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First of all, I would like to wish you happy New Year. This is the second Sunday of the new year. In sending 1977 away every one feels regret and sadness because of some lack of fulfillment. Not too many can look back on the entire year and say that they have done well, and particularly in welcoming 1978 everyone must resolve themselves to not have these regrets again in welcoming 1979.
Each day should certainly have a goal but at the end of the day many people wish they could have done better. If that is the case then what about the end of life? Considering one life as one day, the same results could be lamented at the end of one long life.
Even though a person may have some regrets from the past year, as long as he has hope and vision and determination to launch into the goal for the new year, that man can go on. If he has no vision and hope, however, that man is finished. Life here on earth is the same as one year so the same thing applies. If the day of death has come but I still have something to look forward to even after life then I have conquered death. But on the other hand if someone is totally in darkness and misery and confusion, that person is certainly a tragic figure.
This can be said about a nation also, not just an individual. America, for example, has over 200 years of history and has reached the peak of prosperity, but many Americans feel disillusioned. Their lives are empty and they do not really see hope for this nation. If they don't see a vision for this nation then the situation has reached a deadlock.
Suppose this nation faces an emergency and really needs some energy to reach a new height of greatness but there's no hope in the hearts of its citizens. What kind of destiny can this nation expect? There is nothing ahead but sadness and tragedy in that case. Day always follows the night and even though no one really loves the darkness of night they can still look beyond that darkness to the new day coming. Hope overcomes the darkness.
Were you born in despair and darkness, or were you born with hope, a goal and a purpose? Of course a new baby would have no idea how and why he was born, but the family's friends and relatives surround that baby with their hope. The baby's father and mother feel hope through their child, and his whole family hopes that some day he will become a good and fulfilled person. This is why the birth of a child is an event of joy and celebration. If people could feel that way about the birth of a new child then God would certainly feel the same. When Adam and Eve were created they were surrounded by the utmost hope and joy. All the things of creation gave their entire attention to them, including God, looking forward to the day of their accomplishment.
God is infinite in ideal and capacity, and the more broadly God thinks, the more hope He bestows upon His son and daughter. If a parent's vision is big then certainly his expectation for his child is also big. God's hope in Adam was certainly infinite. Such hope is not fleeting; the expectation grows larger with time.
If the parents' hope is great then certainly they pay much attention to what the child may need to fulfill that hope. Is their attention and hope and expectation a good thing or bad thing? Parents would naturally give all kinds of support to their child so he can fulfill their hope some day. When that child finally fulfills the goal in reality it is a great day of hope's fulfillment.
If any individual is conceived and born in hope and raised in hope and finally achieves that hope, then truly that person is most accomplished and happy. No one can expect any better life than that one. When parents who are on their deathbed bring their children to the bedside and give them their will, this is not really a sad moment; this is the very significant moment of transferring that hope to a new generation.
When God created Adam and Eve this universe was filled with hope and all things of creation were celebrating in joy, knowing that their master was finally born. Adam and Eve were the focal point of hope for heaven and God and all things of creation, the very personification of hope. After truly becoming the masters of the creation and fulfilling that goal and expectation as true children of God, what would they do? The day of their accomplishment would be the first time God could really have joy. That would be the first time He could say He was happy. When God can announce that He is happy, it will not mark just His happiness but man's happiness and the elation of all things of creation. If you had joy would you like to keep it just to yourself or would you like to share it with friends and relatives? Joy wants to be celebrated because joy belongs to all.
Everyone wants to have hope, but does harboring hope in itself automatically engender joy? The significant thing is this-when you have hope and want to accomplish it you don't feel joy first, but pain and suffering. Only attempting to accomplish that hope is not going to bring joy to anyone. If all you had to do was sit down and wait for hope to become a reality life would be very easy.
The greater the hope or sunshine, the greater are the obstacles or darkness to overcome. You think of sunshine as being bright because you already recognize the darkness. Because of darkness you can appreciate brightness, and in that position you can conquer darkness. When you can say, "I am alive," you are conquering death at that moment. Death is like a shadow but it cannot prevail because you are alive; your heart is pumping every second and triumphantly defying death.
Who are you? What is your occupation? We Moonies are the messengers of hope. Since God's hope was cut short and dismissed, we want to bring hope back to God. Mankind's hope was severed and we want to bring that hope back to mankind. The hope that originally existed has disappeared because the first man sinned. Because we Moonies are here to restore that hope to God and humanity, we are in a position to be welcomed by God and all humanity of the past, present and future.
When you look at our world outside today, common sense tells you that there cannot be much joy or hope for God and not much of anything which He can take pride in. If that is the case, but you as an individual, church or nation can bring hope to God then you are indispensable to God. You don't have to lead a powerful nation to be needed by God. If you are just one feeble individual yet you harbor hope for God then you are very precious to Him, more than anything else in the world. This world is now living in despair and hopelessness. If in spite of the bleakness you can offer hope to the world then you don't need to have power for this entire world to look at you with great expectation. Throughout history people lived in tragedy and sadness and corruption and any individual who can bring hope to the world and God is certainly precious. It doesn't matter whether that person is a woman or man, as long as that person becomes the hope of God and mankind and history.
If that person goes to Korea then the entire hope of the world also moves to Korea. If that person goes to the southern tip of Africa then the attention of the entire world will move to Cape Town. That person is like a glowing lantern in the darkness of the world, and because the rest of the world is so dark it has to pay attention and follow that light. What kind of group would offer hope for God? If proud Americans found that lantern of hope would they follow it outside their nation? Your nationality wouldn't make any difference because that hope is greater than any national boundary.
Do you know of any individual in history who tried to offer this hope to mankind? Do you know anyone who not only did that but who desperately tried to fulfill that hope for the sake of the world, history and God? A person like Jesus must be that man. Jesus was one individual who truly harbored hope for God and humanity and even gave himself up in desperation to somehow fulfill that hope. Jesus could not build that hope on the foundation of this crumbling world, but had to begin at another place. He could not make any compromise with the world.
At the time of Jesus there was opposition from the state of Israel and the Roman Empire, and people who were sympathetic with Jesus asked, "Why are you so foolish? Why can't you make yourself popular with the authorities?" But Jesus couldn't do that. Because he offered hope for the new world his foundation had to be different. He made up his mind that even though he might die, he could not compromise with the world. That would mean severing the hope of God all over again and Jesus preferred taking the road of death rather than do that. Because of that attitude he preserved the hope of God and hope of humanity. By becoming a sacrifice He moved God so deeply that God felt compelled to somehow make that hope prevail in the world.
God would want to somehow vindicate Jesus before the world which killed him; certainly that must have been God's promise to His son. Jesus died but he left behind the hope of resurrection for God and humanity. Christianity has held up the torch of that hope and the power of God will be found there as long as it holds that hope high because God resolved to His son that his hope would never die. History will definitely be brought back to its origin. As long as God is working in that fashion then there will be no destruction but always victory. Whenever God's people clashed with an evil power God always won a victory in the end.
When you really look closely at Jesus' life you will discover that he was found mostly with people like Peter, the fisherman, who weren't the most brilliant people or the leaders of that time. Externally his life was not one of great accomplishment. How many eyes and ears did Jesus have? Could he look in both directions? Was Jesus the same as you or different? In appearance he was just like you are, so why was God so excited about Jesus? The one important difference is that Jesus represented the hope of God. Without him and his vision there could be no hope for man or God. He had to be a hot item! God wanted and needed someone to represent His hope and Jesus was that man. Second, Jesus represented the hope of mankind. Third, he represented the hope of history. In the past, present and future that hope has never faded and that goal will never change so Jesus has remained the hope of history.
If Jesus had just died then God would have lost His hope and central figure, but neither God nor mankind nor history could sustain such a loss. Therefore, when Jesus died there had to be resurrection. Some hope had to remain, however small. If Jesus had not been crucified then the world's hope would be shining like the sun 24 hours a day, but because of his death it became only a small, twinkling light which few people could see. In addition, the prophecy that he would return changed this world. This is parallel with the Principle and the concept and hope of God's creation.
Once we know the Principle then all things fall into place. Jesus represented the hope of God and Christianity inherited that hope as well as the mission of Jesus. What is the standing of today's Christianity? Could God say, "You Christians are absolutely great. Since inheriting my tradition you are strong and bold"? Can all humanity feel that Christianity is their hope, just as Jesus was their hope? No? Where can God go then? Where can the world go? Where will the direction of history go? God will go on to the ultimate destination and mankind will go on to the ultimate destination. They will never stop. One way or another they will find a breakthrough.
The world in which the hope of God is realized is what we call the Kingdom of God on earth. This is the world where God can feel delight and really smile and laugh in joy; this is also the world where all mankind feels delight and joy and can really celebrate. The Kingdom of God on earth is the ultimate destination of human history. There is no other goal history can have. The Kingdom of God on earth is the ultimate destination of human history. There is no other goal history can have. The Kingdom of God on earth will be the realization of the hope of God, the hope of man and the hope of history, where God and man can be joyful together.
There are not many people who are pursuing this goal on earth, however. Look at the churches; there are many religions here on earth and they have dogmas and credos and hope to acquire some heavenly comfort after death. In contrast, ideologies such as communism proclaim that utopia can be built here on earth without God. There are certainly not many people who are even looking to see whether history has any goad. Where can we find hope for heading toward this goal? Communists insist that history will always make progress by struggle and conflict, in a process they call dialectical materialism. In such a world God has to look with a microscope to find some little group which sparkles like a star in the night sky with hope to see the Kingdom of God here on earth. If He were to ask, "Who are you?" the answer would come back, "We are Moonies."
Do you Moonies really have hope? What is your hope? The Kingdom of God on earth is the place where we can liberate God and bring Him joy, bring mankind joy and bring history joy. Jesus' crucifixion left hope for mankind like a twinkling little light, but would you rather have a brilliant sunshine light of hope? That means that it wouldn't make any difference if you happened to land in hell; you would bring light with you. Hell is no longer hell to you. That is the power you carry with you. In order to sustain the sunshine throughout the day you must become generators of energy. Even when you are sleeping, if God's power is within you then the whole night will be glowing spiritually because of you.
Would you prefer a grade of 100 points or 99.999? What's the difference? As you said, 99.999 is still imperfection, no matter how little the difference is, and the difference between perfection and imperfection is like the difference between heaven and earth. At the finish line of a marathon race the time difference between first and second place may be only one second. Would that tiny difference entitle the number two man to the same honor as the winner? Whatever the difference, perfection is heaven and imperfection is earth. The winner is the winner, period. The significance of being heaven's winner is that if the champion loves hell and wants to make it into heaven then all the people who adore that champion must go down and pay attention to hell too. Even God will say, "You like hell? Well all right, I do too."
Today's Christians are confident that they will be lifted up to heaven to meet the lord while the rest of the world will be thrown into unquenchable fire, but the true champion will say, "God, I don't care about heaven. I want to go down and lift up these people in hell and work with them." Then God will actually make that hellish place heaven. I am convinced that we can even make hell into heaven and I know that God will follow me and together we can do it.
Would you like to have me be the winner, or number two or last? God is looking down at this end-of-the-world race and sees that I have already come 70% of the way. Would God say, "Reverend Moon, aren't you tired? Why don't you relax? You don't have to run that hard." No, God is restless and gripping the rail, waiting for His champion to reach the final goal first. God raised up this champion in the remote countryside of Korea; God's excitement picked up as this country person started his race in Korea and then ran to Japan and the United States and as the whole world started to feel threatened by him. Naturally God is eager to see the end of the race. God always wondered who would run that hard, but He never found any precedent in history.
Just like you, God wants me to be a winner, but what about the world? The world is looking around and can't find much hope, but if people see that there is one champion running hard in the opposite direction and they see some hope in him, would people want him to be a winner or not? Even though you've been persecuted for being Moonies, aren't there people who welcome you and encourage you? People only persecute you because of their ignorance, but once they know the truth greater numbers of people will cheer you on. The only different between you and those people is that you know me.
There was a day when you did not know me and back then you probably thought Moonies were weird people. Here you certainly are weird people, sitting on a cement floor while your long Western legs get sore, but this is all God's smokescreen strategy. Anyone who is seeking his own selfish interest and honor cannot stand it here. This is the best strategy of elimination God could devise because selfish people will eliminate themselves! God wanted the real jewels, not the hypocrites. God wanted real champions sitting here.
A thing which is true will always meet every standard. Do you want to become true Unification Church members or not? Have you met the standard? Some critics might say, "Why does the Unification Church make being a member so difficult? The other churches only ask that a member bring his Bible for an hour on Sunday." Do you want to win great academic honors in school or just take it easy? If you only want easy things then you will end up in despair, but the person who faces difficulty and tries to conquer it and move on always ends up with hope.
You can be either a diamond, crystal or glass; a diamond is hard and brilliant and can etch the glass and crystal and break them. Would you prefer being an expensive item or a cheap item? If an item is expensive it usually shows that its maker poured heart and soul into creating it but something cheap is usually just mass produced.
We are here in the Unification Church to digest the worst kind of ingredient: hell. Do you want to make yourself determined and ready to tackle hell and liberate it, or be like the average Christian who is satisfied with an easy heaven? When I look at your expressions I see that your eyes are happy but your mouths are turned down. Real joy shows when your eyes and mouth smile together. Everything should work harmoniously.
All things are dependent upon you and wishing you well. Because of hope God created you and gave you two eyes. Your nose can't think that he's alone on your face, without much to do with God's hope. Neither can your ears or hands or hair feel unrelated to God's hope. You are the dwelling place of the hope of God and the universe, and when you realize this then you know that nothing else is worth being proud of.
When you were growing in your mother's womb did she care deeply for you, when you were not even born yet? After you were born she took care of the worst kind of chores, bathing you and changing your messy diapers, and all the time you never appreciated her; you just cried out and your mother said, "Here you are my baby. I love you." Do you think you never bothered anybody? Can you even say that your body is really yours? Whose eyes and nose and mouth are they? Ultimately everything belongs to God but in the horizontal sense who gave you that flesh?
You are the end result of your entire lineage. First of all, you are healthy and your body is whole. Did you ever feel grateful to your parents for giving you that healthy body? When you look in your mirror and see that you turned out to be very distinguished looking then your first gratitude should go to your parents. This applies to women too. Sometimes when you look in the mirror you feel pretty good, and then your first gratitude should go to your parents. If you have a talent, it is not really yours because it definitely came through your parents. An artist who paints a great masterpiece must be thankful to his parents for giving him his talent before he is thankful to the public who is honoring him.
Brothers and sisters are the second most important group of people around you. They are your immediate environment and give you encouragement and support. You can be grateful to your teachers for making you a man or woman who is a decent citizen. Everyone must be grateful to nature for loaning them everything for their bodies. Each one of you
has three different levels of parents. First is God, who created you and destined you to be. Second are your
I natural parents because they were the actual instruments to deliver you to this world, and third is nature; because creation loaned you the flesh and bone you have now.
Men are supposed to live lives of gratitude, thanking God first, then their parents and brothers and sisters and teachers and nature. The person who does this is a good citizen, doing his rightful duty. All your surroundings were bestowed upon you in hope and they wish you well, wanting to assist you to be their champion. They want to bestow hope upon you and see that hope realized to their abundant joy.
America's way of life today is totally contrary to this concept and instead of living a life of gratitude people demand things for themselves and then say, "Don't bother me." In the sight of God that way of life is a betrayal. Have you ever looked at yourself as a betrayer? You think about it now since you are asked, but most people never worry about that question. Cynical people would snap, "To heck with my parents, anyway. I didn't ask them to give birth to me. Why do I need brothers and sisters? My teachers are just earning their wages. I owe them nothing." That attitude is a betrayal of hope.
What do I want from you in the Unification Church? Am I only trying to make your life miserable? You are my hope and the hope of God and since God's hope and ideal are high I am trying to inspire and awaken you so you can achieve that hope. You are expected to be true champions of kingdom-building here on earth, to be true sons and daughters of God who will become true masters of the universe, being someone for nature to communicate with. That's your ultimate destination.
Think of the crowds of people at a football game who are watching their favorite team. When the players are battling fiercely to protect the ball, being tackled and chased, the audience is standing up and cheering. The spectators are excited about those champions, wanting them to hold on to the ball and get to the goal. Their team is translating the spectators' desires into action, fulfilling their hope. Of course the spectators will cheer! Suppose the star quarterback looks very miserable because it is raining and the field is muddy and one of his legs is hurt. The more miserable he looks, the greater the cheers become, right? The champion carries the hope of all the people and when their hope is translated into reality they feel joy and excitement.
We are like that football champion to all the many spectators in the universe-spirit world, nature, everyone here on earth-and if we translate their hope into action they will cheer us on. Imagine a spectator who is so ecstatic at how well the champion was doing that his foot gets caught in the pocket of his brand new suit and the coat is ripped apart. Would he restrain himself to keep from ripping that suit even more, or would he shout, "I don't care about the suit! I want to win the game"?
When God is looking at you and seeing that His hope is finally becoming reality then He doesn't care whether His beautiful robe is ripped. He will want to see His champion win more than anything else. Nothing could possibly be as valuable as His hope once it becomes reality. The place where hope is translated into action is the greatest of all. Today America is unquestionably mistreating me but the day will come when the spectators will see that I am their real champion and wherever I go they will welcome me. Those people who so adamantly oppose me now will be equally passionate supporters once they know the truth. Fanatic opposition like that is good because once it is turned around people will give a riotous welcome.
In Revelations it says that it is best to be either hot or cold, and that the worst you can be is lukewarm. Are you hot children of God? Are you internally hot like a sauna bath? If your engine is on inside then you can be sweating even in winter. If you are perspiring like that in winter then you will conquer all kinds of disease because the person who sweats when he works is usually healthy. The person who really perspires when doing productive work, whether summer or winter, will not be really sick except when he is about to die.
America wants you to be her champion and you can translate America's hope into action. Would Americans never want a Moonie to represent America to the world? If you were representing America in an international race of Unification Church members would Americans want to see an American lose?
Americans probably wish that a better champion than Reverend Moon had come out of America because they feel bad to have an Oriental champion. If 1 were American they wouldn't accuse me of brainwashing or enslaving young people, but as it is their egos are hurt. Some people are subconsciously afraid that an Oriental leader like me will try to dominate all other races, while others are certain that I will want revenge on them once I get the chance. They misunderstand me, however. I never taught you to get revenge. I will use all the opposition for the benefit of God, even though their misunderstandings spur people into doing extraordinary things against us.
You are here to translate the world's hope into action and show the world what you really are and who I really am. Do you want to have that hope realized soon or a hundred years from now? God wishes you well and mankind and all nature is wishing you well. They want you to translate your hope into action. Certainly they would be overjoyed to see you become such good men and women, and when people really understand the kind of life you are trying to live they will greatly respect you.
I want you to know that you are standing on the pinnacle of hope. Knowing it is one thing, but do you want to do it or not? Life is so plain and ascetic in the Unification Church that I'm sure you have a dozen things to complain about-the meals you eat and clothes you wear, how hard you work and how you sisters never get a chance to dress up. You don't have to look too far for something to complain about. I know very well the humiliation you feel.
When you are fund raising I know you sometimes feel, "Why do I do this?" Furthermore, at times you are lucky and people donate but sometimes they treat you scornfully. I push you into that position because that is your training. You must know how to evaluate people. You meet all extremes of people out there, including those who are very unkind and make you feel miserable, but you also meet people who appreciate you and inspire you, exclaiming, "We need more people like you in this country!" Where does your memory linger, with the kind or cruel person?
If you just meet good people then you don't realize their value, but when you have met both extremes and then you meet a godly man your heart is so moved that tears fall down your face. God is always like that person; you can meet God through that person. When you meet a cruel man who accuses you but you pray for him with tears instead of yelling back, asking God's blessing upon him, then God will feel sympathetic with you and will bestow blessing upon you. By your prayerful act you are bringing yourself closer to the bosom of God, and you can hear His whisper, "My child, you are truly mine and I am here with you, embracing you." The MFT members face the two extremes every day without complaint, always tasting the tears of God. In doing that they are bringing themselves closer to the bosom of God.
Nothing travels only in a straight line; there is always vibration up and down. You will experience both extremes, the deep valleys and high peaks. It is a destiny that you cannot avoid. We discipline ourselves to go over such hills. Right now most of you are unmarried so you can be single-minded; this is a most fortunate time for you and soon enough the added responsibility of families will be upon your shoulders. As your responsibilities get heavier, how can you prosper and still be a winner? This preparation is the key for you to succeed all along the way. Do you think my responsibility is light or heavy? I have a family of course, but God's responsibility for the world and cosmos is upon my shoulders.
Nobody in the world outside will help you so you must create your own income because no one is going to give it to you. People love to be assisted and you are in a position to help the world. That's the only way the world will be grateful to you, so in order to carry that kind of responsibility you must prepare. No matter how difficult that preparation may be, history and God want you to go on and fulfill.
Look at the situation with our New Yorker, for instance. We are refinishing this forty-story building and last year we finished seven floors. At that rate it will take five years to reach the bottom, maybe more. Should I feel that's OK? I am looking to see if there is some way we can get it done in five months so we don't have to worry about it any more. If everyone puts their resolve together then there's a way of doing it, but otherwise it will take years and years. You are probably thinking, "Uh oh, Father wants to put me to work!"
The theory is simple. Suppose you are sleeping six hours but you sacrifice two of those hours each night. In one year everything could be done. If that is not enough time then what about adding one more hour? I like that idea because only those who really want to love the building will remain behind; everyone else will pack up and get out right away!
One time I discussed the situation with Mr. Pak, who runs the New Yorker, and he made this petition, "Our members are working hard and come in at 1 a.m. after a long day. I just cannot tell them to get down to work painting and scraping. I can't be that cruel." Then I decided to ask the New Yorker, "How do you feel? You heard my idea and Mr. Pak's concern. Which one do you favor?" The New Yorker answered, "I favor your idea. I want to be restored!" That old building is crumbling down and it wants to become like a new bride.
The New Yorker is ailing and sick, but when you get to your room you just want to rest. If you want to sleep then you have to make some compromise with the New Yorker by making some condition of loving it and promising to come back every day and do a little more. The New Yorker has heard so many lectures on Divine Principle that it knows about indemnity conditions, so as long as you set the condition it will have no complaint.
Do you want to have your own room or have a roommate? You probably want a single room, right? If Mr. Pak gives every one of you a single room today then you are responsible to remodel that room in one year. If you restore one room of the New Yorker to perfection then you can always say that the New Yorker is your home and wherever you go you can feel that the New Yorker is welcoming you. You will have a right to eat in the dining room or use the meeting rooms and you won't feel strange because you gave it your hard work.
The New Yorker is going to be our museum in the future. Suppose you have room 1505 and you scrape and paint and remodel it until it is gorgeous. If you bring your future family to the New Yorker, where would you go first? 1505! As far as you are concerned, the New Yorker is 1505. You would show your children all that you did and tell them they must do the same. You are making history because even after you die the work you have done in the building will remain. History will say that I bought the New Yorker and transformed it into the World Mission Center and you will be able to say that you were also part of that. Do you want to be a co-participant with me or not?
If you concentrate on your work as much as you concentrate on your food when you are eating then you will do it in no time. I will go to the New Yorker more frequently now. You never know when I will come and look at what is happening. If anyone says, "I want you to come to my room because I will finish it up first as a wonderful example" then I will definitely come to that room and if it is done well then I may have a banquet for that person.
Each one of you has to make some visible pledge to God. You can write on a piece of paper something like this, "Heavenly Father, I resolve today I am going to make this room a heavenly room for Your glory." Sign it and leave it on your door as a New Year's resolution. Mr. Pak is not going to push you. You are making a covenant with me and this is not an obligation but a privilege. You can raise funds and buy the paint yourself and get carpet. Your clothes may get old and your shoes become worn out but you may want to use your money to buy scrapers and fixtures first because your room is an extension of your body.
Suppose a husband and wife were blessed together who had both restored rooms in the New Yorker. They will decide which room they will stay in by seeing who did the best job in the shortest time, with the most heart. The two of them will have a conference with each other and finally one of them will decide, "I am defeated. Your room is better spiritually so we'll go to your place." You can put your heart into your room, thinking that you are making a model of a sweet home.
The New Yorker is wishing you well. Once we totally restore the New Yorker and bring that hellish place back to heaven then with the same stamina we can restore the entire city of New York. If you give your heart and soul into restoring one room in the New Yorker then you can give even more of that same spirit to restoring one building in New York. Then why not one city after that? By our own hands and sweat America will become a resurrected paradise. Does America want that to happen? The first step is to do your rooms.
You have a little more work to do now, don't you? But that added work will become your pride. If you just come and lie down without doing anything about your room then it will accuse that you have no right to sleep there. Then you will sleep curled up like a shrimp and feel apologetic all night. Do you feel willing or obligated to undertake this project right away?
Today is January 8, 1978. Eight is the number of renewal or new beginning. This is a good day to make a resolution for the new year. Do you resolve to renew your room in the New Yorker this year? In order to not forget this resolution you will see eights everywhere. Two circles together and also two fists together make the number 8. When you look at a spoon you see fifty percent of 8; when you see a clock it will look like half of 8 and you will be reminded of the New Yorker. Can you forget?
The person who finishes his first room can then go on to another room and start all over again. Again, this is not mandatory; it is a privilege and whether you participate or not is up to you. You need this discipline while you are young in order to engage the rest of your life in the most fruitful and productive activity. I go back and forth from New York to Tarrytown all the time and I am always telling New York, "Just wait. I'm busy now on the New Yorker and in a little while I'll come and clean you up. Just wait. The Moonies will all clean you up."
Whatever unselfish thing you do for the sake of others shall remain as your permanent record in spirit world and it will become your asset with which you inherit the Kingdom of God in heaven. Is the normal husband the one who prepares himself to have a family and take care of his bride, or the one who wants a wife who will work and feed him? Hippies are different. They only have their naked bodies and most of them are like animals, only wanting to have fun and let tomorrow take care of itself.
They don't care about tomorrow or about each other; all they have is their carnal desire. Man is the supreme creature, not an animal. He has something beyond the animals-moral concepts and intelligence and an eternal spirit.
Everything depends upon you and all things wish you well. When I pray I hear voices from spirit world shouting, "Hurry up. The time is right to go forward." All the spirit world is wishing you well.
Mankind is wishing you success. The people need salvation and God and humanity are wishing you success so you can bring salvation to mankind.
No matter how difficult a task may be, I want you to gather your utmost resolve to really get up and do it, with no second thoughts. Your final investment is your own life. Do you want to do it? Let's make a pledge by raising hands. Thank you. Let us pray.