Questions and Answers with True Father (2)

Sun Myung Moon
October 7, 1965
Tokyo Church, Japan
Unofficial Translation

Question: My question is regarding miracle. I don’t think miracles happen apart from the principle. What about resurrecting a dead person?

Answer: A dead person can come back to life if the spirit self is called back into the physical body. However, there is a certain time limit. The body should not go rotten. If the body no longer exists, it cannot be done. So within 3 days or a short time after death, if the spirit is brought back, the dead person would come back to life. That is easy. But, there is no need for it. Once God called the spirit to Him, it requires atonement that is of a greater value or it makes available Heavenly benefits as a result. Otherwise, it cannot be done.

By dying, one person’s death might have spared 3 or 4 people’s lives. The spiritual value of the person has to be viewed. Without taking responsibility for such detailed points, we may violate Heavenly Laws. So, from this point of view, miracles are not desirable.

Let me share an example. This is a real incident. One old lady lived in Pyongyang. She visited me after she learned about me from the spirit world. Then she joined the Unification church. This old lady performed many miracles. She healed the sick. She helped the cripple walk. The rumor of her works spread all over Pyongyang. Then, a lot of fathers and mothers came to visit her.

Then, 1 year, 2 years and a few more years passed. When reaching a certain spiritual stage, God told her to stop praying to heal people. A few days later, a woman visited her. She was a wealthy mother of one only son. Her son was suffering from a lung disease and at very critical moment. She would repay with all of her heart. She bowed down and begged desperately, "Please pray for my son." The old lady thought although this woman begged, she cannot do it without permission from God. But, the more she heard her desperate plea, her heart was moved. She decided to find a way to heal the child. She started a 100 day prayer vigil. She purified her body and prayed with holy water. There was no reply for the first 90 days. At early morning (at dawn) on the day before the 100th day, she heard a voice from Heaven. "Do you want to save this child?"

"Yes, please Lord, help him." "Are you content with whatever I do to you (for this price)?" "Yes, I am." As soon as she replied, the water in the cup started to boil. "Take this cup of water, without telling anyone, to the boy and have him drink it. Then he will be able to stand and walk."

She followed this command. She gave the boy water around 3AM. She went back home and slept. She was awakened by her first son. He complained, "Mother, I have severe pain in my abdomen." Within 30 minutes after he returned to his room, he died. Then, this old lady realized. "My son died in the place of the young boy." Then, she became upset and lost her mind. But God warned her if she would be content with whatever happened to her. The old lady went out of her home and started walking discouraged. When she reached one intersection, the spirit of her son appeared to her. He said, "Mother, where are you going? Why did you lose your mind? You prayed for the boy and I took his place and passed away. I am now in a holy place in Heaven where no matter how many good deeds had I conducted, I would have never reached."

Why was her son in a holy place? He received his own merit and the merit of the young child. He reached a place that two people’s combined goodness would take. However, the old lady cried every day after his passing. Her son felt unbearable for her crying. He told her, "There is no greater cross than this (her crying over his death). Please do not treat me as your child and treat as such."

She said, "I was wrong." Then her son told her, "Please love the young child more than me. Otherwise, you would block my progress in the spirit world. Please promise to do it."

When a person with a Heavenly Mission prays for a miracle, it would happen. However, a greater sacrifice than the value of the miracle must be paid. Rev. Moon has faced this type of situations often. I want to forgive someone but I cannot disregard the Heavenly Laws. If a person who was forgiven because of my sentiment alone, he or she may be accused. There is a deep principle behind such an event.

Prayer: Establish the standard that meets Heaven's satisfaction

Sun Myung Moon
October 3, 1965
Japan

Photo date and location unknown

Heavenly Father,

We are studying Your woeful principle of indemnity. Although we can seek Your comfort in times of hardship, we cannot establish the standard that meets with Your own satisfaction unless we rise above a given standard of indemnity. When we see that we cannot subjugate the substantial Satan to achieve even the smallest victory, we feel disgraced before our responsibility to account for our ancestors' sins. We realize that countless ancestors trod this same path, aiming for the goal that You desired, but unknowingly always ended as sacrifices for Satan. We pray with deepest sincerity that in this age You may place us in a position where we will not simply repeat their failures.

Father, have mercy on these brothers and sisters of Japan. These are a people that, by centering on their nation, at one time sought to realize one goal, the greater East Asia co-prosperity sphere. I am aware how they have blemished their history by standing in the position of Satan rather than of God.

These brothers and sisters are all so grateful that You have opened a road before this new Japan and have granted us a heavenly mission, enabling us to contribute to the future of the world. I sincerely hope that their hearts may grow daily to move their environment, until they can reach the point where their substantial selves become the starting point which can move all things and determine Your standard of existence.

Father, we pray that we may never forget that our mighty mission encompasses all other missions around us. We must make ourselves inseparable from You and desire Your purpose. And we must valiantly enter the realm of Your purpose so that we may be the victors qualified to attend You. We pray sincerely that You may protect us and continually extend the manifestation of victory so that we may be welcomed by heaven and by earth as princes and princesses and stand as central points.

We truly beg that Your grace will be with us that we may become persons who give thanks that You have passed on to us the mission of Jesus, that through a life of gratitude we are able to attend You, and that You will establish us as the standard that is perfectly proportional to the value of this life of attendance. We give thanks, Father, that You have guided us in every way today and offer these prayers in Your name.

Amen.

Prayer: How We Should Walk the Way of Restoration

Sun Myung Moon
September 29, 1965
Tokyo, Japan

Photo date and location unknown

Father,

We realize that this way of restoration has remained unfulfilled throughout the long course of human history. We are so sorry that our ancestors could not accomplish this mission.

Heavenly Father, we clearly know the miserable situation in which You have been suffering. Even now, we well know Your mission to restore this world back into Your bosom as Your true homeland. Heavenly Father, we know that You cannot fulfill this alone and that without man You cannot do anything. Unless we take the initiative to win this world back, offering it to You, You cannot embrace it. This is the way of restoration.

Heavenly Father, please protect Your loving members in Japan. From the depth of my heart I wish that You may guide them so that they can become the young people who can continue to the new world in which Japan shall find her future. Thank You for having protected them throughout this period of separation and once again for the blessing of being able to meet here together.

From now on, we determine to make an exquisite offering through the Japanese people. In order to become these Unification saints who can smash this world of sin with a rod of iron -- even though we may sacrifice every one of us, Heavenly Father, please give us the courage to fulfill our mission.

I sincerely pray that You will please be with us during these meetings and guide us according to Your Will. I pray all these things in the name of True Parents.

Amen.

German citizens are very diligent - Letter from Sun Myung Moon to Hak Ja Han

August 4, 1965
Germany

Photo date and location unknown

Dear Hyo-jin's Omma:

It has been a few days since we arrived in Germany. In comparison with the American members, I feel more loyalty from the members here. The German citizens are very diligent, and I felt it even more when I saw how their country has recovered since the war. Around 60 percent of the entire country was in ruins after the war, but the German people created their nation anew. Taking in this fact made me reflect upon Korea's position, and I realized the weight of our responsibility. I was looking forward to hearing news from headquarters after arriving in Germany, but I have not heard anything yet, so I am wondering.

Today is August 4. I think about how today reminds me of you, and offer a prayer in memory of this time last year. Since it is August already and you are heavy with child, you must be really worried and concerned, so please entrust everything to heaven. I was in the living room getting ready to go out when I saw that our itinerary had changed, so I decided to write you a report. As for the name of the baby, if it is a boy, we should give him the "Heung" character, and if it is a girl, we should give her the "In" character. Thanks to all of your prayers, everyone in our group is safe and sound.

We will leave Germany tomorrow and arrive in Italy on the 18th. Please send your letters there next time. You will probably have given birth by then. Please give everyone my regards and please take good care of your health. I keep thinking about my homeland. The children are doing well, right? And please tell the church president to prepare 20 handkerchiefs like the ones I brought from America, and put the same stamp on them. I want to bring gifts back, but because of the weight issue, I do not think it will be possible. Please tell him to do this as a substitute for the gifts. I hope that you may all find peace. Our lodging in Italy has been changed on the itinerary.

Going to England makes me feel like I am returning home - Letter from Sun Myung Moon to Hak Ja Han

July 14, 1965
Aboard an airplane heading to England

Photo date and location unknown

Dear Hyo-jin's Omma

We just left Madrid, Spain and are flying toward England. It is 8:15 p.m. on July 14. The sun is shining down on the fields and mountains of Spain. It will be twilight soon. Spain is an agricultural country, but their fields do not look very fertile, and there are not many mountains or trees. Looking from the airplane, the distant sky and land look soft due to a faint fog. In two hours, we will arrive in London, England, the central nation of western civilization, and I am flying with great wonder and thoughts of meeting with Young Oon Kim. She said she witnessed to several people over the course of two months, and I believe that she will bring them with her to meet me today. The sun is beginning to hide behind the western clouds, and the fields and mountains are starting to darken. As we fly over the Straits of Dover, I hope our visit will open a path that elevates the Will. Going to England truly makes me feel like I am returning home.

Today, we rode a tour bus in Spain and visited the palace and museum. The royal palace was built over a period of 26 years, and an incredibly great number of works of art that encompass all of European civilization are kept there. The museum has around 3,000 paintings, including many famous masterpieces.

The airplane is now entering the clouds. The sunlight is changing to an evening sunset glow and flickering in through the window. Now the stewardess is pushing me to have dinner, so I will have to stop writing you here.

Flying to England, I am eagerly anticipating news from home. I am thinking of all the church members, and hope that they are doing well. Also, I hope that you, Omma, are healthy, and that our children are healthy. I want to hear about all the activities, and again I am looking forward to the day we can all meet again. Please put your heart at ease and know that all of us are safe and sound. Please give my regards to those members close to us. As I ride on the white clouds and look across the fields and hills spread out like a garden, I am crafting memories from the sounds on the plane and the view from the window. The sunlight is now dimmed by dark clouds, and even the bright cabin has become dark, so I will stop here. Take care.

I know that my country is safe - Letter to Korean Members

Sun Myung Moon
June 30, 1965
Washington, DC

Photo date and location unknown

To all family members:

Through the news that you have conveyed, I know that my country is safe. When I left Korea, the mountains and rivers of my homeland were in their winter season. But spring has already come and gone and now it's the summer season. Already six months have passed. As I miss my home country, which is so very far away from here, I start thinking that the way of the Will changes in the same way that nature changes. How can I forget my land and my people, especially you church members, whom I have come to know through my blood, sweat and tears over the 40 years of my life? Even in my dreams, I can never set aside my hopes for your peace and good health, as well as the peace of my homeland in the future.

However powerful and dominant is the culture of a foreign country, I only bow my head naturally before the noble power to which I am connected in heart. I truly realize there is a cohesion that is stronger than the bond forged from the common suffering we have endured together through many ordeals. That cohesion is the tie to our homeland, a reality that transcends the ages and the world. How can someone like me forget the mountains and rivers of my native land? The more countries I visit, the more I experience the heart with which I prayed while I was touring Korea. There is a poignancy there that I cannot find in any foreign country.

When I visited Japan and America, I felt that our ancestors did not accomplish their responsibilities. My thinking was that we, as their descendants, must indemnify their responsibilities in our age. I realize that the present Unification members stand in this position. However, when I think about how patient we will have to be, and how long we will have to fight, I feel that we must prepare to bear the cross again. But I feel that heaven's misery is much greater than that of our people. When looking at the path of the Unification members, who are the pillars of heaven and earth, I see we are pitiable. Nevertheless, who knew of the great agony and sorrow of Heavenly Father, who has been educating and leading us?

When I think that it was human responsibility that brought the great mistake upon heaven and earth, I just want to cry with embarrassment and sorrow to the point of choking. Nonetheless, we, who are standing in a sacrificial position, decide our fate and whether we move upward or downward on restoration's path. We must not forget that we ourselves are sacrifices, and we do not look around, question anything, or leave the altar. We are the ones who must know that, although there are hardships in Korea, greater hardships exist in the world, and we must triumphantly bear the nation's cross and move forward to overcome the worldwide Golgotha.

We must become champions dashing forward to carry the cross of the nation and world. As I have been passing through foreign countries, I keenly felt that I must plan for the worldwide foundation and decide to dispatch young people from Japan and America to each nation. This year we must go to more than 12 countries and furthermore, we must soon go to 20 countries. I am thankful to heaven for young foreign members who are resolved not be defeated by the young Korean members.

I am now in Washington, DC and am very pleased to see young Japanese members who are assigned to do missionary work in Brazil. I am pleased with one young Unification member's courage. He may be but 21 years old and ignorant of the language, but he is headed to a foreign country at the risk of his life.

You members in Korea, in order to save the face and dignity of Korea, please realize that the foreign members are truly hoping that you within the mother country will fulfill the responsibilities that are required by heaven. Korea must set a model of how to go the path of the cross by shedding blood, sweat and tears as a tradition in front of young Unification Church members throughout the world. We need do nothing other than that. Is there any more precious treasure?

As we move forward, going on and on in patience, a bright tomorrow will soon welcome us. Korea seems to be having a severe drought, however the more difficulties we encounter, the more we must overcome by believing that a path of loyalty will be revealed to us. For that reason, I intend to begin this in the hottest season. As I shed sweat in the heat of foreign countries, I would like to feel as if I am experiencing sweat and difficulties together with you members who are working hard in Korea.

Tomorrow is July 1, and about half the time of my visit in America remains. I am trying to glorify our church members' futures and their loyalty through fulfilling the heavenly responsibility throughout the world. I would like to tour the foreign mission countries after writing a letter saying that we are all working together. I am praying that the protection of heaven will be upon you members rather than on me.

As I write this letter, it looks as though I am asking you all to follow the path of suffering again. But what else can we do, as this is our destiny? Is not the world of people who have inherited the way of the Teacher and the way of the Father coming toward us, the Korean people? Let's go forward in patience. Let's try our best to be loyal.

The summer witnessing period is coming again. What will the three-year course and four-year course bring to us? Seeing the current conditions of Korea and the world, I hope that you will become people who will receive praise by putting up with these situations, surviving, and not dying.

If I proceed now, I will arrive in Korea in the middle of October. Please understand when I cannot respond to all the letters from so many members. I should ask to be excused for not being able to convey news regarding the foreign countries. Even though there are many things I would like to write, it is time to say farewell and stop writing, as I hear applause and I must make my appearance. Based on the reports from Seoul, I want to thank you members who are working hard. Let me excuse myself now with this letter, hoping that all of you will become loyal servants in front of this heavenly mission and hoping you will all be healthy until we meet again. I hope that you have peace.

I am praying for peace - Letter from Sun Myung Moon to Hak Ja Han

June 30, 1965
Washington, DC

Photo date and location unknown

Dear Hyo-jin's Omma:

I know the daily newspaper is publishing false accusations, but I am praying for peace. Before we know it, we will enter a global transition. It already has been six months since I left home. Because tomorrow is July I when I leave for Canada, we are very busy with preparations for our departure. As of today my work in America is finished, and tomorrow I wall begin touring again to establish holy grounds around the world. There will not be a moment's rest.

I returned from meeting with two United States senators before writing this letter. From this meeting I was able to make a rough assessment of America's circumstances. In addition, I met former President Eisenhower on the 25th, and a more senators a couple days before that. Meeting with the current leaders of the world, I came up with many ideas. I know that there are a lot of things that relate to the world mission centering on our great Principle.

I am so grateful for you whenever I think about how hard you are working to fulfill your responsibility. I only ask that you face heaven and carry out your responsibility as a filial daughter. I am writing this letter as I sit in front of Hyo-jin's and Ye-jin's pictures. I feel as if we can see each other. As I look at their pictures and write this letter, I think to myself, "I have to return quickly to see them." How I truly miss them.

And as the days come closer to your delivery, I am so sorry that I cannot be there. Please discuss with church president Eu Hyo-won and come up with a plan for when you go into labor. Please be cautious about your meals and consider your nutrition. I am concerned that in Hyo-won's report, the lack of funds is affecting you. But at the same time, I am grateful that you are very frugal. Everyone must offer everything with a sincere heart and filial piety, so that heaven can take responsibility.

We are all doing well here. The American members are making effort both spiritually and practically. I am praying that God will guide them for their future. I am again sending you my itinerary, so please look at it and ease your heart. I will be protected and will return safely. In the meantime, you will have to work hard for the children.

We are planning to visit 40 nations. After we depart, I will let you know where you can contact us. I am praying for Korea's current situation. Thinking this trip is for the purpose of paving the way for Korea's future, I would like to relieve my regret about the Korean people. I am worried because you said the drought is severe. The worse it gets, the more the church members must exert themselves. I am sorry that the members have to work so hard during this hot season. I sympathize with you having to take the position of being an example to the members under such circumstances. I realize how important the role of the leaders is.

I pray that you may find peace. Please excuse my hasty writing. I am in the middle of a hectic schedule. Please be safe until we meet again in the middle of October. Take care of yourself.

I am pleased with the wisdom of our children - Letter from Sun Myung Moon to Hak Ja Han

June 22, 1965
Washington, DC

Photo date and location unknown

To Omma:

I was just looking at the picture you sent me that Ye-jin drew, and I am very pleased with the wisdom of our growing children. Looking at the picture makes me think of how much they have grown and developed. I really want to see them so much. Hyo-jin also looks like he has become quite the little cutie now. The image of him looking for me, his Daddy, is clear in my mind. They must have grown a lot. I want to come back home quickly and see them.

When I think of our new baby, my heart leaps, and I am counting on my fingers the days until August 7 when our new baby will be born. You seem to be worried, but just entrust everything to heaven and there will be no need to worry. I offered a prayer to Heavenly Father, and my heart is with you even though I am not there. Since things are no doubt becoming more difficult, please be cautious. I got a glimpse of your worried heart in Ye-jin's letter. You should proceed with the childbirth however you think best. I just want you to be able to go through it with a peaceful heart.

Also, this is a time when loyalty is demanded of us. The efforts of headquarters and our mission countries are also necessary. It is great to hear that Korea is doing well. I am grateful whenever I read their reports. Everything is going well, thanks to heaven's efforts. We must have even greater resolve to accomplish our true heavenly mission. Japan reported that they are developing like Korea. America is also developing. I was really grateful when I realized that heavenly fortune was working together with me when I visited all of these places.

All we need to do is quickly accomplish the establishment of God's Day. We must advance with that goal in mind. I want to do everything to help you go over the hill victoriously and obtain the glory of the victorious Mother. Let us keep going with hope that a bright light will illuminate our path. Please take care of your health. Let us take care of the members and prepare for the future so that we can establish blessed families and offer them to heaven. Then, let us hasten the restoration and bring results and success to heaven and earth.

You will receive our travel plans from Bo-hi. We will travel according to this itinerary. I want to follow the Will knowing that you will pray for the heavenly path that we are about to walk. The American members are making a lot of effort both spiritually and physically. Please keep in your mind this image of our sincere members following the Will. I met many people during this time. I guess you must be quite curious. The members here, including my travel companions, are healthy. As I watch heavenly grace cover the entire movement in anticipation of the selection of the remaining holy grounds, I am preparing for our departure.