Rev. and Mrs. Sun Myung Moon, the True Parents of humankind, offer the midnight prayer for God’s Day, Cheonbokgung, South Korea, 2012.
We are one week away from celebrating the 47th True Heavenly Parent Day and just several weeks away from celebrating the first anniversary of Foundation Day.
Since 1968, Unificationists have celebrated their Holy Day, True God’s day—or True Heavenly Parent Day— on the first day of the New Year based on the solar calendar, however, in 2011, for the first time, Unificationists around the world celebrated this Holy Day centered on the lunar calendar, or the Korean, Cheon-gi, that is, the “heavenly calendar.” This year, True Heavenly Parent Day will be held on January 31, 2014 by the solar Calendar.
True Heavenly Parent Day is about connecting the very first and best of everything and our lives to God. As the clock strikes midnight, the very first words from our lips are a prayer to our Heavenly Parent. This prayer is an opportunity to express devotion, thanks and offering. Many use this time to invite God into their lives as they begin the New Year.
As this God’s Day and Foundation Day anniversary celebrations approach, we take the time to remember the words of the late Rev. Sun Myung Moon on his last True Heavenly Parent Day celebrated with us on Earth:
“Throw the ball with all your strength! Making a life or death determination! Throw the ball with all your strength! Our homeland is not ahead of us; it follows behind us. Even God cannot lie down. He is waiting for the day of True Parents’ victory.
“You should throw the ball with all your strength and make a life-or-death determination in order to welcome these holy days with that kind of determination and resolution to continue advancing and advancing more. Moreover, with the flame of your pledge, you should have a frightfully victorious advance more so than if you were to push the buttons to detonate both a hydrogen bomb and an atomic bomb at once. That is the kind of determination that I want you to make now.
“If you will make this determination, raise both hands. Remember this day in front of God and become soldiers of heaven that are like dragons who will move forward. I pray that you will not be sons and daughters that are ashamed of yourselves when you remember this hour in the future. With the hopes that you will resolve to make a new beginning, I hereby oversee God’s protection and blessings on this new year in the name of the True Parents.”
Foundation Day donations are still being accepted online at foundationday.familyfed.org until midnight on January 31, 2014.
A link for the international webcast of the True Heavenly Parent Day main event will be made available on familyfed.org the day before celebrations.
For those interested in celebrating locally and in your homes, we have provided a brief explanation of how to prepare an offering table for this special day.
The Offering Table
Rev. and Mrs. Sun Myung Moon, the True Parents of humankind, ligth the holy candles for God’s Day, Cheonbokgung, South Korea, 2011.
One of the most well-known traditions in the Unification Church is the offering table. Offering tables grace all of the major Holy Days. Holy Day offering tables represent offering all things that we share, with a heart of attendance to our Heavenly Parent and True Parents. While offering tables at the main celebration with True Parents are very beautiful and elaborate, the actual quantity of food is not as significant as the heart and motivation invested in the preparation. Families may prepare a simple, but nevertheless beautiful, offering table in their own home. A Holy Day offering table should be prepared with a great deal of prayer.
Typically, a low table is covered with a white cloth, and a picture of True Parents is placed in the center, surrounded by fresh stacked fruit and other candies and delicacies. After reciting the Family Pledge—our covenant with God—and offering a prayer, the food is shared with everyone at the celebration.
Preparing for a Holy Day
The best way to prepare for Holy Days is to prepare our hearts. We can develop a heart of devotion by longing for the Holy Days just as we look forward to traditional Christian holidays such as Christmas. The most important aspect of a Holy Day is to over our Heavenly Parents and True Parents a heart of attendance: in other words, being there for them with a heart of joy and gratitude while connecting to the meaning of the day.
True Parents reminded us, “You should have a yearning heart for Holy Days. Only by establishing such a tradition can you build a life of tradition for your descendants. Holy Days should be spent in joy while sharing everything with one another amid the joy of heaven.”
by the Familyfed Editorial Team