Hak Ja Han
November 24, 2012
Seventh anniversary of the founding of the Universal Peace Federation
Cheongshim Peace World Center
Honored ambassadors for peace from all parts of Korea, it is a great pleasure to meet you all. [Applause] We have watched a video clip of Rev. Moon, and heard some wonderful words as well. It has taken some time. I had something I wanted to tell you, so I will speak briefly on the subject of 'indemnity.
There are twenty-three years between Rev. Sun Myung Moon's birth and my own. That whole period can be said to be one of darkness and upheaval in Korea. Then, before we'd had time to realize the fact that we had been liberated from the Japanese colonial rule, an ideological conflict divided the nation into northern and southern zones, and then the Korean Civil War broke out in 1950.
Those were indeed miserable circumstances in which Korea found itself, and Korea could not stand by itself. Thanks to the God's providence, however, United Nations' troops from sixteen nations came to participate in the Korean War and saved Korea.
Sixty years after the war, Rev. Sun Myung Moon did, as an individual, what even the nation could not do and sent the Little Angels to the sixteen participant nations, so that they could give performances and thus give solace to the veterans. By doing so, he reminded the rest of the world that Koreans remember kindnesses shown to them. [Applause]
No advancement can be made in the history of God's providence without indemnity. Those of you who have listened to Divine Principle lectures will know this to be true. Indemnity does not always mean something bad. Through it, there is a promise for the future.
In such a grueling period, Rev. Moon carried out Heaven's will on earth.
Let us for a moment remember the Israel of two thousand years ago. The Jewish people under Roman rule, who prided themselves on being the chosen people, were waiting for the Messiah. They thought that once the Messiah came to them they would be liberated from everything and that they would stand high in the eyes of the world. Providential history does not unfold in such splendor, however. They did not know about indemnity, and in the end, they allowed the only begotten son of God to die. What happened to the Israelites after that? For two thousand years they were forced to wander in exile. Be it an individual or a nation, when God chooses someone and they fail to fulfill their responsibility, the providence moves onto another.
The history of Christianity was begun after the resurrection of Jesus, and it has continued for two thousand years. Their cherished hope was to receive the Lord at his Second Advent. They also did not know about indemnity, however. Instead, they waited for the Lord who was to come on the clouds in all splendor in front of the eyes of all the world's peoples.
The fact of the matter is that, as you know, the person who came to earth as the Lord at his Second Coming, the Messiah, the Savior, and the True Parents, was Rev. Sun Myung Moon. [Applause] The providence of restoration through indemnity does not come easily. Unless we pay indemnity on a large scale at every stage of the providence, we cannot move forward. Since the onset of history, has there ever been a great man who was able to say during his lifetime, "I have accomplished everything"? [Applause] "I have liberated God and completed, perfected, and consummated everything. Henceforth, the history of the providence can be begun anew." Has there ever been a person who could say this, who could claim this, and who could lead a life like this? [Applause]
This is also true of Korea. You, too, have a responsibility, and you cannot get away from it. You are standing at the center of the providence now. Yours is a blessed position, but you need to do more than just stand there.
After Rev. Moon's ascension, I told our members that for us there is no stopping. I told them that we will continue to develop. The same is true for you. Peace is not something that can be achieved just by sitting still and doing nothing.
I will give you an example: One of my maternal ancestors is named Han-joon Cho. He invested all his wealth to preserve his nation's honor, and thus did something good for our country. Heaven remembered him, and told him that He would send a great person to his descendants. And they indeed prospered. Thinking about this, I wonder if that person might even be me in this present time.
When I met Rev. Moon, at a tender age, I learned about the history of God's providence and the providential history of restoration through indemnity. So, though I was young, I resolved to fulfill God's will during my lifetime. [Applause]
Left: The Ambassadors for Peace Association in Korea presents True Mother with a gift of dolls in the likeness of True Parents; Right: The Little Angels perform in honor of the occasion of the launch of the Universal Peace Federation on September 12, 2005.
As can be seen from the story mentioned about Grandfather Han-joon Cho, it is important to have a sense of gratitude. When you fill your heart with gratitude, 100 percent, your mind and body unite, and those around you then become happy. I have come to realize this.
This is why I can confidently say, dear ambassadors for peace, that if you lead your lives with a grateful heart for the blessings you have been given by God, you will make those around you happier. This happiness will spread out from your family to your society, nation, and ultimately the world. [Applause]
You ambassadors for peace should realize that as you live in the same era and work together with the True Parents of Heaven, Earth and Humankind, who appear just once in history, you are indeed fortunate people. [Applause]
Please do not be in debt to others. You need to repay your debts. You should do so by widely disseminating the seeds of truth in your locality. [Applause] Will you do that? [Yes! Applause]
I hope and pray that you become true and brave ambassadors for peace that endeavor to accomplish all that you have not been able to do until now for the True Parents of Heaven, Earth and Humankind, our True Father, and that you will work hard to return even greater and higher glory to Heaven until your last moment on earth. [Applause]