a servant to some of them in the spirit world, as long as your mission is the same, you should feel honored to serve. You may think these are harsh words. You might protest, "I worked as a servant my whole life on earth, and now in spirit world you want me to continue as a servant working to liberate mankind and God! That is too much for me." Would you say that? Are you sure you wouldn't complain?

If you disregard your individual interest -- because there really is no such thing -- and look at life from all directions, isn't my idea fantastic? Think about it. Don't you suppose that learned and conscientious people will love this philosophy? Doesn't God love it too? If everybody embraces it, no one will be left out.

In case you are worried that you cannot fit all I have said and done into your mind, then throw away all the trash in your thinking and replace it with these concepts! Still you would be unable to contain everything. Would you prefer to hang on to the trash? Can you throw it away without regret? Can you discard everything which is ambiguous and replace it with my thought and advice something which has been thoroughly tested and is guaranteed to produce results?

If you throw away the trash, I would like to see you do it with a happy mind. I don't want you to discard something regretfully and later try to retrieve it. Are you really confident that you want to replace the trash? Those who could do it without regrets, raise your hands.

At the crucial moment when you have made up your mind, suppose your husband or wife comes to distract you. What would you do? I always asked myself this question. I had to divorce my first wife; you have heard about that. I did not want to end the marriage, however; she was the one who left me. God knows the circumstances. Do you think my actions were right? The result was divorce. Is divorce permissible under such circumstances? Righteous living can transcend divorce and even more.

Since you have agreed to live for the sake of the liberation of God and mankind, all your senses must adjust to this mission. Although you may not need glasses, imagine that you have a pair of glasses through which you can see nothing but the liberation of God and mankind. In addition, imagine that you have a hearing device which filters out anything which does not concern the liberation of God and mankind-the liberation of God and mankind is the only thing you want to listen to, and you could do it for 24 hours in a row. Furthermore, imagine that on your mouth you have a device for letting in only food which gives energy to work for the sake of God and mankind.

If you eat something special, such as Chinese food, tell yourself you have to work ten times harder for the liberation of God and mankind! If you wear fancy clothes, you should resolve to do more for the sake of God and mankind. Now imagine that your nose will smell only those odors which will help liberate God and mankind. If that smell happens to be a stench, your nose will be able to change its preferences and choose it over perfume. Your hands used to enjoy touching soft things, but imagine now that they enjoy the rock-hard touch of things of substance.

You must literally learn to reverse your tastes. You must learn a new way of liking things. It takes painstaking effort to learn these new things one by one. It is very difficult and that is why you need prayer.

Your eyes, for instance, are literally your enemies and you need to be able to protect yourself from them. You may tell Heavenly Father that your eyes keep wanting to see the way they did in the past and you need His help to change. You may notice a handsome man passing by and compare him to your husband. If he beckons and you follow him, Satan can snatch you away at that very moment. You may feel horrified that your own eyes can be your enemy, but it is true.

Since your mission is the liberation of God and mankind, your rightful eyes and ears will affirm that mission. As time passes, however, you may hear another voice saying, "You have gone this far and nothing has happened. Forget about this liberation of God and mankind! Listen to me and you can have everything you want: nice clothes, nice food. Your life is too short to waste." When someone speaks to you in an unprincipled way, the words may sound sweet and the ideas tempting.

In that case, cover your ears because you know Satan can invade you through them.

Sometimes your mouth can be your enemy, urging you to eat your favorite foods or to speak some words of complaint. Your nose, your hands, the various parts of your body -- all may be your enemy. You must be able to maintain fight control over them. This task is never easy The greatest man may be tempted by the appearance of a beautiful woman.

Now that you know your enemy, how do you guard against it? The enemy can infiltrate through your five senses. When you realize why you should safeguard yourself, you will know how to control your eyes, ears, nose, mouth and hands. The sixth area is the mind and the sexual organs are the seventh area of vulnerability. A small point of vulnerability in any of these seven areas may eventually bring your downfall. Satan is very confident that you cannot overcome these seven vulnerable areas of sense and thought during your lifetime.

I now we have clearly defined our enemy. Is it outside you or inside you? The enemy is very much inside. You must be able to protect yourself from the enemy within you. If you don't know how to protect yourself, you will become the victim and lose your value.

Without the confidence that you can control yourself, it is nonsense to think about the liberation of God and mankind. You never know when Satan may show up. When everything is going wrong and your determination is shaky, Satan will most likely start talking to you. When things are going bad, you may feel like smoking or drinking alcoholic beverages. It makes no sense to smoke, however. Smoking will never be of any help in liberating God and mankind. The same applies to drinking alcohol. You absolutely need prayer in order to overcome your weak points.

American men, for instance, are very vulnerable to certain temptations. In contrast to men from other nations, American men often have experiences with women from a very young age. Therefore, you need more prayer to protect yourself from such temptations. Did you realize this before, or only now that I have pointed it out? American women are not as bad off, but they are still more vulnerable than women in many other parts of the world.

Oriental women go almost to the other extreme -- they have far fewer problems of that kind. They are always embarrassed to take off their clothing and expose parts of their body. The typical Oriental garments cover the entire body, leaving only the head and hands exposed. This is the traditional dress in the Orient even now. In America, the very minimum is covered -- sometimes even less than the minimum. Women go almost naked. They spend years perfecting ways of laughing and flirting. Many foolish Oriental men have fallen into the trap of imagining that a woman truly liked them because she could wink so enticingly.

I urge American women to protect yourselves from these kinds of temptations. This is the worst enemy you have to face. You have to protect yourself before you can accomplish anything. You Moonie women are a new breed of people. Are you somewhat better than ordinary American women, or far better?

Do you suppose I am a different kind of man because of who I am? I am not immune to temptation. I'm even more receptive to all kinds of sensations. If I didn't know how to control myself, I would react even more strongly than you to such stimulation. So do you think my struggles are easier than yours, or more difficult? I had to fight a hundred times harder in order to control these sensations and gain the victory for God and mankind.

There is one way in which I am different from you: I never considered following a woman. On the contrary, the opposite has happened. Many women have followed me, but I knew how to erect the proper barrier and protect myself. God knows that I have this absolute confidence and that I am qualified to bear the responsibility for liberating mankind, the world, and God.

God knows me inside out. God would never take a chance on me. Therefore He tested me until He was sure that my mouth, ears, nose, eyes, and all other senses were dependable. I made great efforts to prove my trustworthiness.

Consider the effect even music has on one's senses. I think that Westerners who like rock music should try instead to appreciate the slow, calming music of the East. Orientals should listen more to rock music in order to invigorate themselves. This is a serious suggestion, not just empty talk.

To sum it up, it is very difficult to have absolute confidence in yourself and to preserve your sense of mission. Is there any woman here who is completely confident that she can resist whatever weapons Satan might use against her? Can any person claim to be immovable and invincible?

I know very well that there are times when your mind is absolutely confident but your feet start walking of their own accord! Sometimes your mind simply cannot control them. People who feel this loss of control sometimes abandon themselves to temptation, thinking that since they have gone so far, they no longer care what happens. This is a typical reaction to temptation.

It is very important to protect yourself from evil. There is no challenge I haven't thought about and devised ways to overcome. I even tested myself by looking at magazine pictures of beautiful women and asking myself what I would do if one of them crawled into my bed. "I would cut my belly out before I would do anything," I resolved. "When she saw the knife, she would leave quickly!" I considered how I would handle temptation from a beautiful white woman, from a black woman, from an Oriental woman. I considered what special qualities I knew about such women that I could utilize to help me resist their advances. I realized that this was a critical area of temptation because that's how the fall happened.

Even at a very young age, I tested myself daily. When I undertook this mission of liberating mankind, I thought very deeply because I realized that if I could not overcome such temptations, I could not be truly confident. My mission was to liberate God and liberate all mankind. In the process I prayed a lot to make sure that God would protect me and give me the confidence I needed.

Sometimes I was harsh with my eyes. "I really gave you a hard time, didn't I?" I would tell them afterwards. Then my eyes answered, "Yes, you did. But now we are happy because you prevented us from making a mistake." I persecuted my nose, but it said, "Yes, you really gave me a terrible time; I was afraid then, but now I'm glad." I looked at my mouth in the mirror and told it, "You really went hungry until you reached 30 years of age, didn't you?" My mouth answered, "Yes, it was rather difficult to persevere, but I am very grateful that I will never have to go through that again."

My ears heard so many unpleasant things, but they confided to me that they are the happiest ears in the world. I have touched smelly, thorny fish and many other disagreeable things, but my hands don't complain about their misfortune. Instead they say that they are the happiest hands in the world. All my limbs tell me, "You are my true master!" Are you the true master of your eyes, ears, nose, mouth and limbs? Has every part of your body become a true part of your being? If not, you need to pray more.

There is nothing more important than fulfilling your mission. Your mission is everything. You should realize that it is not your nation that hinders you and persecution is not what holds you back. Your real limitations are internal. It is lack of confidence rather than persecution that restricts you. In fact, if you set a very high standard for yourself and force yourself to live up to it, the world will stop persecuting you!

I have absolute confidence, so I am never shaken no matter what kind of persecution comes my way. I stand firm as a rock. Therefore, persecution will eventually fade away. I can apply the principles of the internal discipline I have perfected to external situations. Just as I have fortified myself internally, I will defend myself from external slander, persecution and invasion.

Prayer is essential to winning this victory. When you face difficult and trying times, instead of asking somebody else for advice, go to a dark room and pray to God asking Him what to do. He will give you a much better answer than you will get from your colleagues. Then you should invest your time and energy into solving that problem. Day after day, you should practice overcoming your temptations.

I have spent more than 12 hours a day praying deeply about overcoming temptations. American prayer is five minutes at most. But a few minutes isn't enough time to solve a deep problem. For example, you would have to go through incredibly deep water to reach the bottom of the ocean. It takes more than five minutes just to get to the bottom of a problem, let alone solve it.

Those who develop the practice of praying don't make big mistakes, while others who don't pray enough will make many mistakes and have to spend a lot of time correcting them. You can take my word for it! Once you develop the habit and taste of prayer, you will find it more valuable than eating, listening to good music, or watching a nice movie. After you have experienced deep prayer, you will automatically find solutions to your problems. You won't have to struggle so much to accomplish things. Prayer has tremendous mystic meaning.

Moonies are very spoiled these days. You think because you have such a great Father, you can get away with the minimum of five minutes of prayer a day. But actually that is not enough. You have to overcome the temptation to avoid prayer and the temptation to sleep long hours. Since our mission is obviously so great-the liberation of God and mankind-we need an equally great prayer life to accomplish it.

Even though you may consider yourself a light-hearted American, you should begin to see yourself as one American who needs to be more serious than anybody else in history. You should resolve that no matter what difficulty may lie before you, you can reach your goal through the power of prayer. You should be so focused on the goal that you could offer your life with no regrets.

I have been talking about prayer in the traditional sense of deep prayer. But for Unification Church members, your daily life should be a kind of prayer as well. While you work, sleep, walk, talk, or eat you should develop the habit of prayer. That way you can experience God's abiding presence with you.

If you face some desperate situation and need somebody to help you, you usually think first about someone who is always willing to help, someone who cares for you, prays for you, and never lets you down. That's the kind of person you go to, isn't it? It's the same with God. God too looks for such a person. When God looks around for somebody to visit with, He will seek out people who care about the future of their country, people who seek the liberation of their countrymen, the world, and God. These are the people God will visit most frequently.

To gain God's companionship, you should always think about your lifetime vocation, your mission, and your prayer. Twenty-four hours a day you should be centered on these things. If you are good at prayer and make it a habit, you won't have to wonder what to do. Your mind will automatically direct you properly. You can be confident of your direction and never have to waste time wondering if you are right. Sometimes you may choose what you think is the right way and start heading there and suddenly find your feet swinging around the other way, responding to the automatic direction that your mind developed through prayer. When such things happen, you will realize that God is right beside you.

Such experiences will prove to you that God lives right next to you. It is actually possible for God to live right beside you! Each of you needs to experience this before you can take responsibility for your mission. If you don't develop this relationship, you become a burden to mankind and to God. Unification Church members must not be such burdens. You should want to contribute to others, rather than detract from them. You shouldn't always want to be beneficiaries of other people's help.

This morning I have been talking to you from the perspective of mission and prayer. Wherever you go, if you find yourself alone, concentrate your thoughts and prayer. Then if your senses point someone out to you, witness to him or her, no matter what the circumstance. Don't let consideration of the circumstances keep you from witnessing. Don't postpone witnessing until later. After you try this for a few times, you will learn that your senses never make a mistake, and you will find witnessing very fruitful.

When you live this way, you will become a truly spiritual person and will possess deep knowledge. If you do fundraising or start a business, for example, you will sense where to start and what direction to head in. This is the standard you should aim for. Nothing surpasses the experience of having God with you.

No one who is a burden to mankind and God can contribute to his own liberation. It just doesn't work. Likewise, if you become a burden to the Unification Church, how can you liberate God and mankind? If you become a burden to your country, how can you liberate your country, God and mankind? You should always look for even small ways to contribute to the Unification Church. You should never want the Unification Church to be diminished because of you.

I don't depend on the Unification Church for my support. I always take the independent goal of working for the sake of mankind and of God. I look for ways to help God, rather than asking Him to help me. Likewise, I always try to do things for the Unification Church rather than asking the church to help me.

My way of thinking is so different from yours, often 180 degrees opposite. The other day a long-time member came to me and said, "Frankly, Father, I am disappointed because you did not recognize me." I got angry at that. We are acknowledged only in terms of how we liberate God and mankind. This person should have been concerned not about recognition from me but about how to accomplish more for the liberation of God and mankind. If in addition to disappointing him I had spoken harshly to him, he should have thought, "Perhaps Father needs to be cruel because that may be the only way to unite this harsh world!"

In fact, I am harsh to people on occasion because liberating God takes priority over everything, including nice feelings between each other. You feel bad when others let you down, but you haven't even begun to be concerned with God's problem! My automatic response to frustration is to think about God. Do you ever wonder how much disappointment God feels when we haven't been able to accomplish all He needs to have done?

Sometimes at critical moments I don't even pray to God for help. At such times, I feel that God already knows about the situation and it's up to me to do it. I would rather wait for God to pray for me! By the same token, I would rather have other people ask me for help.

It's time to change a lot of mistaken concepts people have developed over the years without even knowing they were wrong. Almost all your concepts need to be changed! For instance, one Korean leader has been very concerned about the American church. He is always reporting to me about its problems and asking for assistance, but he never says, "Father, don't worry. We will support you in your worldwide dispensation." Before asking me for help, it would be wiser for him to say, "I'm sorry that we cannot help you more." Then I would respond, knowing that his words might be hollow, but still they are good ones!

This weekend we have been celebrating the Day of All Things. Don't think about what you can gain from the occasion, but tell yourself that since you have become spiritually recharged here you can go out and work three times harder on your mission. You should be so eager to go out and work that you would rather not wait around just to listen to me. If you contribute to God, He will surely compensate you, and you will become the kind of person He will call upon for ever more important missions.

Wherever I go, I always stir things up. I always make a big noise. People can't be complacent about me. But since I never fail to bring good results, people don't mind me making a commotion! When I go somewhere, I never let people remain peaceful; I always start something. God knows that this is the only way to stimulate change and produce good results. Therefore, God is always curious to see what I will start next! Two years ago I started Ocean Church and miracles happened. Now it is the IOWC. Soon it will be something else.

Yesterday I told members working on Ocean Church that I disliked all of them! They understood what I meant I said that because they were not contributing enough to our church and to the liberation of God and mankind. I will continue to challenge such people until they change and begin to truly contribute to the highest purpose. You may not like me for that, but this approach endears me to God! If you were me, would you prefer to be liked by the members, or by God and mankind? You always know the right answer!

Now that you know what is trash and what is valuable, why don't you throw away all your trash? Do you think I am indebted to the United States, or do you think the United States is indebted to me? On a one-to-one basis, has the average Unification Church member contributed more to me, or have I contributed more to each church member throughout the world?

From the very beginning I have trusted you Americans. I knew how unpopular I could become by the things I said. Americans -- especially women -- hate it when somebody criticizes them. But I face people and say what needs to be said. You American women have been very tolerant and have never protested aloud. Inside, of course, you were boiling but you never showed it! I think that is very lovable. Now I ask you women whom I have been pounding on for years: whose method is best, yours or mine? If you are willing to go down, you will come up. I myself will lift you up.

My sermon today is about mission and prayer. From now on you can tell yourself, "My mission has one aim: to liberate God and mankind. I will let nothing else bother or distract me. I have made my resolve." All creation will hear your resolve. So can you tell God, "I will head straight toward the goal"? If so, God will be most gracious toward you.

I have been doing all the talking this morning. Now you should talk. Do you promise me that you will head straight forward to the goal? Will you do so only if I keep visiting you and lifting you up? Will you do so only as long as your central figure appreciates your hard work and rewards you from time to time? Will you do so only if your spouse supports you? Actually, only you can reach your goal. You must be capable of being absolutely independent of all these people! I love best the American idea of independence.

We need to make two resolutions: first, to become a contributor everywhere -- to help others even in the smallest situation. Second, to continue doing so for the rest of our life -- even though we may lack food, clothing, or a place to sleep. This is the direction we must go.

Since you are so different from other people in history, you are a new phenomenon. Now that a new theme in history is emerging, God will come around to do some sightseeing. "Are these people really the offspring of the fall?" He will exclaim in wonder. I am not asking you to do something complicated. I have given this much thought and the method is simple.

What do you think: should we all go to Moscow? After Moscow, where do we go? After liberating God and mankind, we must liberate hell. God cares about the people in hell, so it stands to reason that unless we liberate them, we cannot liberate God. This has been my clear goal since I was very young.

Now you know my blueprint and you realize that it is yours as well. To carry it out to the last detail will require all your time and energy. I have devoted myself to this task. The key to success is perseverance. Don't respond or retaliate when people attack. Be prepared to endure whatever comes your way.

This morning you should adopt this plan and begin to put it into practice. Some of you look so serious. You don't always have to look so serious. Try to master the art of trusting God-after a certain point, you can leave things up to God! Why should you worry about everything? There is only so much you can do. You cannot be God; He will do His part.

Sometimes you have been heading in one direction and have to turn around and go a different way. If I tell you go turn around, you should be willing to do so, even though you don't see the reason. Later you will realize why. When I see that a certain direction is not good, I may just tell you to turn around without explaining why. You should be able to do it without feeling hurt.

I'm willing to make sudden changes. For instance, I never notify anyone that I am thinking of leaving the United States until 24 hours before my departure. People may protest, "Father, you have a fantastic foundation which is just about to bear fruit. It would be silly for you to leave now." But I may have a different idea. I know I cannot live eternally in this one country. Eventually I will have to leave it -- set it aside, in a sense -- and when the time comes, I will do it.

It doesn't matter when I leave. What matters is that I will invest my best efforts for the sake of this nation until the very last minute. I stand unashamed before my own conscience, before God and before mankind. I do my best and am satisfied with that. You should have the same attitude. Keep your thinking simple rather than complicated.

I look at all affairs, large and small, from the perspective of destiny. Whatever comes my way, I tell myself that I was born for this. If you are witnessing you should tell yourself you were born to witness, that witnessing is your vocation and nothing can change it. You should not keep hoping to do something else, but be willing to continue witnessing the rest of your life. Then if your mission changes, fine. You will accept your new mission as your eternal mission and not bother thinking about other things. Whatever your mission is, tell yourself that you were born to fulfill it. When you think this way, life becomes very simple.

So have the attitude that you were born to fundraise, or born to witness, period. That is your vocation. It's that simple. This is the best way to live for the sake of God and mankind. Such an attitude suits Americans well because they don't like complicated things! You can do simple things well, but not complicated things!

The contents of your mission are so clear: to liberate mankind, and to liberate God. It is very, very simple. Will you do it? Shall we start from today? Those who pledge to do it, raise your hands. God will be pleased with this simple resolution. God bless you.

Day of All Things

Sun Myung Moon
June 11, 1983
Excerpts
World Mission Center
True Ownership

We can ask the question: Have you ever been loved by God? Or by anyone, in fact? Are you receiving love from all beings, including God? We are far from this condition. The truth is that even among theologians -- those who are especially known to study about God -- 75 percent of them are not even sure if God exists.

What about Unification Church members? Are they ignorant or very knowledgeable about God? We not only know God through our intelligence, but also through our heart and feeling. In fact, in order to know God you must feel Him.

In the Unification Church we have a certain share of God's love and also an idea of where we stand before we receive His love. In order to test whether we are receiving God's love or not, we can think in the following way: If I am receiving the love of God, would my mind and body be happy and rejoice, or not?

Yes, lack of happiness and lack of peace should not even exist, since God is perfect, since He is everything. Therefore He must have joy, happiness, and peace -- unless He is unhappy, I cannot he unhappy. Unless His peace is disturbed, my peace couldn't be disturbed either.

The perfection of mankind does not have to be abstract. It's very simple. When a person is very happy and cannot be happier, he is full. Then he is perfected. Of course, so-called liberty is contained within that state. And whatever the person would like fulfilled, that would be fulfilled.

What Does Man Want?

Actually man wants to do things he likes to do and, beyond that, he would like to occupy God's love. That would be the ultimate happiness -- when we come to discover God. First we discover the world, then God who is greater than the world and who has love. When we occupy that love, we need nothing beyond that. But if you asked a person anyway what he wants beyond that, he would say he would like to have the world, and to have the world do his will.

Does this mean he would like to own mankind as well as the trees and animals and creation? And what about God? Would man like to possess God as well? There are billions of men and angels in spirit world. Would you like to exclude them from the world? Maybe you would like to get close to God but to exclude all other men and the angelic world from your scheme? When you say "no" that means you are yielding your place to all men before you. In other words, before you would become happy, you would like all mankind to be happy and all men in the spirit world to be happy.

God Needs Man

God's nature is like this too. God cannot be happy until man is happy. And God's perfection cannot be fulfilled before man's perfection is fulfilled -- through love. Mankind never knew this before. All people thought that God was perfect and complete. God is indeed perfect in His personality, in His intelligence, in His ability, in everything. But the most important of all for Him is the perfection of love. To perfect His love He needs man. That's very simple to explain. Do you think God is happy all alone? Can He be so happy that He laughs to His heart's content? As a man will never be happy alone, neither will God.

We also see very clearly that God created all things to perfect His love, so that all things and man will attain perfection in love. And such a man and God attain love within a perfect subject and object relationship.

When a man and a woman get together and love each other, we see the concept of perfection. A man is perfected, and a woman is perfected.

If you find a man who says, "Oh, God, I don't need a woman; just You and me, God," you must conclude he is very greedy. He doesn't want anyone with whom to share his love. Or it might be the other way around. Maybe a woman says she doesn't need the man since he is so greedy. Since he's always like that, she might think, then why can't she and God just create perfection together? Or maybe she would ask that God love her first, and love the man second.

When each of these two would find out what the other is up to, they would fight each other and claim that the other excluded him from the love relationship. God sees these two fighting, but it's actually very reasonable "fighting" over who would get His love first. Maybe God would not blame them so much after all.

When you express this passion for love, the most appropriate color would be red. The man is bright red with love, and so is the woman. God looks at them, also red and bright in His love. When these three, this trinity, begin to love each other, then perhaps nobody can object, and these three points will merge into one.

Parents' Day

Many people outside wonder what is the Unification Church's Day of All Things. They also wonder about Parents' Day, Children's Day, and God's Day.

Parents' Day has this significance: Parents' Day is the first time since God created all things and mankind that there is one balanced man, one balanced woman, balanced in love to whom God can descend and with whom He can truly be. For the first time in human history this original state of matrimony, the original trinity, has come into existence upon the earth. To find this perfect man and woman is the beginning of all of God's ideals, and God can descend to them.

When True Parents are asked the question, "What is your most fervent wish?" they say, "All our desire is to restore our children and return them to the original state of God's love."

If true children are asked the same question, their answer is also simple, "My wish as a child is to find true parents, connect with them, live with them, and go with them into the true realm of God's love." Such children wouldn't say, "I don't need any parents. I can go directly to God. As He becomes my perfect subject, I become His perfect object and we'll live happily." Children absolutely need parents.

Now here are the True Parents who love according to how God wants them to love. They bring God's love. With this advance of God's right love, those who choose to follow the True Man and the True Woman, discarding everything else, must be taken by God because they come to belong to this new state correct love. Since this is the original realm of love which is very Principled, not even Satan can interfere.

No matter who the children may be, Satan can never claim them back again as long as they choose True Parents, because God has that power.

The power of love is so strong that even God cannot free Himself from it. The human dilemma of love manifests itself in many ways but they all point to one crucial fact: God is suffering very much to restore this problem. Civilization in this high-technology era has many diverse problems, especially family problems which create social problems, but they all originate from one problem, that is, the love problem. The Unification Church has solved this most difficult problem once and for all.

Many children, in search of true love, follow the True Parents on their own. They want to remain with them for the rest of their lives and for eternity. We call Children's Day the day an individual declares to himself that he will not go back to the world which is more false than true.

The Realm of True Children

Children's Day is the day of declaration on the part of children. Unless this declaration exists, there is no way to enter the realm of True Children. They all belong to Satan; he possesses all things. Ever since man fell, all things have been occupied by the false owner. Therefore, we need a day through which all things will find their way to true ownership again. All things naturally want to belong to a righteous owner.

In order to restore things from false to true ownership, we have been doing fundraising in which we invest all our heart and love. By Principle, we helped all things be restored into the realm of true love. So, after Parents' Day and Children's Day could be announced, the Day of All Things could be proclaimed exactly 21 years ago today.

The Day of All Things

When True Parents and True Children unite and never separate no matter what, then God would like to create even more possessions to give to them. That's how God feels, but He also thinks that before He gives you a blessing, you should restore what was yours originally and bring it back into your own possession. And God will help you do that.

When we are absolutely confident in ourselves and in the relationship with True Parents centered on God's love, nothing can separate us. And if we proclaim to all things, "If you want to come and belong to us, I will open up a way for you," not only all things would come to our bosom, but God would make them come to our bosom. That's how all things will respond to this true unity.

As long as this principle of true love is intact, all things will come flowing into the True Family and to the True Children. And they will soon detach themselves from the outside world, whose possession i• only temporary.

Do You Absolutely Need A Woman?

If a man is asked, "Do you absolutely need a woman?" or if a woman is asked, "Do you absolutely need a man?" they probably will answer that they absolutely do need a partner. The reason is that, unless you have a mate, you don't get recognition from Parents or have God's love remain with you.

The one who refuses to recognize this, or thinks he has a way around it -- it doesn't matter who he is -- belongs to the realm of Satan.

Why is it that the Unification Church, which is founded on the highest ideals, does not allow men and women to get married as they wish, as in the outside world? This is because of a law of nature as sure as the one by which water doesn't go from a lower to a higher place. The spiritual law of nature is that, without Parents, God's blessing does not descend, because Parents need to occupy a position in place of God. The center is needed. Therefore the son or daughter can never have the union of marriage without the parents' approval.

Where does love come from? From above. So establishing vertical love is the first step. First comes original love, which is vertical, and then man's love, which is horizontal. So Father has no choice in giving you the Blessing. It's not a matter of maybe one way or maybe another. We can be proud of being natural, being matched and blessed by our True Parents according to universal law. When this is done, the satanic world will crumble down because that world is not lawful in the sight of God. This very world which tries to exclude God from its community will not survive.

Heavenly Attitude Toward Possession

You have a perfect right that you must develop for yourself, and that is the right to true love. But you have hardly exercised that right at all. First you should proclaim to God that you really have true love, and that you have True Parents, and you should demand of God to say, "Yes." Just cling to Him until He says yes. And protest to God that He has so much, and yet you have to go hungry. Doesn't this stand to reason? And God will answer you, "Yes, you are right. You need some possessions, and I will bring you some."

Even though you have True Parents, they somehow don't seem to buy a house for you, or pay for the hospital bill when you have a baby. So what are you going to do? Just sleep on park benches? Certainly not. You proclaim to God and the world that you have true love and True Parents, and that all the possessions should be yours. You can't go hungry! When you ask that of God and proclaim to Him that you deserve it, how can He not give you enough money to deliver the baby?

If you were God, what would you say? God doesn't give you money directly. But as long as you are dwelling in the realm of true love, God gives you the authority and the opportunity to restore money back to God. Standing at this borderline between the evil world and God's world, people in the future will come to you wanting to invest their money.

To give an example, when the science conference opened, many said, "Oh Father, please don't spend that much money. We need that money for printing something, for maintaining the vehicles," etc. But Father didn't listen. The same when Father created The Washington Times, many said, "Oh Father, don't spend money there," but Father said that this was a must. Now today what happens is that they all came to know through its phenomenal success that God is with The Washington Times. Since everybody sees that God is truly with The Washington Times and Rev. Moon, many will say, "Well, Rev. Moon, I'd like to invest in what you think is a good project."

True Ownership

God was the original new Owner over all things until mankind fell. According to this principle, there will one day be a country of our own, the country that belongs directly to God. If no one on earth will welcome the existence of God's country, or our country, still that doesn't stop us. We will create one with our own hands.

Today we celebrate the 21st Day of All Things. That means exactly 20 years have passed by as of today. This 20 is truly the beginning. A new era of blessing is coming for returning all things to the ownership of God.

As we know from the book of Romans, all things are in lamentation, sighing that they are in the hands of the wrong ownership. So for ownership to come into the hands of God or the country of God's dominion, it has to become dominated by true love. True love is what all things want. They are really disappointed and sighing because they are the prisoner and slave of unrighteous ownership. In order for them to go back to the true love dominion -- to the godly nation, tribe, clan, and ultimately to the godly parents and children -- the only way is for all things to be returned to the ownership of God. They, too, need to be saved, just as mankind needs to be saved.

In the original world there was no such a thing as "my possessions." Before that concept arose, things were thought to belong to God and to every man. So, therefore, if we own lots of property, it indicates that we are selfishly clinging to possessions that belonged to the satanic world, and we cannot say these things really belong to God.

There will come an inescapable time when all belongings will have to be moved into the dominion of God. This must be done in the future.

To whom do you, your mind and body, belong? First to God, then to True Parents. So if there is a true woman to whom does she belong? As a true child, nothing is her own. If you want to be exact, divide your body into eighths: one is God's, one is True Mother's, one is for your husband, and maybe one eighth is for yourself, but in that proportion only.

If you register your wealth in your parent's name, or your country's name, then it's all right. You first belong to various others before you belong to yourself. All things will be returned to God, and from God they will be received back to the various countries.

So we come to one great solution to the problem: unless we return everything to God, or until we live with the things that come from God, we can't go to heaven. If we have something from this world and live with it selfishly and then go to spirit world, we just can't go to heaven. This is the significance of all things: all things belong to God first.

With this great principle, those who work harder than anyone else, with determination to bring all things of God's creation back into His possession, will gain prosperity in the future.

Let us have confidence in restoring all things, so they find their way into the Kingdom of Heaven. Amen. 

The Day Of All Things - 1983

Reverend Sun Myung Moon
June 11, 1983
World Mission Center
Translator - Sang Kil Han

When you hear the phrase "Day of All Things" what do you think of first? Those who do not understand the Unification Church might wonder about the meaning of that phrase, but for most Unification Church members it brings to mind some profound past experiences. Through the Principle we learn that God created the angelic realm, then all things, and finally people. The angelic realm came first and the human realm last, but human beings are the center of all realms.

God was supposed to have perfect dominion over the world through His love, but has everything God created been living under His perfect dominion? When does the perfection of creation take place? Was God's creation complete when He made the angelic realm, or formed all things? Was it complete when He finished creating mankind? None of these was the completion of God's creation. Completion can only come when God and human beings are perfectly united in love; then all things and the angelic realm as well can be united in God's love. Only then will God's creation of the world be completed.

If you ask people if they have ever been truly loved-by God or by someone else-what kind of answer would you get? Can anyone reply, "Yes, I have been receiving an abundant amount of love, and I don't need any more"? No, we are still far from that state. To prove the point, 75 percent of theologians-those who study God as their specialty- are not even sure whether God exists!

What about Unification Church members? Are you ignorant or knowledgeable about God? We know God not only intellectually, but through our emotions and our heart as well. In the Unification Church, we have a clear and certain relationship with God.

In God there is no lack of happiness or peace of mind. God is perfect and has everything: joy, happiness and peace. So unless He is unhappy, the perfected person cannot be unhappy. Human perfection or completion is no abstract notion. It is very simple: when someone is very happy and cannot possibly be happier, when someone has an abundance and needs nothing more, then he is perfected; then he is happy. Of course, liberty is also included within perfection; a completed person can fulfill his true desires.

What do people want? They naturally want to do the things they enjoy and, ultimately, to possess God's love. Human beings do not need anything beyond the ultimate love of God. If you ask someone what he wants, many things might come to mind at first. But upon deeper reflection, he might reply, "I want to have the world to enjoy as I wish" The world encompasses all things of creation, such as trees and flowers, and mankind as well. If someone wants to "have the world,' does that mean he also wants to "have" mankind? When we speak of people, we include Caucasians, Blacks and Orientals-actually all five colors of skin. Do you think he would want to have all people, along with the whole world? There may be some who would rather exclude people and focus only on nature.

If God exists, wouldn't you want to possess Him also? Furthermore, in the spirit world there are billions of people, as well as the angels; do you ignore them and relate only with God? No? In your desire to own all things and possess God and His love, you wouldn't exclude people, would you? To say no is to recognize that you do care about other people and you want to see all people-on earth and in the spirit world as well-experience happiness even before you do.

Unless people are completed, God Himself is not fulfilled. Only through perfected love can God and human beings be fulfilled and perfected. Mankind has never understood this important fact before. Previously, people always assumed that God has been perfectly fulfilled. Of course, God is perfect in His personality, intelligence, abilities, etc., but because He has never been fulfilled in love, His perfection is not complete.

This should be a simple point to understand. For instance, we cannot imagine a person bursting with laughter and joy while all alone. If no man or woman can be happy alone, neither can God. How can God be truly happy without mankind?

We understand that God created all things in order to perfect His love. When perfected human beings achieve perfected love, they can fulfill their subject/object relationship with God. Today, many theologians conceive of God as beyond the realm of human beings; they say that God, the Creator, is totally "other"-distinct from His created beings, people. Therefore, they don't understand the need for a genuine relationship between God and mankind. But we realize how wrong they are.

When is a person perfected? When he has developed rippling muscles like those of Mr. Universe? When he has achieved vast knowledge and learning? But if such a person is alone, he is not admired or considered a happy person. If a woman beautiful enough to be Miss Universe is all alone, without any man to love, others do not envy her happiness. Only when an admirable man and an admirable woman come together in love is their perfection fulfilled.

We know this holds true for human beings, but what about God? Would He stand alone and say, "I am perfected; I need nothing more"? No. God as the true subject needs a true object. Love springs from God; God is truly the source of our love. But suppose a man says to God, "I want Your love for myself; I don't want to share it with anyone else, even this woman" On the other hand, suppose the woman tells God that she doesn't want to yield any of His love to that man-or she expects God to love her first and the man second. When the two find out what each other is up to, they will certainly fight!

God might feel some sympathy towards such a man and woman, since after all they are fighting over the greatest and most desirable of all treasures, love. So God has to decide which of them will receive love first! Both the man and the woman are like ripe fruits, red with desire for God's love. The color red is the best color to express passion. Even God is red with love. Once the three start to love each other, neither the man or the woman will object to what another receives, because as they reach out to each other, God comes into their midst! Their competition for love is solved, because as they embrace with God in the middle, both have equal access to God.

When the man is mature and red with the ripeness of his love, he will plead for God to come to him. At that point, he thinks about God first and the woman second. The woman as well asks for God first-not because she doesn't like the man, but because God takes precedence over any other person. God looks at such a man and woman with intense care. They are about to be drawn to one another in love, but their desire is to invite God in first, because without Him they cannot have a genuine relationship. Of course, God recognizes and endorses such an attitude. Once God approves of them, will He leave them alone, or will He zero in on them? The ideal position for both the man and the woman is that of equilibrium; when husband and wife are balanced, God comes to both at the same time, so they no longer need to compete to receive God's love first.

What power can create that perfect balance between a man and a woman, and between the couple and God? True love, of course. The man's true love, joined with the woman's love, plus God's true love creates a triply true love! Such monumental power is capable of stimulating God's mind and body, the man's mind and body, and the woman's mind and body. When so much excitement is stirred up, it erupts! Now you understand that when God created man and woman and pronounced them "very good,' He was thinking about love.

Examine yourself very carefully. Has your mind come into perfect unity with your body? What can make such a unity possible? Nothing less than true love. The true man is the one whose mind and body interact in perfect unity, centering on true love. Can any of you men claim to be such a true man? Can any of you women call yourself a true woman?

Of all the billions of people on earth, no individual can make such a claim. Yet people complain that they are not being treated as true men or true women! They sense the standard of a true person, so they resent it if they do not receive that kind of treatment. But if an untrue man or woman is given total freedom is it beneficial to him or her? Wouldn't such freedom be harmful? There is lots of freedom in America, but is it a good freedom? Do democratic countries enjoy true freedom? The question is not a simple one, because it raises a deep issue.

We need a clear definition of what a man and a woman are supposed to be. A true man is centered upon God's love. A true woman is centered upon God's love. In both of them, mind and body are united in perfect oneness. Such individuals can then be joined to form a perfect couple, and God will become their rightful subject. When a true man and a true woman seek each other and come together in balance, they are welcomed by the universe. But the universe detests it when an unbalanced man and woman who are not perfectly united in true love try to consummate love.

Those of you who are blessed and married, raise your hands, please. How many of you were married through me? The same number! When I matched you, did I do it haphazardly, or did I follow this true and strict standard of balance and harmony? I never compromise this principle in matching and blessing people.

Before any of you look upon your spouse with critical eyes and conclude that he or she isn't your type, or isn't good enough for you, you must appraise yourself honestly. Are you truly balanced in mind and body, centering on God, to the degree that you can claim to be one with God? You must scrutinize yourself closely. If you can honestly say you are balanced, then you may make some evaluation of your husband or wife; otherwise it is absurd to criticize him or her.

Day and night, you should challenge yourself and ask yourself if you are united within yourself and worthy of being united with God. The basic prerequisite is God's love; when you attain it, you and your spouse will inevitably come into perfect union. When you are truly strict with yourself and seek to create that balance, you don't even need to look at your spouse's face for love to ignite; merely touching your wife's skirt can electrify you. Which is more precious and important: appearance or love? You are supposed to be love-partners, not appreciation-partners.

Do you know that in God's eyes every woman is beautiful and every man handsome? If we look through God's eyes, we can develop the same attitude. Suppose your spouse is very unattractive; can you get remarried? Once a perfectly balanced man and woman set out on a particular course, they cannot meander around. They should move only in one unchanging direction.

So a perfect man and woman can marry only once, no more. Through the Principle, we learn that Eve made a mistake at a certain age and fell. If Adam had not fallen, Eve could have been restored relatively easily; Adam could have explained the problem to God, and He could have remedied the situation. If you stumble on one foot, it is fairly easy to restore your balance. But if both of your feet are in the wrong place, you are in trouble.

Why do you suppose I am speaking about these things this morning? Non-members may wonder about the meaning of our various church holidays, such as Parents' Day, Children's Day, God's Day and Day of All Things. Parents' Day, for instance, commemorates the first time since the creation of all things and mankind that a stable and perfected man and woman could dwell together in balance and love and enable God to come and dwell with them. This is the first time such a person has lived on earth. Such a person is called the Messiah. The Messiah means one who has perfect balance between mind and body and who has reached the original unfallen state. The terms Messiah, perfect man, last Adam, etc., describe the various qualities of such a person. The Messiah creates the conditions to return fallen people to their original state. That process is called salvation or restoration. Therefore, we say that the Messiah comes to transform fallen mankind into the original mankind.

The first mission on earth of the perfect man, or savior, is to find the lost bride, the lost Eve. Thus Parents' Day means the first matrimony in history with God at the center, forming the true trinity. This is the beginning point of God's ideal. This was God's intention from the dawn of creation of the angelic world, all things, and mankind. His great desire was to see perfected man and woman coming together in complete balance.

Then what is Children's Day? After mankind fell, many children have been born, but all have been part of the satanic realm. Instead of seeking true balance and perfection, men and women became attracted to each other, got married as they pleased, and then remarried if they wanted to.

But now that True Parents exist, these children who didn't originally belong to God are receiving the love God intended them to receive, through True Parents. Therefore, God's love can abide with them, and they can choose to follow True Parents and disregard everything else. Then, because they belong to the realm of True Parents, God must welcome them.

Once people enter this original realm of principled love, Satan can no longer claim them. Now True Parents exist: an original man and woman who can love children with God's heart. Even though these children once belonged to the satanic world, Satan can never reclaim them as long as they embrace True Parents. God now has the power to claim them.

There are Moonies of all colors of skin. Each of you has your own physical parents; you might call them your "normal parents" But in the Unification Church there are True Parents. Are they special, or abnormal parents? Perhaps your mother and father tell you, "We are your true parents; Rev. Moon and his wife are abnormal parents" But your way of thinking is very different from theirs. To you, True Parents are not abnormal, but very special parents.

True Parents do not force anybody to do anything; we do not drag you along with us. But all you children make so much commotion as you try to follow us! Then your "normal parents" kidnap you and use any means to try to stop you from following your "special parents" They tell you, "We love you so much that we spent a great deal of money to have you kidnapped; we had to stop you from going to those other parents. Don't you see how much more special we are and how much more we love you?"

But your "special parents,' your True Parents, do not act that way. While your "normal parents" do everything possible to stop you from coming to us, we Just stand here. You might feel caught in a dilemma and wish you had only one set of parents. Since the issue is so important, you might try asking your original mind for advice. What would your original mind reply? Would it say that your special parents in the Unification Church are the ones you should follow? Why so? Because your Unification Church parents enable you to live with them in the realm of true love. Once you attain that realm, you will enter God's domain and will be free from Satan's domain. Because your spirit knows that, you long to rest under the eternal peace and happiness of True Parents. Through the power of love, we can be saved. Love is so strong that even God cannot free Himself from it. And Satan is less powerful than God.

The human dilemma manifests itself in many different forms, but they all boil down to one critical point: love. God has been laboring and suffering so much in order to restore love. Even in highly developed societies, individuals and families are riddled with problems, and family troubles expand into social troubles. But all difficulties boil down to one fundamental problem: love.

You Moonies are special men and women, because once you enter the realm of God's love, the satanic world has no more power to pull you back. If you talk to any former members who have dropped away, ask them if they loved Reverend Moon while they were in the Unification Church. Invariably, they will answer yes. Then they might tell you about their central figure and how bad he was, and explain that because of him they had to drop away. This is the nearly universal answer of former members, whether in Korea, Japan, or any other country.

Since that person loved True Parents, Satan realized he could not intervene directly there. However, because that member could not love his central figure-who was connected to True Parents-Satan could claim a link to him, because he could not connect with True Parents' relative.

The safest place on earth is within the true family, centered on love. Many people have broken away from that family in search of some individualistic ideal which doesn't even exist. This is one of Satan's typical ploys. It's an age-old trap with which he has claimed many people. But it is Satan's ultimate trick, because he has nothing more powerful to try. Now the Unification Church has solved the most intricate and difficult of Satan's puzzles.

Parents' Day was established because, for the first time in history, True Parents fulfilled the conditions for proclaiming to the world: "We have reached the original state of man and woman, we are the parents of mankind" On that foundation, many children have now proclaimed, "I have chosen to follow these True Parents; I do not wish to return to the world in which love is more false than true" History needed a Parents' Day and a Children's Day to clear the record and set the proper standard.

Because of Children's Day, children now have the opportunity to liberate themselves from evil, become rooted in true love, and belong to True Parents. Children's Day gives you the opportunity to announce: "I stand here determined to restore myself to the original state of a child. I will love my True Parents more than anyone in history ever loved their physical parents. No matter what may come against me- even death-I will not be separated from this true love embodied in God and True Parents" Children's Day is a day of proclamation on the part of children. Without making such a declaration, you cannot return to the realm of true children. Do you understand?

True Parents and true children have come together, but what about true things of creation? Satan still possesses the things of the world. Ever since mankind fell and created untrue parents and children, all things have suffered under the control of a false owner. Thus we need a day through which all things can escape their previous ownership and find their way back to their true ownership.

All things actually long to return to their true owner Therefore, through fundraising, we can restore them. We devote our whole heart and love to restoring all things to their rightful ownership, enabling them to enter the realm of true love. All things need their day of proclamation, similar to the day of True Parents and true children. That day was proclaimed three years after the establishment of Parents' Day and Children's Day. It happened exactly 21 years ago. So today is the 21st proclamation of the Day of All Things.

If you ask True Parents what they most fervently desire, they will say, "To restore our children and return to the original state of God's love" If you ask true children the same thing, they will answer, "As children, our only wish is to be connected with the True Parents, to live with them, and to return to the true domain of God's love" True children would not expect to go directly to God without parents. Without True Parents, it is impossible to become perfect objects to God and live happily ever after with Him as your subject. Do children need parents, or can they manage without them? Parents are absolutely essential.

You can also ask an individual if he or she needs someone of the opposite sex. Your need is absolute, because otherwise you cannot be recognized by your parents, receive God's love, and become parents yourselves.

Anyone who claims to have found another way is simply mistaken. Why does the Unification Church, which offers such a great solution for the world, not allow men and women to marry as they please, like others in the outside world? You might as well ask why water does not flow from a lower place to a higher place. Everything has to follow the laws of nature. Without parents, God's blessing cannot flow down to the children and their descendants. Parents must be in the center, as God's representatives. Therefore, children cannot form their own union without putting the parents in their proper position.

Where does love come from? From above, or from the man and woman? Certainly it comes from above. Therefore, the vertical position of love needs to be established first. In America, people write horizontally, from left to right. In the Orient, people write vertically, from top to bottom. The horizontal traditions of the West and the vertical traditions of the East must become interwoven. Horizontal love is human love, and vertical love is God's love. Therefore, you need the Blessing.

Once perfectly balanced love is established, the satanic world will crumble because it is not lawful in God's sight- and we won't even have to do anything! No world which tries to exclude God will ever survive. Therefore, you should be proud of being matched and blessed by True Parents according to God's natural law.

Today is the Day of All Things. When True Parents and true children reach perfect unity, God feels like creating even more things for them! He wants to give them more possessions. God is thinking, "I want to create more for you, but first, please restore all the things that were originally meant to be owned by you. I will help you accomplish it, and then I will create even more for you" When you feel absolute confidence in your inseparable unity as true children with True Parents, when you determine to open the way for all things to return to God's ownership, and when you make this proclamation-not only will all things find their way back to your bosom, but God will even make them return to you! All things are drawn to true unity.

Why do you think I have spoken today about so much besides the Day of All Things? One reason is that today is the 21st Day of All Things. Furthermore, explaining such a subject is like speaking about your foot-you have to place it within the context of your whole body: head, torso, etc.

As long as this principle remains intact, all things- whether from the democratic or communist side-will flow towards the true family and true children. Therefore, we need to make some proclamation about this.

You headstrong Western children might say, "Oh dear, how can we make unity with our Oriental True Parents?" Now that you are blessed, you women might try to push your husbands toward some external accomplishments, in order to create a good future for yourselves. Some women in particular want their husband to get a Ph.D. In Korean, the word for doctor, or Ph.D. is "paksa" But "paksa" also means "shatter into pieces" So if you force your husband into getting a Ph.D., you might shatter him into pieces!

There is one privilege and right, however, which you have never exercised enough! You have the right to claim your own true love before God. You can tell Him, "God, I have true love and I have True Parents, don't I?" God will have to acknowledge that. Then you can continue, "That means I have the right to possess the things of creation, don't I? Is it reasonable that I should have to go hungry?"

"You are right," God will reply. "You need to have possessions, so I will provide some for you." I understand the situation you are in now. It's similar to mine in the past. Even though you have True Parents, you are independent and on your own. True Parents don't seem to buy you a house, or pay your hospital bills when you have a baby, so what will you do? You can't take a chance on your child, or sleep in the park. But what you can do is proclaim to God in prayer that you have true love and True Parents. When you pray in such a way to God, how can He not help you?

I have been telling the Japanese members, "In the name of True Parents, go out with absolute confidence and all things will inevitably be restored" But now for the first time, I have told them to go out in the name of true children, claiming the love of True Parents and God, and work for the sake of the world.

The Japanese typically love their own nation, but they have never loved the world. Now they are learning how to love the world even more than their own country; on that basis, they can reclaim all things for themselves. This is the strong direction I have given them.

So I am authorizing you to go out with original true love and claim possessions. Do you understand clearly? This is why I integrated all the business and evangelical activities in Japan. I also launched a campaign to win 3 million VOC members there. That way, those who love Japan can take one further step and love the world. This concept has been making sense to many Japanese people, and they have been pledging membership goals of 70,000 and 90,000! As of yesterday, pledges total one and a half million. A tremendous miracle has been accomplished in such a short time!

Why is this miracle happening now and not earlier? It's a product of this providential time. A good storm is blowing now. Don't you see how people's minds are being drawn towards the center-even in spite of themselves? This is what I have been stressing. For the next three and a half years, go out and show this example to America-and let's see what kind of winds will move people, even in spite of themselves!

To whom does this country belong? To the one who loves it the most, the one who is the least selfish. In God's eyes, this country belongs to no one else. If you start a new business, for example, in the name of God and mankind, once the business becomes a success, it belongs to God and mankind.

During the past few years many people have persecuted me because they fear me-even though they recognize that I am a good man. But such persecution cannot be successful, because it is unlawful.

After the Day of All Things was proclaimed, God's Day was established. These four holidays in sequence established first True Parents, then clarified the standard of true children and the ownership of all things, and finally dedicated all these elements to God. Following this principle, there should be one nation which belongs directly to God. If no one on earth welcomes the presence of God's country, that will not stop us from creating one with our own hands!

Today being the 21st Day of All Things means that exactly 20 years have passed since its establishment. The perfection of the number 20 opens a new era of blessing for the God-centered Unification Church.

Are we doing things the wrong way? From Satan's viewpoint, we are wrong, but from God's perspective we are doing the right thing. According to Romans 8:19-22, all things are groaning in travail, waiting for the appearance of the sons of God. Creation has been in the hands of the wrong owner. To establish rightful ownership requires a God-centered country and the dominion of true love. This is what all things have been sighing for. The things of creation have been prisoners and slaves of unrighteous ownership. To return to their rightful dominion, they have to go through the levels of godly nation, tribe, clan, family, children and parents. This is the only way for all things to return to their relationship with God.

In the original world, no such concept as "my position" existed. Everything belonged to God and all mankind. So if we keep a lot of property for ourselves, it only proves that we are maintaining the satanic world's possession and such things cannot be claimed for God. Do you understand?

According to the Principle, all things-even your own body-must inevitably be returned to God's dominion. To whom does your body belong? First to God, doesn't it? Then to True Parents. Then to your true spouse; a true woman belongs to a true man, and vice versa. Actually, true children have nothing that is only their own! If you want to be precise, you might consider everything divided into eighths: one-eighth for God, one-eighth for Father, one-eighth for Mother, one-eighth for your spouse, etc. You can say that the final eighth belongs to yourself, but you must keep it in the right proportion!

To whom do all things belong? If you register them in the name of your Parents or your country, that is all right. These are the proper centers through which everything must pass. Do you follow? Does your clothing belong to you? You might claim it as your own, but its true owner is first God, then True Parents, and then the man or woman, etc.

So all things should be returned first to God, and then the various countries will receive them back from Him. God does not really need so many different countries; this earth is actually only one land. True Parents need only one country. This was God's original ideal of creation-that everything belong to one nation. These are not my words or inventions. This is the original ideal of God's creation. People may oppose and persecute me, but as long as this truth holds, the one who abides by it will be the winner.

What am I to you? What kind of parent? How am I special? You call me True Father, but how many True Fathers can there be? Only one? To whom do the things you own belong? Without hesitation you should say, "What I have belongs to God, True Parents, true families and, lastly, to me" Rather than clinging to your own clothes, you should give to someone who is going out and working in that position. This is where the greatness of Moonies lies.

The greatest people today-even presidents of countries- admit that although they have accomplished many things and amassed a lot of money, they don't have even one disciple. They marvel that I have thousands, and even millions, of disciples. This is the difference between other people and me.

The happy person is the one who can invest all his or her energy in his or her daily work and come home free of worries. So many people are burdened by multitudes of worries, but members of the Unification Church don't have any real reason for worrying.

I, for example, am the spiritual leader of a movement that spends tremendous amounts of money, but I have never personally seen a million dollars, or even a hundred thousand dollars. No matter how much I spend, I don't see it. It is God's money and it is used for God's work. This is why I don't worry about someone swindling us. I might authorize someone to use a million dollars, and he might go and spend it for the sake of God and that project. Nobody has to worry about it!

Suppose, however, a person were to misuse the money, cheating me and putting it all in his personal bank account. If such a thing happened, that person, and even his whole family, would experience tremendous troubles. Satan would have a fearful claim over them. God Himself enforces this rigid law. It is a simple principle and it works.

On this Day of All Things, we now realize that until we return everything to God or until we live surrounded by things that have come from God, we cannot go to Heaven in the spirit world. Whatever we have on earth must come from God and be returned to Him when we leave. This is the significance of all things. In contrast to contemporary worldly attitudes, we believe that all things must belong to God first. Our lives are headed in that direction. If things belong to me, it is really God, not I, who owns them.

According to this great principle, those who work harder than anyone else to return all things to God's possession will earn millions of dollars in the future. Reverend Kwak administers many things, but they do not belong to him; they belong to God and to the church. Someone claimed the situation was different, but he was educated in the wrong way; that is not how I taught him. Every individual in the Unification Church belongs first to God and True Parents, before he belongs to any organization or any central figure. You leaders must have a clear understanding of this.

The way of the Principle is simple and uncomplicated. Therefore, we must have confidence. Neither the democratic nor the communist world can compete with God's world. So with absolute confidence let us march forward to the realization of the Kingdom of Heaven. Amen!

Wives, please encourage your husbands to understand clearly that they belong first to God and True Parents. Parents, please encourage your children to have the confidence to restore all things; that is how they will find their way into God's dominion. You American women always try to control your husband and tell him to follow you; but I am warning you not to pressure him in the wrong way! If you do, you belong first to Satan's side. You husbands must also be strict with yourselves and not follow the wrong direction!

Those of you who will keep my advice, please raise your hands. God bless you for that!