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Today is the fifteenth anniversary of the Day of All Things, or World Day. All of creation, including man, was made by God for a specific purpose. He did not create all things just to look at; His specific purpose was the fulfillment of His love. Even though God exists, without His love His very existence is meaningless. In order to be a true God He must be a God of love, and for this reason God wants to fulfill His love in His creation.
What is a true man? He is a man who is able to receive God's true love. The desire of all things surrounding mankind is to see the day when they can receive true love from the true men who are recipients of God's true love. All things of creation exist to receive true love from man, while man exists to receive true love from God.
Due to man's fall this perfection never came about, and since fallen man was never able to fully receive God's love, God could never fully give His love and thus fulfill perfection Himself. Man was never perfected, and as a result all nature has been unable to receive perfect love from man. God wanted to have a reciprocal relationship between Himself and all things and man, yet even though His creation was completed, no relationship of true love ever emerged. In that respect, neither God nor man has ever been perfected.
People talk about love today, but is that a true God-centered love? No, the love in existence now is far distant from the true love of God. Today many parents love their children, but because God has no part in it that love cannot be acknowledged by Him. The same is true of relationships between brothers and between nations. All are still on the level of imperfection, as is man's love for all things.
Through the work of religion God has been striving to restore man; He began on the individual level and expanded to the worldwide level as man spread all over the world. The Divine Principle tells us that restoration starts with one man and God has been looking for one man of perfection through whom He can restore one woman of perfection. This is the concept of the Messiah and his mission.
Why is the Messiah needed? The Messiah is needed in order to elevate man's imperfect love to perfection. Since love was stolen by Satan, the Messiah comes to restore and sanctify that lost love into the holy love of God. Since man became the prisoner of Satan, the Messiah comes to give mankind the true love of God. To be eligible to stand in the sight of God, restored man must establish a standard of love higher than the highest standard of the satanic world. The mission of restored man is to demonstrate a higher quality of love than ever existed in the satanic world.
In the truest meaning of love, the Messiah cannot embrace the people of the satanic world as they are. God cannot say to the Messiah, "Let them stay where they are. We can love them as they are and they can easily be restored." If that were the case, restoration could have been done instantly and such a long period for man's restoration would not have been needed.
The role of religion is to teach people to set their standard of love higher than the satanic world's standard. The religious man is one who demonstrates higher love than anyone in the world claimed by Satan. For the sake of God he can then deny the value of anything in the satanic world and thus recreate the value of everything in relation to God. As religious people, we must be triumphant in this way of love.
God's love will begin after we demonstrate our love, which is the very reason that Jesus said, "He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and he who loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me." This is the true heart of God's Principle. We must become people who can demonstrate a greater love toward God and toward the Messiah than toward anybody else in the world, because at that point God's love will begin. By loving the Messiah, men and women can surpass the point at which man fell and reach the level of perfection.
For this reason, we in the Unification Church must fulfill a seven-year course of totally giving up everything to the love of God and the Messiah. Because I have already laid the foundation, however, you are eligible to be blessed only 31/2 years after joining the church. The other 31/2 years that were supposed to precede the blessing I freely give to you as a gift; after the blessing you and your mate will freely work 31/2 years more to complete the seven year course. You and your spouse will walk the remaining 31/2 years together as a couple.
The fall of man came through Adam and Eve at the growth level, and thus you must finish the remainder of the path to perfection as a couple. The 36 couples, the 72 and 120 couples have all gone through this formula precisely, and because of the foundation they have laid shorter periods of purification can be granted to later couples. For example, the 74 couples have been given the right to have children after only seven months' separation.
In the Unification Church our goal is simple and clear: To become a member of the church, to meet the Messiah, and then to go forward to fulfill and perfect the love of God. When you came here this morning your minds were already filled with your missions for the day. Why do your minds work that way? You think that way because your mission is for the unselfish work of God, and you feel that going out to sell the newspaper has the additional purpose of accumulating spiritual assets of your own.
In looking forward to the day of your blessing, you want to make yourself eligible to meet your future husband or wife. You men must think that through your experience of selling you are actually seasoning yourselves to be independent husbands who can go out and do things for the sake of your wives. You women are also paving the way to really help support your husbands, so that one day you will be ready to become independent couples in the sight of God.
How can we interpret this according to the Divine Principle? It is possible for one person to fulfill his role so well that his mate can freely receive his benefit and not have to strive as hard to reach the same level. When you men work hard you are actually paving the way to bring spiritual benefit to your own future wife and children. If you women work hard now, your accumulated achievement will go to your husband and children later on. What matters is whether your hard work is God-centered. Adam and Eve fell because they disregarded God. Fallen mankind has always worked hard, but due to their disregard for God their hard work has not gone to God's side.
As you strive to stand above Satan and advance in the direction of God you will have to confront Satan's realm on all the different levels: the family, tribal, national and worldwide levels. On every level Satan will always attack and try to stop you. This confrontation with Satan cannot be avoided. This is the reason that religious work has always been persecuted, and why religious people must have the unshakable determination to overcome any difficulties and go on further and further toward God.
We can conclude that if there is a totally unselfish group of people, its goal will be nothing but the service of God and humanity. The entire world will not understand or accept them, and that will be the sign that God and the Messiah can be met through that group. Furthermore, it is obvious that such a movement is already working on the worldwide level if it has aroused worldwide opposition.
The Unification Church is in that position today. There have been many religions throughout history, but no religion ever rose to the worldwide level as quickly as this one. As leader of the Unification Church, I have the special distinction of having received worldwide persecution in my own lifetime. History has never seen such a thing. If our members are solidly united together in heart and can go beyond the level of persecution, then Satan can never defeat this group, and in the sight of God we can prove ourselves invincible to Satan's power on the worldwide level.
Why do we strive to become that kind of invincible group? We are seeking the love of God. To be eligible to receive the love of God we must go through the process of indemnity in which Cain and Abel must become one. Cain and Abel have been enemies, but they should be united in love instead. We must take the course opposite Satan's way; if Cain and Abel had come to God's side then they would have made true unity.
Abel should teach Cain how to be obedient to and united with him. Unification Church members must clearly understand what that means. Often you mistakenly think that Cain was supposed to be subjugated by Abel from the very beginning, but that is wrong. Cain is a rebellious figure to begin with, and Abel must teach Cain how to be obedient by demonstrating Cain's role himself. Abel must show Cain the way by example. Love is the central element and Abel is supposed to love Cain more than anyone else. When Cain recognizes that Abel truly loves him more than anyone else does, then Cain will give up his false ambitions and arrogance and become obedient to Abel. Abel can pull Cain to his side by the magnetic force of love.
Answer me if I am wrong, but I feel that every one of you loves me. Is it true or not? It may not be 100% true of everyone here, but if the Principle is true then it must be largely true at least. If our Principle is God's Principle then that kind of relationship must be here. Yesterday I met the Japanese sisters who are in the Korean Folk Ballet. When I asked whether they wanted to go back to Japan, their home country, everyone answered, "No, Father, because you are here. We want to stay here with you." I wondered how sincere their answer was because Japanese people are very good at saying what people like to hear. What about you? Do you want me to believe that your love is genuine or false? If your love is not genuine then the Principle is not working.
Sometimes Mother tries to get me to stay home and pay more attention to our family. She tells me, "As soon as you open your eyes you talk about going out to meet the members somewhere. Can't you spend a little more time at home?" Why should I overwork myself by going out here and there to meet all of you? I could stay at home and relax with the children, but I am always looking at you instead of staying home. If I give my total attention to you and to the church then I am making your job instantly easier. Furthermore, in that way I can bring the spirit world and physical world together faster.
How can that work in the Principle? I am in the parent's position while you are in the position of children. Children inherit the foundation and tradition of their parents, and by working harder than anyone else I am leaving you even greater assets to inherit.
Most of you are single men and women working toward the blessing, and when I was single I was in precisely the same position you are. When I was suffering in North Korea in the worst kind of prison, I still had hope because I knew that the wife God would give me for eternity could come on the foundation that I was laying. My hardship would make her way easier. By thinking this way I always had hope in the midst of any kind of suffering and hardship. "In being tortured by the satanic world I am paying indemnity for my future wife, and at the same time I am paying indemnity for the nation in which we will dwell as husband and wife."
Restoration of the individual and family levels is the most difficult part of the restoration. Your family will be the basic building block of the Kingdom of God, and once you can restore this foundation you will always have a shield around you. These two levels are most difficult to restore because after they are formed nothing can destroy you, no matter what the satanic world will do. You are still exposed and vulnerable before you create that nucleus, but after that your situation will not be as vulnerable or dangerous and you will be able to form the tribal and national levels.
Why has God been sending mostly young people to our church? God wants individuals to come who can really suffer to lay their foundation of indemnity at a young age. While you are working as an individual for yourself and your future family, your family and society will come against you. God wants you to be strengthened under that kind of adversity.
Whenever you are working hard and suffering you must feel deeply that in all of heaven and earth you alone are going to finish the restoration. "God, I am Your only remnant. There is no one else but me to accomplish Your will." Sometimes God deliberately wants you to experience the feeling, "God, no one understands my way of life but You. Even Father and the church members are not sympathetic with me. I seem to be completely cut off from everyone." Even in that situation you may feel comforted that at least God is on your side, but the day and moment will come when even God seems to be saying, "I don't know you." At that time you will feel that you are utterly alone in all the universe.
If under those conditions you still do not give up, but insist, "No matter what God thinks or what True Parents say to me, no matter how unsympathetic the church members are, this is the right way, and I will go on anyway," then at that moment you are elevating yourself to the highest level of faith. Once you reach that level you can be trusted unconditionally by God and by me, and eventually by the whole world. You will achieve that qualification by yourself, when everything seems to be denying you. If in that situation you still fight to uphold your faith, it will become your greatest asset, which neither God nor man can ever repudiate.
I know that many times you feel very lonely. It is a lonely hour when no one seems to understand you, but at that moment do not think back to your natural parents or to the joys and romances of your past life. In that lonely moment think of God. "God, whatever the situation, I will never give You up. The world may deny me and even bury me, but I would rather die than turn away from You."
If you denied everything and were given up by your own family and nation because you lived for the sake of God, then when you die everything will be restored to you. This is the law of indemnity working. If you give up everything because of God, then God will lift you up and you will have everything again.
That is the path I have walked. Strictly speaking you will never have to go the way I went because you will have me on your side under any circumstances. All you have to do is follow my course. You have someone to follow but I had no one to follow. If you want to go an easy way then you will never reach the goal. Ultimately you will have to come back and follow the path I have already gone. Many people are trying to go their own way, but that will not work.
Now the entire world is saying, "Why are you Moonies so foolish as to follow that crazy man? Why do you have to follow him when he is so opposed everywhere?" Perhaps you cannot explain why, but something tells you that this is the best thing to be doing. Because I am not in your position I cannot be 100% sure, but I think that must be the case. I understand your experiences because I have lived the same pattern and way of life. The only difference between us is that I follow the invisible God, while you follow not only God, but myself, a visible man.
Why should we live this life? The only explanation is that we are searching after this ultimate love of God. When we are going in the right direction we feel good and something inside tells us to keep going ahead.
Today's message is, "The Desire of All Things." Let's start with women; what is their desire? The desire of a woman is to have a husband who loves her with true love. A man's love is true when his love represents the love of God, so a woman is actually looking for a man who represents God and gives her God's love. Because God is eternal, unchanging and absolute, He created man only once, intending him to share in those same attributes. Therefore, God cannot destroy man even though he has fallen, but instead is working to restore him.
True love must represent God's characteristics, meaning that true love must be eternal, unique, and absolute. A woman wants a husband who will respect her as being his wife for eternity and who will love her with an absolute and unchanging love. All of you sisters want a husband who represents God and who can give you that kind of respect.
I am not a woman, so I don't know precisely how you feel, but knowing the Principle it should be the case that women are not looking for freedom, but actually want to become prisoners of love. When you and your husband have true love, you are helpless before that love and want to go anywhere your husband leads you. When your husband truly loves you as absolute, unique and eternal, the more you look at him the more he looks like God and acts like God. The time may even come when you say, "All I need is this one man because he is my God."
What is the desire of a man? A man wants the same love from a woman. Such love between men and women is really God's desire, and once you are united in that fashion God will automatically dwell with you, and His love will be manifested in you and in your object. When you look at your mate you can be proud that he or she has the qualities of being absolute, eternal, unchanging and unique. You are going to equip yourselves to become men and women of God and of love. You are the ones who will lead the way toward that ultimate goal, which is God.
The parents' role is to educate the children and give them guidance. If the parents fight with each other, then they cannot teach their children by example. My own children sometimes fight, but Mother and I should be able to say, "You children should stop fighting. Look at your own father and mother." The first step for parents to become one with their children and for children to have unity among themselves is for the father and mother to become one with each other. Then children grow to realize that fighting cannot bring any goodness. Sometimes I see my children fighting very severely, and one of them either gets knocked down or his nose starts bleeding. Then they automatically come to Mother and me, crying, "Daddy, Mommy, look what happened to me. I'm sorry we fought. We'll never fight again."
It is a wise child who will say, "Father, my brother didn't behave too well. Will you give me permission to fight?" If they want to get permission from me then I say, "My son, my daughter, let me tell you about something better than fighting. Go and love them instead." I see in that child a greater capacity for love, and the future of that particular child is much more solid.
The relationship between God and man is the same as this relationship between parents and children. The desire of all things is to receive the love of men who have that kind of ideal relationship with God. All things of creation are looking forward to the fulfillment of the three loves: the love of God, the parental love of Adam and Eve, and also the love of the children who are the recipients of this perfected love of God and their parents. Children are in the most ideal position to receive more of God's love because everything is consummated in them. The children of Adam and Eve are in a greater position than Adam and Eve themselves because the children are in a position to receive the love of God and also the love of their parents.
The love of parents and children follows a vertical line, while the love of a husband and wife is horizontal. We can know that this is true by seeing that even though there are many divorces here in America, the separated parents still want to hold onto their children; even though they have separated horizontally, they want to hold onto the vertical line of love. Why is that? Children are the parents' link to God's parental love. Even in the fallen world, parents see that the only hope for their love to remain is their children. Thus a husband and wife may dissolve their relationship, but they continue to hold onto their relationship with their children.
According to spiritual law, the worst kind of crime is that of parents who neglect their children and leave them or actually push them into the dungeons of hell. There is no forgiveness for such acts. There are certain things God can do, and if you repeat the same act there is still room for forgiveness; but there are things that even God cannot do, and if you commit that kind of crime then there is no forgiveness. The mistreatment of children is the most unforgivable thing in spirit world. On the other hand, God's heart will be moved by parents who are willing and ready to die for their own children, saying, "You are like me. I have been living in that position." God has been a living sacrifice for the sake of His children.
When you Unification Church members get married and have children, will you just throw them away and seek your own happiness? Many people look at children as obstacles to enjoying their own lives and such people really deserve hell. You must be people who embrace your children even if they interrupt your most intimate moments. Even the basic instinct of animals is to love their children. Sometimes men behave even worse than animals, which means they are the lowest creatures under the sun. God's criteria of beauty is heart and love, not how tall and masculine or how beautiful you are. That does not count.
The desire of all things is to receive the love of God, the love of Adam and Eve, and the love of the children who receive Adam and Eve's love and God's love. Our greatest achievement and the greatest inheritance we can leave our children is the love of God and our perfected love as parents. That love is the greatest inheritance that children can ever receive.
We have to introduce God's love to our children. In their immaturity children do not automatically know God, so how will you teach them? You must demonstrate love of God yourself. If you commit some kind of sin toward your own children, you must consider it the worst kind of crime. Instead of apologizing or repenting to God, you must mend your relationship with your children. That is much more important. If the children can forgive their parents then God can automatically forgive you. On the other hand, when children commit some sin, the parents should take the position of their children and apologize or repent before God. Because of the parents God will then forgive the children.
The one thing that God can never forgive is the destruction of His love. If anyone abandons God and pushes His love aside, that person cannot be forgiven. If God could just freely forgive that then He would never have needed to work for restoration these many thousands of years. If God could allow man to do anything at all then there would be nothing unique, absolute or eternal remaining. God has forgiven man much, but He cannot compromise on this point. God wants to create the eternal, absolute and unique love between Himself and man at any cost.
In this world, particularly in America, there are many people who purposely break up loving relationships and healthy families. Anyone who hurts true love that way cannot be forgiven. We must establish the tradition that the beauty of a married couple living happily together and sacrificing for each other is applauded as the most precious jewel of all. Instead of feeling envy and jealousy or trying to deprive them of anything, everyone should praise them as museum pieces of the Unification Church.
God will have a family museum of treasures from everywhere, but the beautiful God-centered love of a husband and wife will be the most shining museum piece of all. When God has festivities like World Day He will want to visit His museum, and there is one display that God will never miss, the beautiful love between husband and wife. God is looking for that kind of home.
The desire of God is to see His love going down to Adam and Eve and their children and to all things of creation. Adam and Eve want to see the love of God poured out upon their children, to give their own love to their children, and to see their children loving all the things of creation. The children want to feel the love of God and of Adam and Eve, and then give it away to all things.
In receiving all this love, the creation will exclaim, "We thought we were the lowest and most trivial things in God's sight, but now we see that all the love of God is ultimately given to us!" Being in the position to receive the love of God, love of Adam and Eve, and love of children, all things are in a most glorified and honored position.
In gratitude for the blessing of receiving all kinds of love, the creation will want to return glory to God by giving the very best in the universe to man. That is why all things provide you with food, themselves becoming your flesh and blood. The service of all things is to become the physical form of God's love, and by becoming your flesh, blood and bone, letting you grow and develop a noble character so you can live in heaven for eternity. Everything in nature will take great pride in becoming the flesh and blood of men who are children of God. Through man's spiritual quality, all things can influence the center of God's love. That is the pride of all things.
This is a most beautiful and holy world of creation. Can you men and women fulfill the kind of position as representatives of God and truly love all things? Many people in this world never try to appreciate creation but always complain instead about their food, clothes and houses.
Have you ever had the experience of apologizing to the earth for having to step on it? If you have such a loving heart to want to step softly on the ground, the ground will eagerly respond to you and even push your feet up. When you go to the bathroom, you are just giving dirty things to nature, but if you feel sorry then nature will say, "Don't worry. l will receive it and use it as fertilizer to grow many good things."
Great literary works have come from a mind of appreciation for nature. Man is not to be a robot, but to see all things with a loving heart and to express that love in a descriptive way. Do not ever have the attitude that we men are the lords of all things; it is God who has given man that supreme position.
The structure of all things is condensed in our own bodies. For example, our bodies resemble trees: the heart corresponds to the trunk in its role of circulating the blood, while the stomach corresponds to roots and the lungs to leaves. All the earthly elements are contained within the human body, and in the same way we also possess all the elements of the spirit world. Thus, when one man moves a small universe moves, and this is why man's actions are precious and supreme.
Because you are a microcosm of the universe, when you are genuinely happy it is not just you who are happy, but the entire universe and spirit world as well. Therefore, man should live in joy and happiness for the sake of the universe. We have only one truly worthwhile way to live, acting for the sake of others and always feeling grateful. If you have that basic attitude then you are living in heaven here on earth. A farmer is dealing with nature for the sake of others, for instance. If you can praise nature as the masterpiece of God's work, you can find many ways to show your gratitude. When you always feel grateful, you are truly living in heaven here on earth.
You cannot avoid going the way of indemnity. You must willingly take the worst kind of indemnity while you are single men and women, and after you get married take the second worst. After you have your own children you can live much better. This is how you must go through the three levels of indemnity. God, too, has been suffering all these years for one single purpose, to find one true Adam here on earth.
I want you to go through the worst kind VS experiences and receive all kinds of persecution before you are blessed. I want you to be willing to embrace all of that because when two individuals are married after going through these experiences, they will truly understand each other and be able to deeply share in love. You can be truly intoxicated in this love.
When you become this kind of husband and wife, you can certainly devote your entire energy to loving your own children. There is a possibility that God's ideal family can be created )y such parents. When you are truly practicing God's way of life by giving yourself for the sake of others and when you are willing to go through suffering, then God will never forget you. He will not only give you the greatest of all blessings, but through you will definitely come the greatest of all blessings in the form of children.
You must make up your mind while you are single to leave behind some achievement for the benefit of your mate and children. Do not become indebted to Satan, who will be trying to block you from receiving the blessing. Do not be the kind of men and women who have Satan waiting to collect more indemnity from them on their wedding day.
If you become a wife who has great merit in heaven then you can come out and say, "Satan, here are my credentials. Don't ever touch my husband! I have paid indemnity for both of us." You and your mate can work together and finally say before God, "We are free of the accusation of Satan in all of heaven and earth." When you are completely united in love and have paid all the necessary indemnity, no one can claim you. Together the two of you will be an invincible force, and wherever you go nothing will be able to stop you.
You are not actually working for the benefit of the church at all, and you are not here to help me. At the same time I want you to know that you are the recipients of the foundation which I have laid, and by standing upon that foundation you are freely given an easier path to go. There is no doubt that you are indebted to me. But since you are here striving to build your own heaven, to whom would you complain when you get tired? In this church you are your own employer. The person who complains or tries to make excuses will never go over the mountain into heaven. After the fall, Adam and Eve each blamed each other in explaining to God what happened, and in this world everyone tries to escape taking responsibility for their mistakes. But that is not the tradition of heaven.
You should not become persons of excuse or complaint, even though you are in a position to justifiably complain. God pushes you into positions where you want to complain and you could gripe about a thousand things a day, but it is your greatness to go over the difficulty with gratitude and not complain like everyone else in the world. There are innumerable things I could complain about to God. I could exclaim, "What kind of God are You? You're the one who asked me to go to America, but all I get here is persecution, and Americans are even trying to kill me. God, do You really love me?" However, I have never complained to God, but have only accepted my situation in humble gratitude.
I always pray, "God, wait. I want to do this myself. Just give me a little more time." In the same way, your prayer should be, "God, just wait a little bit and I will deliver the result by myself. I don't really need the help of the church. I want to prove how worthy I am in Your sight."
What would you gain through obedience? Simply this, your perfection in the love of God. In that perfection you can become a wife or a husband who is centered upon the love of God. As liberated men and women you will be given the power to liberate all things. That is the power God wants to give you and that is the reason we are going this way.
Our ideology is to each become a central figure who with love can influence his mate, influence all things of creation, influence the Kingdom of God, and even influence God Himself. Shall we really go and live that way of life? Raise your hand and stand up if you really make that pledge. Thank you very much. Let us pray.