Belvedere
Translator - Bo Hi Pak
There are many people living in our world today, but most of them are standing in the fallen realm rather than in the realm of God. There are different divisions within this satanic domain, such as community, nation and world. The people are divided not only into north, south, east and west, but also into five different colors of skin. There is also the major division between Oriental and Occidental. The principal thing that everybody is doing is fighting among themselves. Furthermore, they do not know where they are heading; they do not know their exact goal or purpose. Our world is not heading toward hopefulness and the ideal, therefore, but rather toward decline and disaster.
That phenomenon persists not only in the Orient but also in the West. Because of such problems, people cannot feel hope for this world. Who can be responsible for the world? America-and you are primarily American people gathered here today-is part of that declining world. It makes no difference whether someone is educated or ignorant; all are heading toward the same destiny.
The original hope and ideal for mankind was lost because of the fall of man. Now each individual has to deal with the most complex and confused way of life. Many people are in agony; they recognize that they could be in better shape-morally, spiritually and physically-but they are not. They ask themselves, "Why can't I be more healthy?" Many individuals are suffering because of this struggle between their mind and body.
The problem of discord between mind and body is more difficult to solve than all the problems of history. No individual can be totally happy unless he enjoys balance and harmony in his life. The greatest human suffering is caused by the conflict and discord in our society. We have to deal with such a complex and chaotic world, but at the same time, there is an even greater problem within each individual-the discord between one's mind and body.
When can we become truly happy people with harmony between mind and body? There are not two ways to become perfect, but only one. Thus we have to come up with one solution. This is the greatest of all problems. Each individual is the subject over his environment, and this is centered upon his own world view. You perceive the colors in your environment, and you feel certain things; you are the subject of those feelings.
We want to be happy and joyful, but that is not possible unless there is truly one harmony. Many people have made great accomplishments through history, and there are many such people living now. However, history has yet to see one person who could say, "I am totally at one within my mind and body." Even such a great man as St. Paul, the one person besides Jesus who could properly be called the founder of Christianity, said that he was waging an internal battle between the laws of his mind and the laws of his body. "Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death?" (Romans 7:24 NAS) The Bible records that confession of St. Paul's.
What about Jesus? Although Jesus had a single, clearcut purpose and direction, there was a great deal of conflict between his will and his actions. Let's look at this and how Jesus was united between his mind and body. How could he become totally one, within perfection?
First of all, we have to recognize that Jesus was not the cause of the universe. He is the true object of God, a God-sent individual. In the Unification Church, we make this Christological question very clear: Who is Jesus? We commonly describe Jesus in many terms: Messiah, Savior, and so forth, but the most important description is that he was the son of God, as well as the potential True Parent, the True Father of all mankind. What is the definition of the True Parent? The True Parent is the person who reflects perfectly the image of God and who can disseminate the power of true love.
Do you find your own mind and body always divided and in conflict? Ask them, "Although you are always fighting with each other, don't you want to unite? What would you like to be united upon? " The answer would not be money, power or knowledge, but only true love. What, then, is true love? Nobody likes to be told, "Your love is false." But on the other hand, is anyone a true man, a perfected person? You shrug at that, knowing that you are not. When you speak about true things, you have to be true according to God. He is the center, the truth, the subject of the universe. You have to be one with Him.
We commonly say that there are many bad people in the world. What do you base such a statement upon? What is the dividing line between a good person and a bad one? What is the dfinition of goodness? When you say, "This is a good deed," what is that centered upon? You may make a lot of money-you may hit the jackpot- and say, "That is good!,, On what basis is that good? Or suppose you are elected to some important political office, gaining a lot of power. You would say, "That is good!" But what is that good centered upon? Or perhaps you have acquired a great deal of knowledge and you feel that is good.
There must be a center, some reason that defines whether something is good or not. That center is true love. Any deed or thought that contributes to true love is a good deed or thought. But if it does not do that, it is on the side of evil. All five senses of our bodies are mobilized to find and concentrate upon true love, nothing else. Ask your eye what it wants to see and it would say, "The only thing I want to look at is true love; I don't want to see anything else." The eyes are not interested in lots of bright colors, for example, without true love. Not only our five physical senses but also our five spiritual senses have this motivation.
Do you think the mind is equipped to know and detect true love, or not? What do you think? Is that an inborn virtue of the mind-to be able to detect true love? You have an original mind, so why doesn't that original mind become bold and strong and take initiative to demolish all the ungodly things around it? Why doesn't it move forward to take dominion over the universe? The original mind has become weak and has failed to take the subjective role; it is always being pushed into the corner. Why has the original mind been in such a miserable shape?
Since we have an original mind, it should be in constant communication with God, receiving power from Him and taking the subjective role over everything else. Why hasn't it been like that? The reason is that evil history began before each person was born; it was there already. Before your original mind ever came into being, there was already an evil dominion over everything. Your parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents were like that-all the way back to Adam and Eve. Before Adam's and Eve's original minds took hold, before they were able to take dominion over the universe, evil came into being. The fall occurred and the true lineage was turned around.
Men and women are supposed to be perfected, united upon one love, in communion with God. With one woman and one man, centered upon God's love, unity would be complete. We would be born of God, in that case, because everything originated from Him; no foreign element would have come in. All generations would have come directly from God, therefore, and there would have been only one God-centered lineage.
We are supposed to be united under one true love, centered upon God; total unity and harmony were supposed to mark the beginning of human history. But that was not the case; the force of Satan invaded. God would like to have dominion over all things-not by force or violence-but by love. That was the original principle of creation. Because of the forceful and violent invasion of evil, however, there was no chance for true love to reign over all things. Furthermore, every individual was born under the satanic lineage; thus it is the same fallen bloodstream.
The fall of man was the putting aside of goodness and truth. Even though we know such things are there, we have been pulled to the side of evil and fallen into bondage. The original mind is within each person; people are aware of goodness, true love and beautiful ideals, but the body has become the slave of evil, pulled into evil activities. A prisoner or slave has no freedom.
In the center of fallen man there are two minds: one is the original mind and the other is the instinctual, bodycentered mind. We are supposed to have only one mind, but man became divided into those two minds which fight between themselves. The body became the battlefield for those two minds. Surrounding the body is the family, which is also a battlefield; likewise the community, nation and world all became the battlefields for those two minds.
We must have a true self in which the original mind dwells. So we must go back to the very beginning point- the state of mind where there is no division or discord and only harmony and cooperation. Then the body will cooperate with that one mind; then you can find your true self.
How could such harmony come into being? Only by the touch of true love. Human beings have departed from true love; true love is always with God, of course. There are millions and millions of spiritual miles between God and man. How can God take this evil world back to Himself? What is God's method and strategy? How can He go into the very core of that struggle between the mind and body and resurrect man's original self?
God has to establish a beachhead by which to enter the satanic world; that beachhead is true love. Initially, it will be small, but as soon as God gains a foothold He can move forward and go deeper to expand His foundation. In a way, God's true love force is invading the satanic world from all four directions. Throughout history, religious people always encountered persecution; no religion has grown without persecution. Those people who opposed religion have been in control of the principalities, those within the established power structure.
There is a certain axis at the center of every individual, and the body is meant to turn around that axis. That axis is your original mind; your body is trying to turn on that axis. There should be no resistance. When the original mind-the mind before the fall-takes the center, the body automatically centers upon the power of true love. That should occur without trouble or difficulty. Such turning action by the body should be natural and easy.
The original mind and original body, unstained by satanic elements, have the goal of unity centered upon true love. That was the original design of creation-an unstained, good mind and body united upon true love. Let us compare this with the two prongs of a tuning fork. When you hit one prong, its vibration will send sound waves to the other prong, which will make a sound of the same exact pitch. The initial sound or vibration within people should be that of true love; true love should hit the mind first, causing it to reverberate at a certain frequency and convey true love to the body. That is how it was supposed to be. But what happened? Because of the fall of man, the initial impact was not true love but fallen love.
God has to make a new impact upon the original mind of man. This has been the work of God in history-to make an impact so that the mind could also give powerful treatment to the body. Thus filial piety has been upheld as a virtue in the home, centered upon the parents. When the homes exemplify filial piety, loyalty is also stressed in the country, centered upon the king or leader. This is the way the individual self revolves and, at the same time, turns around in a bigger circle. As you know, the earth turns on its axis and, at the same time, it revolves around the sun-human internal life follows the same principle.
The solar system does not stand still; as an entity, it turns in a great, cosmic circle. What is its most central theme, its center? It is love, true love. Therefore, love has been taught in the home. Centered upon the parent, the expression of that love is called filial piety. In the nation, when love has been stressed, we call it patriotism or loyalty. On the world level, the love of mankind has been stressed and that is called saintliness. That quality of love, of course, is true love and that should be at the center. When true love takes the center seat, everything else will fall into its proper place. Right order shall be created around that eternal and unchanging axis.
What will bind a man and woman together into one? What force could do that? What is the force to unite them? It is only the force of true love. That is what we call a couple-the husband and wife. They begin to orbit, circling around, and they create a family. A family is no longer centered upon an individual; the family has a larger purpose and goal, so each individual must harmonize with that goal. But then the family is circling around the nation, which is an even greater entity. Then the nation should be circling in orbit around the world; the world should be its center. Then the world should be orbiting around the universe, centered upon the love of God.
You can see here the complete illustration. Once the individual, with his original mind and body, has become united upon the axis of true love, he will revolve around the family; then the family revolves around the nation, the nation around the world, and the world around the universe. Finally, the universe will revolve around God. The central axis is always the same-true love.
God has been working through religion, trying to regain the world and restore it to its original shape. Since the body has been dominant and the mind has been weakened, religion has always chastised the body in order to strengthen the mind. This is why physical chastisement has always played a role in religion. Anything which is not parallel with the goal of true love had to be pushed down, eliminated. In that way, the true love-centered mind could prosper.
In a way, God has been farming, planting the seed of true love within the barren soil of man's mind. He has been fertilizing it, watering it, planting the true love seeds. God has chastised and tried to eliminate anything that hurts true love. In this process, He has allowed religious people to make a great number of sacrifices. Many people suffered in order to safeguard the growth of true love. They then inspired and spurred many others on to greater heights. Seeing such righteousness and sacrifice gave them energy to go up to even greater heights.
Eventually, the world came to be divided into two major camps-one which accepts the theistic, or religious, point of view; the other embraces the atheistic, materialistic viewpoint.
What about the problem of religion? There are great numbers of religions. How can we evaluate them? There is one simple rule: the religion which demonstrates the greatest love of God should be at the center and then absorb the others, bringing everyone into unity. What is the essence of religion? It is God and love, those two elements. Centered upon God, love will win and prevail over the world.
In speaking of God, only one religion calls God "Father," and that is Christianity. This must be made very clear: Christianity alone proclaims to the world that God is our Father. What is the definition of a father? What is the difference between a true father and a stepfather? The difference is in the bloodstream, the lineage. Nobody says, "God is our stepfather." We say, "God is our Father." That means we claim to be in the bloodstream or lineage of God.
Do all those who call themselves Christians really feel they are connected into one bloodstream, centered upon God and part of one lineage? What is the Kingdom of Heaven? It is the same whether we speak of the Kingdom of Heaven on earth or in heaven. We speak of the Kingdom of Heaven as God's house. God is our Father; the parents and the children dwell in the same house. The children are entitled to live in that house because they are one bloodstream, one family.
In the Bible, Jesus is described as the "only-begotten son." What does this mean? He was the only person who had inherited the total love and total lineage of God, and the only person who could represent it. For that reason, he had the power of God's lineage flowing through him. That is why he became the Savior. Christianity has taught that God is the Father of mankind; furthermore, Jesus taught that he was the only-begotten son of that God. Christianity's message, therefore, is that it is only through Jesus that we can be connected to the lineage of God; otherwise, God's lineage cannot flow through mankind.
From the point of view of the Principle of Creation, "only-begotten son,, means that Jesus was in the position of the unfallen, perfected Adam. Adam fell in the Garden of Eden, so Jesus was meant to be the perfected Adam who entered into the fallen world and restored his bride. It was his mission to restore a woman to the level before the fall.
Eve was in the position to be the true mother of all mankind, just as Adam was supposed to be the true father. Jesus came on the level of the chosen nation, and he came as the perfected Adam to restore Eve. If that had been done on the national foundation, they would have become not only the true father and mother of mankind, but also they would have become the king and queen of Israel.
If they had not fallen, Adam and Eve would have become the True Parents in the Garden of Eden. Once Adam and Eve were perfected and completely centered upon true love, they could not have fallen. There was no way they could have deviated from their original position because no power could separate them from true love.
True love should have been the central binding point between Adam and Eve. But what happened? Within Eve, her own self, and not true love, became supreme. The evil of selfishness crept into the Garden of Eden, planted in the heart of the woman, and it has now grown to encompass all of humanity. What do we see today? The entire world is riddled with selfishness. Contemporary America is the most self-centered nation. Youth today are even labeled the "Me Generation." How can such a thing be? This is the satanic attitude; it belongs to hell.
What is the center of America? Is it the Pentagon? Is it wealth or knowledge? Certainly America today has lots of power, money and knowledge, but these things cannot become the heart and soul of America. If they did, America would certainly perish. America must be centered upon true love; only true love will bring unity between mind and body, and then the family, society and nation. When that happens, this nation will flourish.
Let's say there are eight individuals within one family. The center of that family must be God and, as everybody comes toward God, they can cling together and be united. That is the way it was supposed to be. Your heart or original mind is the very deepest part of your being, and that heart is connected to the mind of God. That was the model. Your original mind is in a direct vertical line with Heaven. Everybody else has an original mind, too, which is part of the same line.
The vertical line with God and the horizontal line of human relationships must cross at a 90-degree angle. Wherever you go or whoever you meet, you should always have a 90-degree angle. The love between men and women, for example, is real; your experience of that love is very real. That is the horizontal line. The problem is that people have lost the vertical line; they don't experience it. They don't even recognize the existence of any vertical line. Instead of coming to the center and uniting around God, each individual is trying to become the center, to pull everything toward himself.
The United States is supposed to be a Christian nation. Why has it become like this? It can be attributed to what is called American pragmatism. This basically means that one doesn't have to be bound by any principles; whatever benefits you, you just go in that direction. People pursue self-interest in all directions; it doesn't matter what it is or where-as soon as they see something of self-benefit, they try to grab it. The result is that people don't care about what happens to the rest of the world; the world can even become a sacrifice if it benefits them. That is pragmatism.
The pragmatic way of life repels religion and scorns its principles and rules. The truth is that pursuing self-interest is not fundamentally bad, but one must put internal, spiritual interests first before external self-interest. Ironically, however, Satan has divided the internal and the external world; he has been holding the external world under his wing. For that reason, in order to pursue your internal interests, you have to go against your external interests. That is what makes things very difficult. You have to fight and make sacrifices in order to pursue your internal benefit.
The pragmatic person is one who focuses on accumulating all his material wants; that is what the "Me Generation" is all about. What is really important for a person, however, is to gain internal, spiritual benefit. In order to gain those benefits, you have to sacrifice the external things. This beautiful truth is far from the American way of life. Even if American people gain every sort of material wealth, if they have gained nothing internally, they will have lost everything.
The irony is this: the United States, which is supposed to be the one central Christian nation, has become the worst example of the satanic domain. Because of this, then, the laws of the universe are opposing this nation. No matter how much the government and the American people may make effort, there is an even greater power pounding on them so that the nation continues to decline more and more.
What about the Unification Church in America today? What are we? Do you think you are going to be digested by the "Me Generation,,, or are you going to digest them? You don't have unity between your own mind and body, so how can you go out and say, "I'm going to conquer the 'Me Generation"? That is a contradiction, isn't it? The present day reality is a real problem. We must bring a solution.
God is not part of the "Me Generation." God's interest is the benefit of the whole. The benefit of the whole comes first. It is not money, power or knowledge which encompasses and embraces all the things of creation and the whole universe; it is true love. If the fall had not occurred, True Parents would have been established in the Garden of Eden.
After the fall of man, God had the option to destroy every single human being. He could have said, "They are bad and I don't want to see them." But as you know through the Divine Principle, there was a reason He did not and could not do that. His second option was to restore the world, and in order to do that, He had to send a savior. That savior was the second opportunity for the installation of the True Parents. Jesus was that savior and, as you know, that was not completed. Thus God has given the third opportunity.
The principle of salvation is quite simple. Because mankind was supposed to begin with True Parents and that did not happen, false parenthood came into being. We have to be rid of that false lineage and be restored into the family of the True Parents, the true lineage of God. The mission of the Unification Church is to reorganize the families of the world.
Today's topic is "True Parents and I." Are True Parents absolutely necessary? Without them, the world has no hope for salvation, no way to turn. We have to bring the world back from the false to the true parenthood. Beginning with True Parents, direct oneness and union with God can come about. In this way, the true lineage of God can be installed and expanded.
Where were you born-under the true parenthood or the false parenthood? The Bible talks about the wild olive tree and the true olive tree. The true olive tree's root is straight from God; so God's lineage is symbolically expressed in the true olive tree. Everybody comes from the false root, however, which is expressed as the wild olive tree. New life can only be given through engrafting with the true tree. That is the destiny of all men and women.
It doesn't matter whether the wild olive tree is a thousand years old; in order for the engrafting process to take place, we have to cut off that wild tree. Let's say the wild olive tree's root is very large and it has many different branches. On the other hand, let's say the true olive tree is just tiny, with only a few little branches. Even though the old olive tree has been growing for thousands of years and has 44 billion leaves and buds, it doesn't change the fact that it has to be cut down.
Do you think the United States portion of the tree should be left alone? Shall we think, "The United States is the number-one country on the earth; we have a great culture to preserve, so don't cut the U.S. portion," Or should we say, "There have been great people in the United States, like George Washington, and we have had important ministers who have done so much to advance Christianity. We have had great numbers of true leaders in this country; this nation doesn't need salvation, so leave it alone"? No, we just cannot say that.
Is it correct to say that America should be an exception because of its great Constitution or its freedom? When God decides to cut the wild olive tree, He will do it. He does not allow exceptions. Outwardly, the bud on the satanic, wild olive tree looks just the same as that on the true olive tree; in fact, it might look a little better, since it receives better nourishment. So those buds might ask, "Why should we be cut?" All the four billion wild olive buds out there are looking at the Moonies, thinking, "How pitiful they are, so pale and miserable. We are much better off than they are." As members of the Unification Church we cannot indulge ourselves in the lifestyle of the outside world until we have gained real freedom for everybody. What do you think about my conclusion? Is it right or wrong?
When God decides to restore the wild olive into the true olive tree, would He say, "Let's just do a little bit now and a little bit tomorrow, and a little bit next year"? What do you think? Would He like to take ten thousand years to do it, or wouldn't He want to do it all at once? What about Reverend Moon? Would I like to do it piecemeal?
Even though the root of the true olive tree is small, the important thing is that it is resting on God. The root of the wild tree is resting on Satan. Always remember that, even though you are restored members of the Unification Church, your original roots from your ancestors are from the wrong, satanic side. We have not been born of the True Parents but of the fallen lineage, and we are in the process of being restored.
When you look at trees you can see that their natural instinct is to reach up to the sun. It is the same with the flowers and grasses. Even if a branch is growing downwards, the leaves will reach upwards. The sun represents the source of life, so all the leaves and buds face toward that. The branches, the root and the stems all come under one direct line and that is the Tree of Life. When the tree grows taller, the branches become wider. The trunk goes up in a straight line, and at the same time, the roots reach out and take hold of wider and wider territory. The energy of life passes through that straight line, up through the trunk to the branches in a direct line.
Your original mind is the deepest part of yourself. Right below that is God, so your original mind rests in the fertile soil of God. In the engrafting process, the branches are cut off but the root remains. Then the true branches can begin to grow. When that process begins, even though that root is the original satanic one, it will be transformed into a new root.
Can we penetrate all the thousands-of-years-old customs of the satanic world and bring about a revolutionary change? Do we have that kind of energy and vitality? If that satanic root maintains itself, then the fruit will not be good, even though engrafting was done. The true tree will not develop properly. In other words, maybe the shape will be just like the true olive tree, but the olives won't have a good taste. How can God enjoy that poor tasting olive?
After the engrafting process takes place, how do we transform the root into a new one? No matter how much effort is made by all 44 billion people in the cosmos, it would not come into fruition. Only by the power of the love of God and the True Parents will that root be transformed. Therefore, you will be plunged into the melting pot of the True Parents and God so that all your fallen, foreign elements can be burned away. All that will remain of you is what is centered upon God and the True Parents' love.
Do you already possess the true love that can burn up the iniquities and ugliness of the satanic world? Even though you are engrafted-you turned your lineage over to the True Parents and God-your power alone will not be enough to burn up the iniquities of this world. Your children, the blessed children, will be more powerful than you; they are purer than you.
Do you think the True Parents should listen to and follow the advice of the fallen generations? No one can advise the True Parents because there is no one with sufficient purity to advise them. The True Parents act from the genuine, true thought which flows from God and true love.
Let us reflect upon ourselves in the Unification Church. Since we joined this church, what kind of life have we lived? God and the True Parents created a new, true love pond. Have you become like a child, taking off all your clothing and plunging headfirst into that pond? Or are you just standing on the edge and dipping your toes in? When you jump into that love pond, is your body so filthy that you will make the whole pond dirty? Is that the kind of men and women you are?
Most of you have been a part of the life of the Unification Church for many years, and most of you have received the Blessing. What kind of members are you? Have you been living according to something less than the real Unification Church direction? There is much more distance to be covered, so we have to be shedding tears. We must be kneeling on the floor and repenting. Repentance must be the first thing on our agenda.
Your mouth is still so imperfected, so dirty and fallen, yet that mouth is saying, "We don't want those Korean and Japanese leaders. All we need is the American way." But you must correctly understand one thing: I am not promoting the Korean way or the Oriental way. I have been opposed by the Korean and Japanese people for forty years. Why have I been opposed if I am promoting the Oriental way?
I even went to Danbury. A prison is the lowest place in any society, but that is where I went because this country opposed me. I did that to save America. Do you think we can save this country with the power of our fists? No, it can only be saved by true love. This principle has not changed one iota.
When I was in Korea these past six months, I was given the constant message, "American members want you to come back." Why should I have come back to America, really? Because it's comfortable, or for money or fame? No. If I wanted to, I could certainly acquire more of those kinds of things in some other country. I came back here in order to wage the final battle for this nation's sake.
"True Parents and I" is the title of today's sermon. You call me and Mother your True Father and Mother, correct? What do the True Father and the True Mother do? The True Parents provide you with the root of God, upon which you can grow and prosper. True love can spring forth like water from that root, and all of humanity can dip themselves into it and be saved.
Before this time, even though the root of God and true love was there, it was not flowing to humanity and the world. Thus the True Parents came to bridge the gap so that true love can flow. Logically speaking, without the appearance of the True Parents, there could be no way the true love of God could flow into mankind. This is the absolutely logical conclusion-the appearance of True Parents is the hope of humanity.
In the Unification Church the most peculiar, extraordinary phenomenon is occurring. Young people do not want to arrange their own marriages; they place this most important decision in the hands of the True Parents. The young people who are joining the Unification Church are some of the best people in the United States. They are highly motivated and sincere and they dedicate their lives to the True Parents. Those most brilliant young people are giving up their own country, in a way, as well as their own parents and families. They give up their social status and their studies when they decide to follow Reverend Moon, a man who has gone to prison. Why is that?
We have great numbers of Japanese members in this country. Have they come to America because they are so eager to live with white people? NO, their only reason is that the True Parents are here. They have left their home and crossed the Pacific Ocean, coming to this foreign land, unable to speak the language or understand the culture. They came here to work for the sake of saving this country, working harder than the American people That is truly extraordinary and amazing.
What about you first-class American citizens? Are you proud of that? There are many city and regional leaders who have really overworked the Japanese members, letting them go out and do all the fundraising. Then the leaders sit down and spend that money. Actually, if I were just a secular businessman and I brought those Japanese people here to suffer so much, they would all turn against me, saying, "What are you doing to us?" Would probably be clubbed to death by them. Instead, they never complain. The American people are the ones doing the most complaining, behind the scenes.
In this situation, who shall be responsible for the future of America? Those Japanese people, or me? Who shall be ultimately responsible for America? Yes, it is you Americans. I will go back to Korea and the Japanese will return to their country. After that, what will you do? Can you say, "No problem. We can take care of all America"? It is a shame that among Americans, the black and Hispanic people are following the True Parents more faithfully than the white people. That is the reality. While this continues, the white-centered culture will decline; more animosity will arise toward the white people on the part of minorities. The black people will resent more and more the self-centered and arrogant white people's traditions.
Your relationship to the True Parents should be very clear to you through this morning's sermon. The Bible says that you should not worry about what to eat or drink or where to dwell. Those things are what the Gentiles worry about. You only have to worry about one thing- seeking God's Kingdom. By the same token, in the Unification Church you should only worry about becoming a partaker of the true love of God and the True Parents. Plunge into it and become intoxicated by that love. When that is the case, nothing can bother you-not your family, not the way of life, nothing. Are you totally immersed in the true love of God? That is the question.
When I observe many of the long-time members of the Unification Church, I see them saying, "I am working for the sake of the whole." But they are actually the most tired-out, dispirited people. I don't want people to be like that. We are going to face the most difficult times from now on. If you Unification Church members today are virtually exhausted, can you face it when even greater waves of difficulties hit you? Will you find the power and energy to break through and overcome it? You must be thinking this way. You have to be more serious. Think, "I am ready for the greater difficulties ahead of us. Nothing can deter me." You must think that way, being ready to spring into action at any time, bubbling with enthusiasm. Otherwise, you will be distracted, left out from the ranks and left behind in the march. I have been in and out of prison, not just one time but six different times, but I was never deterred. My spirit was only strengthened. When I came to America, my destiny was, in a way, to march toward the prison. I knew that and I welcomed it; if that was my destiny, I would not shrink from it. I have never deviated from my path.
Today I declare that in the march toward Moscow, I expect another prison to be waiting for me there. Will you let Reverend Moon do all the things necessary to get to Moscow? Or do you want to go ahead of me and prepare things for me? I want you to know that there are members, brothers and sisters, working behind the Iron Curtain in all those satellite countries who are desperately laying the foundation.
When I was in Danbury, I did not rest even one day. I had many plans and strategies, new organizations to create. Those things are blossoming today. Even yesterday at the breakfast table, Dr. Pak reported some event to me and I asked him to give that information to Dr. Durst. If even Dr. Durst doesn't know about some of the things we are doing, how much do you not know?
This is the time of the showdown; we are now at the crossroads. We are not talking about tomorrow; it is today. When I am at East Garden, I am always busy, always active. I don't have any leisure time. When I was in Korea for the past six months, almost 40 million Korean people were completely awakened by my presence. That includes national assemblymen, who are the equivalent of U.S. congressmen. What am I trying to do? I am not seeking political power. I have only one thing on my mind: to do the will of God and create the nation and world where God's love can prevail. I want to plant God's love in America, Korea and all other nations.
Are you becoming the arms and legs of Reverend Moon? Do my arms and legs reach toward their own selfish interests, or toward the interests of God and true love and truth? You are the fruit of Reverend Moon in America. I have sacrificed my own family, clan and personal affairs in the process of loving you. I would like you to be such accomplished people that I could take you to Korea and Japan and let them see you and be proud of you. That is my ambition.
What does that come out of-love or hatred for you? Do you know I love you? I would like you to become people I can be most proud of. That is my deepest, inmost thought. I am waiting for that. Dr. Durst sometimes tells me, "American members are working very hard and suffering a great deal." But what about those Japanese brothers and sisters? They are working day in and day out, ten or even a hundred times harder than you. I would like to send the American leadership to Japan to join the fundraising crews for several months.
I brought the Japanese members here so they could help you to grow in membership in America. Then I will send American members to the rest of the world. As much as I am proud of the Japanese members here, I would like to be even more proud of the American members around the world.
Do you think that in this world restoration the Japanese or the Americans would be faster front-line soldiers? What does your common sense say? The American people would be faster because the United States is the most important and respected country in the world. I want you to know that America is the Abel nation. God guided and nurtured this country for 200 years, bringing Abel-type people from around the world into this microcosm.
In order to become the new forefathers of America, you must do more than those Puritans who came on the Mayflower. You must go beyond the strengths and sufferings of your ancestors in order to live up to your mission. In the future there will be less persecution but there is still an incredible uphill battle to wage. There are so many barriers, so many languages and cultures. Each country has its own idiosyncrasies. How can we harmonize all these?
What will digest the discord among the people in the United States-the Anglo-Saxons, the Jews, the Hispanics, the Blacks, the Asians, the German descendants, and all the rest? Inside this country there is incredible corruption, discord, and struggle, but America just puts on more makeup, like a beautiful woman on the street. But that is not the answer. That does not bring peace to America. I want you to know that the external element is not the primary factor.
Think how difficult it is to keep your own standard in the Unification Church. Self-management is not easy, so even after ten or twenty years in the church, people are still struggling. How can you bring the people of the world into one? Should we expect God, who does not even have His own hands and legs, to do it? He has to work through His instruments, human beings. You are God's instruments. Actually, all that God can rely on fully is the True Parents and you. Each one of you should be such a vibrant dynamo that I could pick you up and plant you in some foreign place and see a Unification Church germinate there. That is what God wants.
What shall we do, then? First of all, we have to combat the self and be victorious in that battle. You must have a deep sense of gratitude, saying, "God picked me up and restored me. Knowing that I have found the True Parents and I am in the position to serve them, I am deeply grateful." Unless your life is based upon such gratitude, sooner or later you will drift away. Gratitude is the basic, fundamental attitude of my own life. When I listen to the worldwide reports of church leaders, I hear more discouraging ones than good ones. There is more suffering than accomplishment.
In many cases, the destiny of a nation is hanging by a thread. Each day, I make decisions that directly influence the destiny of the nations in the future. Your own decisions do not have impact upon the destiny of whole nations, but I am in a different position. When one decision is wrongly made, then I am responsible and the burden falls upon me. I know clearly where I want everyone to go and I give the direction, but everybody is reluctant. They don't want to be directed; they don't want to go.
I am sure some of you have experienced the loss of parents or spouses through death; some of you parents have even experienced the loss of children. In such cases you experienced tremendous heartbreak. How much more pain must God feel when He loses His most genuine, lovely creations. Can you imagine the broken-heartedness of God?
Do you think I should continue to suffer here in America? Can you be responsible for my tradition, for what I have been doing? Do you have the energy and power to do it? All right, let's do it then. Let's give ourselves totally and sincerely to it.
I will tell you something that I experienced a couple of years ago. I visited one place where there was a member who had decided to leave the Church that very day. It happened that I was on the same airplane with that person. Up to that day, that member had felt that I was his Father, but on that day, he decided that I was nobody. He walked past my seat on the plane, and he didn't even look at me or have the common decency to greet me and say hello. I thought that, even supposing we had not shared a religion or teaching, at least in terms of human decency, is that any way to treat someone you know? Is that the product of individualism here in America? How can someone turn around so completely in one day and create such a wall? I was really wondering about that. This is not only one instance-there have been many in my life. These show the potential ugliness of the human heart.
Here is another example. There have been businesses and enterprises which our movement initiated. I assigned a leader to one of these, but I found out that he was treating the members there like slaves, giving them incredible treatment, simply because they were black and Hispanic. That person didn't even like them. Think of that from the parental point of view. It's unimaginable. I have had to swallow things like this more than once, digest them and move on. I didn't express anger. I want you to know one thing: I have been in America for fourteen years, during which I have poured my heart, soul, body and material for the well-being of this nation. No one can deny that.
I have spoken to you frankly at times. I have scolded you, yelled at you, sometimes even pounded on your heads. Is that because I hate you? No, it is the expression of my love; I want to see you grow as rapidly as possible so that you can reach a certain level of accomplishment in the shortest possible time. For fourteen years I have left Korea behind; I have abandoned my country, in a way. When I went back this time, the Korean people did not want me to return to America, saying, "Why should you go back there?" They strongly expressed their desire for me to stay. But I persuaded them that I had to return, and then they wept behind the scenes without saying anything, knowing I had to go.
You don't have to remember all of this. But one point is very important: who will be responsible if I do leave America permanently? During these past six months, have you been assembled at Belvedere service like this every Sunday morning? Think about Belvedere without True Parents. Imagine if I left America forever, never to return. Think about that.
If you want my heart to continue to dwell in America, it is basically up to you. It will be determined by your own attitude toward me and the movement, toward the Principle and toward your mission. That will determine how long I will continue to dwell here and give my love here. Have you ever imagined me spending these past fourteen years in some country like Brazil or some other Latin American country?
The American church has not yet become self sustaining, either spiritually or materially. Does this mean you should just give up? Is that what you will do? We have a very serious decision to make. I have one important mission remaining in this country, one more thing to do and I am tackling that now. Regardless of whether you listen to me and follow me, what I have spoken on this platform shall become a part of the history of the United States. This is the central point of the future of this country. With these words, you in America shall be judged. So it is a most serious moment when you are listening to me at Belvedere. The key question to ask yourself is, "Can I do what Father has done and succeed in his mission in this country?"
If your determination is firm, you can go forward without one iota of deviation no matter what difficulties you may have to face. I have done that in my life. Look at my own children. They came to America simply because their Daddy and Mommy came here; there was no other reason. They have grown up here, enduring a lot of ridicule from this society. Imagine the children's position when their father went to prison. Think of it from a father's point of view: "What did I give to my own children? Am I bringing honor to them?,, Now they have become an even greater target of ridicule from society and their peers.
Mother, through no fault of her own, has suffered because of me. What about prison? Nobody can be trusted there. It is like the wilderness, without any protection. Mother went to the prison virtually every other day, like clockwork, rain or shine. The average woman would give up, saying, "Why should I do this? I am disgusted by my destiny." Without knowing the True Parent's ideal and the dispensation, she would have had an entirely different experience. Do you think that she shed a great deal of secret tears? Mother and the family had to go on and conduct five o'clock Pledge service each Sunday, painfully aware that I was in prison. I'm sure they shed a lot of tears.
Why did I come here to America? Why have I become such a controversial man, going through so much pain and persecution? It is only for the fulfillment of God's will. You have to remember this point.
This is my first speech at Belvedere since the six months in Korea. I want you to know that I have done everything possible for the sake of the United States. Probably in another six months, I will review the events in this country. As I said, there is one more important thing I am undertaking. Then my mission is truly finished in America. The other day, we held a leader's conference after my return. There I told them, "My mission in America is consummated."
Who shall succeed me in this mission? Do you have full confidence to be the ones? I have never forgotten my first flight over the Pacific to the United States-my thoughts on that plane are still vivid in my mind. After I landed in America, I visited forty-eight states within forty-three days. While driving on the road, I was thinking about America, planning for the future. I always comforted God, saying, "Father, You have Your will for this nation and I shall fulfill that for You. I will bring the glory to You." To fulfill that pledge, I have worked every day and night for the past fourteen years in this country. Of course, I have done a lot of activities centered on the church, but I have done things beyond that, too. I have initiated many national and global projects. In a way, there was a declaration of competition between the U.S. government and the Reverend Sun Myung Moon.
Do you have confidence? I know you do not have enough of the right kind of confidence. That means we need help from God. We can obtain this through deep prayer, dedication and sacrifice. Many American young people do not like that kind of life. I know that well, but someone in America has to do this mission.
The final battle is ahead of us. With determination and a willingness to sacrifice, we shall tackle and win the glorious victory. For fourteen years, you have been like children. I have accepted your complaints and your criticisms. Before you get up in the ring for the big championship fight, you can say all kinds of things: "I'm tired, My legs hurt." But once you are in that ring, you have no time to worry about such things. You have to just fight and knock out your opponent. That is the only goal once you get in the ring.
What you should do is liberate me from all the pressure and burdens I am carrying. I do not have the freedom to go anywhere freely. Once you know the truth and you are determined to unite, plunging into the mission, we know we can win. Victory is assured. God has prepared everything. Therefore, we can be bold and strong! We are going to bring the turning point of human history. From now until 1988 is the time of emergency and crisis for the United States, as well as for international communism. So we are going to have three exciting years, plunging into our victorious battle.
Let us pledge that victory to God. Those who are marching toward that final battlefield to win the victory which God promised us, let us say, "Amen!" and raise our hands . Thank you. God bless you.
