ORDER NUMBER
79-01-28
REVEREND SUN MYUNG MOON
SPEAKS ON
THE SOUND OF THE BELL
OF THE MIND
January 28, 1979
Belvedere
Translator - Bo Hi Pak
How did you know today was the lunar new year? The Oriental custom
of celebrating the new year based on the lunar calendar is thousands of
years old. Unlike the West, when the new year comes we always add one
more year to our age. So today you are really one year older; happy new
year to you!
When you climb the mountains at night and look down in all
directions you can see many sparkling lights. Colored lights always
stand out, but bright lights stand out most of all. That is what spirit
world sees when they look down on this world of ours. Your mind is like
a light in the darkness, even though you cannot see it as such with your
physical eyes. An electric bulb has an external shape, inside of which
is the tungsten wire which actually lights up. As you know, the actual
source of the light is the electricity generated by the power plant.
The brighter the light bulb, the heavier the wire inside must be.
No matter how powerful the bulb is, however, it will give no light until
the switch is turned on and the electricity flows. Where is the
electricity, inside or outside the bulb? When you are quietly reading a
book by your light you don't see the huge power source that is keeping
your light on. The moment the light is turned on the power flows not
only in the bulb but down the length of the wire from the power plant.
Just looking externally, it might be concluded that the switch is the
actual source of power, but the unseen power plant is the actual source.
The power plant looks like a factory, with huge generators making great
noise. At a hydroelectric power plant a massive flow of water is
turning enormous turbines, while at a steam-powered electric plant
huge amounts of fuel are burned to run the gigantic machinery.
If the power plant is far away from the place where electricity is
used, some power is lost in transmission. Also, in order for your light
to work everything must be in working order. If one little wire is out
of place then the light won't work. Such a bulb is like a dead man
whose body exists but isn't functioning. Our existence can be described
in the same terms used for an electric bulb. You can be a person of
small wattage or of great wattage and there are many ways you can shine.
How many watts are you? It is easy to say you are a million watts, but
are you really shining that brightly?
Have you ever thought about what power resources you have, or how
heavy the wire is which connects you to the power plant? Perhaps you
feel the wire is so heavy that it is difficult to maneuver. The
important thing is that if you have a heavier wire you can draw more
electricity. To use a powerful light bulb you also have to have an
appropriate socket. We must consider what kind of socket and bulb we
are. Are you small like a Christmas ornament light, or a big floodlight
from a football field? It can be said that the effort you make every
day goes to enlarge your bulb and socket so you can shine brighter and
brighter. Is it easy? Also, is it cheap or expensive to do? It is one
thing to enjoy benefit from the light, but to become a light yourself
and become brighter and brighter is not easy. Often people are just
like little lights, but they boast about it nevertheless.
When a great, bright light is turned on, the lesser bulbs are not
needed and can be turned off. I'm sure God has thought about this
phenomenon too. God made the sun such a bright source of light that
nothing can compete with it. We need electricity only because there is
night time. Do you have a greater need of sunlight or electricity?
When the sun is shining is it possible to make the day brighter, even if
many floodlights are turned on? It is impossible.
We commonly hear the expression "an enlightened mind." It
is very poetic to speak of the lantern of the mind. Today we are
talking about the sound of the bell of the mind. A bell can be a signal
of good news or bad news. Our Jives can be compared to light bulbs and
to bells which signal news. No matter what kind of bulb you are,
someone must switch it on, and no matter how loud a bell you may be,
someone has to ring it.
Who is going to shake your mind? Your mind is not standing still
but is constantly active. The mind acts as a watchdog, being satisfied
when you do something right, and criticizing when you do something
wrong. Have you felt that your mind tries to control you and put the
brakes on sometimes? Did your ancestors have minds as well, all the way
back to the first forefathers and God? Have you compared your mind to
God's mind? How are they different or the same? If they are the same
then you must be God, right?
The relationship between God and man can be compared to that between
the light bulb and power plant. In order for electricity to work there
must be a circuit of plus and minus having give and take. If your two
eyes functioned separately you would see two images, but instead they
cooperate. Your two ears hear slightly different sounds, but they are
coordinated so that you perceive one united sound. You have two
nostrils, but the sensations of each are coordinated. When there is no
blockage between the power plant and bulb, the bulb can receive
full-strength power. Therefore, it is important to remove all
resistance to the electricity, for it consumes the power of the current.
One person can be like gold, which conducts 100% of any electricity
passing through it, while another may be like wood-no matter how close
it is to the source, it cannot conduct any electricity. When I look at
you I can see all different purities of gold, different kinds of metal,
and some pieces of wood. The power plant would prefer genuine gold,
which can conduct electricity without any loss of current. If you are
like a wire of pure gold then all the electricity can flow through you
to the light bulb and ring the bell.
If all the current is conducted continuously, the bell could ring
for a millennium. Your mind is like a bell which rings when it receives
some power. However, there are all kinds of bells-bells of all kinds of
material and shapes, some of which are whole and some of which are
broken or damaged. Many people don't know what condition the bell of
their minds is in. The bells of people who are doing evil are cracked
and broken, and the electricity may reach such a bell but it won't
react.
All our lives we are constantly ringing our bells. The sound of our
bell may resound in the village, or even farther, throughout the whole
society or nation. When you are the right kind of bell, everyone
listens when you start to ring. On the other hand, if the head of a
household has lost dignity and credibility, no matter how loud he rings
no one will listen. His own son might feel he is more righteous than
his parent.
Many people have come and gone in history and each of them created
some kind of bell while on earth, ringing to the best of their
capability. Some of them left a particular heritage or legacy behind
them, such as literature, philosophy or art, all of which are the
expressions of their ringing bells. If the manifestation of their
character has some value, the people who come after them will want to
preserve it, displaying it in museums or libraries and so forth. Many
individuals have been remembered in a good way by history because they
tried to bring forth the central truth.
What are those people like who remain in history? Are they
powerful, rich men of military might? The word saint refers to a person
who rang a bell which is listened to by people throughout history, and
because people desire to come closer and unite with the ringing of that
bell they ultimately create one sphere of culture. This is what we call
a religious cultural sphere.
Who were the saints of purest gold? They were those who taught true
character, and above all, true love. A true saint talked not only about
true men but about true God. Those who are known as true saints are
mostly religious leaders, but why would only religious people be
elevated to sainthood? It is because they were concerned with some
eternal and unchanging value and with eternal God, desiring to manifest
in their lifetime the truth of God, which can never change or tarnish.
Those who pursue goals that are limited to life here on earth will pass
by unnoticed. The animals live that way, looking after their own
well-being and centering only on life here on earth.
Men live forever, however. The true man must continue in eternal
life. The headline news yesterday was about the death of Nelson
Rockefeller. If the work he left behind is connected to some central,
unchanging value, the reaction to his death will be great. If he had
truly served the unchanging purpose of God then the entire nation would
mourn him and think his passing was a loss to the whole country. At one
time he was Vice President of the United States and before that a
longtime governor of New York, but when he died the news was simply that
a rich man had died. But ever since Jesus died 2,000 years ago,
millions of people over the years have wept at his death
What is the difference in this situation? Jesus was only an
individual, so the difference could only be one of mind. A person's
mind determines his ultimate value. If he is centered on God and the
universe and tries to benefit the people by spreading the truth, such a
person will be loved eternally. Though we live here on earth only for a
short time. we will continue living for eternity and so we must think
how to live our life on an eternal basis. If we live and die like
animals, what would make us any different from them?
There are many people in the world who pursue only their own honor
and reputation. If someone did great things, not for himself but for
America, then his work would be preserved in a museum, but if America
were destroyed then the value of what he did would be destroyed with it.
The American people would remember him, but what about the rest of the
world? Heroes who are respected here in America are viewed as enemies
by the communists, for instance, who consider them defenders of
capitalism.
Is there any value in leaving a reputation behind? In one
generation a name may be famous, but the next generation may criticize
and degrade it; its earthly value changes with time. Nations come and
go and men live only a short time, but there is one source and one
person who sustains his life for eternity. The best way to immortalize
your name and work is to give your life to his incorruptible museum.
God is this immortal subject and creator of the universe. Since our
minds recognize this universal entity, we always harbor hope in Him and
try to follow his guidance and live His way of life.
Every person wants to leave something behind after he dies. That
something could be money, but will it remain for eternity? Money is
like any other physical matter on earth and really amounts to nothing.
But men remain forever; they can be different The saints of history have
made an impact that will never be extinguished because they lived for
the central reality which will never be extinguished. We usually talk
about four men who were the greatest saints of history. Which of those
would hold the central position? Why do you say Jesus" Over the years
Jesus has been thought of as the Messiah, but in his own lifetime he was
considered a criminal. He looked very miserable in the midst of much
persecution.
What sets Jesus apart from all other religious leaders? First, he
said he was the only begotten son of God, and therefore, that he
possessed the entire love of God. When you have your first child, he is
the center of a tremendous outflow of your love. Those who are not yet
married can expect that to happen to them. If human beings feel such
ecstatic joy with their first child, what about God? Because God sees
His own image in his first son and through him can manifest His image to
the entire world, you know. how critical that person is. What should
that son do? Does God need only a son? God knew ahead of time that He
needed a pair, which would include a daughter. We have to talk about
God's daughter, especially here in America! God will be more accepted
in this country when we talk about His only begotten daughter as well.
A son living by himself would be like a person with one foot. Jesus
knew that God was looking forward to having His only begotten daughter,
so Jesus looked forward to restoring a woman in that position. This is
why the central theme in the New Testament is that of bride and
bridegroom. Christians today use incredible logic trying to make the
impossible possible, saying that men are in the position of bride as
well as women, and not only that but the church as well. What has the
church as an institution to do with Jesus' bride?
How could Jesus kiss an institution? Is it true that your President
is such an institution that he doesn't know how to kiss? Are great
leaders so great that they don't need to kiss anyone? Jesus was the
King of kings; in that sense he was the greatest institution so he
should remain single the rest of his life, right? No, he was human and
needed an object like all other men. Would he sit on his throne and
proclaim the single way of life as the most holy, dictating it to his
subjects? Such a teaching would be a crippled teaching.
Jesus came to fulfill the will of God, and to do so he had to
restore his own bride. The entire Christian world is shaken at hearing
this revelation, and because of it Christians have called me a heretic.
Jesus can hear all this conversation going on here on earth. Do you
think he would smile at hearing me say he should have had his own bride,
or do you think he remained single because he thought that was the most
holy way of life? Who created men and women, and who was Jesus' parent?
God created men and women to become one, to marry and live as husband
and wife. That is the holiest relationship of all in God's creation.
Genesis says that God created Adam first and Eve second; God never said
"It is good" until after He had created both Adam and Eve.
Many religions have advocated a life of celibacy, but the Unification
Church is saying that families, not individuals, are the building blocks
of the Kingdom of Heaven.
Jesus not only said that he was God's only begotten son, he also
denied the world. No matter how beautiful or wonderful the world
seemed, it was nothing in the sight of God, so Jesus' ministry had to
begin with a denial of the world. Jesus came as the only begotten son
to restore God's only daughter and make God's only begotten family,
nation and world. Jesus truly occupied the position of central saint
because he was the most direct manifestation of God. Would all other
saints agree with that? I know you debate among yourselves who is the
better Moonie, so wouldn't the saints do the same? Who will decide ?
This cannot be decided by popular vote, but only by the first cause of
the universe. Would God judge according to what would make the others
happy, or according to His own truth?
What is God's central theme, the one which would completely melt
even His heart ? God doesn't need money or power. When Jesus came and
pronounced himself as God's only begotten son, it moved God as no other
sound did before. Many righteous people had come on earth in the 4,000
years before Jesus, but if God had asked Jesus, "Do you think you
are greater than Moses and Abraham and all the others," Jesus would
have replied that he was.
How could he prove it to God? Jesus would have told God he could
pass any test because his faith was absolute. He would have said that
he could never be destroyed; if he were cut in ten pieces then there
would be ten pieces of only begotten son but he could not be destroyed.
Even if his finger were cut off it wouldn't protest, but would say even
though it was separate it was still part of the only begotten son.
There has never been another person who could make exception to Jesus'
claim, or even be a candidate for that position. In Jesus' mind, being
God's son was such an absolute matter that nothing could shake it. Such
a man or woman had never existed before.
Are you absolute women, or do your eyes wander and look at all the
different men? I can see how your minds are thinking! You may be
trying to go in a certain direction, but instead of going straight you
are meandering around. Are you thinking about which man you feel I
should bless you with?
What kind of a person do you imagine Jesus was if he could claim he
was the only begotten son of God? Was he cunning and
quick-thinking, or dumb and dull? Even if his body was chopped
apart piece by,> piece, he would still have had the conviction that
he was the only begotten son of God, and nothing could change that in
his mind. In that absolute commitment Jesus knew he could not be
defeated by anyone.
Jesus reached the very center of love in the heart of God and he was
always ready to receive any kind of instruction from God. No other
saint has ever so closely embodied that goal. All the other saints
taught a good way of life and truth, but no one was so absolute in his
faith that God was his Father and in his total denial of the world as
Jesus was. When he called himself the only begotten son of God, he
meant that he and God were the only true existence and that he meant to
change the rest of the world to become true as well. The first thing he
intended to recreate was God's daughter. Then he intended to create
God's family, society, nation and world.
The bell of such a refreshing sound had never rung before Jesus
came. The sound of Jesus' bell resounded not only around the world but
through the spirit world That sound pierced the very mind and heart of
God and they resounded and rang together. That sound shook God and made
Him feel good because it was the sound of love.
What would make God joyful-life? God is the source of life for all
living things. Would knowledge please Him instead? No, He has all
knowledge. Would power enthuse Him? No, He runs the entire universe
already. Perhaps money would please Him. No. Why does He need love?
Because God wants to be intoxicated in the joy of love. Only love can
totally intoxicate Him in earth-shaking laughter and joy. That joy
would not inspire only song and dance, but much more. God wants to be
melted by love to the degree that He forgets Himself and His dignity as
God and can become totally like a child.
Will anyone object that God shouldn't act like that? In love
everything will be melted into one. If someone asks God for good
fortune and honor because he has made many contributions to the church,
that prayer will completely pass God by. God would show that person
heaven's treasure house and he would realize that his contributions were
hardly worth God's Kleenex. Someone might point out all his
achievements for God, but God will show him what He has been doing and
suffering throughout history, and that person's contribution will be
seen as less than a peanut.
There is nothing we can really proudly present to God and make the
claim that we should receive honor in heaven. No action could justify
that. God already has everything in His storehouse-tremendous power and
wealth and knowledge-but one thing is not there-love. There is no
history that God can be proud of, and God's house of love is empty. God
is looking for the man who can say, "God, I love you to the degree
that no satanic example can compare with me. There is nothing that can
compete with my love for you." When God finds a person who can
satisfy Him with love, He will uphold that person as victorious.
All mankind is in a competition of love. All the nations and races
compete with each other on this one point of who loves God most. The
great cultures and art are of no importance to Him, for God can see only
the element of love. He is blind to everything else. Depending on your
love for God you shine brightly or dully. Do you love God? Do you love
me? Is your love always coming and going? If you are not sure you have
a living relationship with me, how can you be sure you love an invisible
God?
How do you know 1 am telling you the truth, or whether I am a son of
the devil? There are all kinds of love. Everything is instant in
America, even love. How do you know whether God or Satan is working
through your prayer? How do you know you are listening to the truth
here? The answer is simple. You cannot help but love me, and there is
no logical explanation for it. You cannot even explain it yourself.
Your mind knows you are in the right place and your mind can always
detect a lie eventually. It feels so right to be here that even if I
push you out and insist you work hard you still feel right about being
here.
At the crucial moment of the crucifixion Jesus said, "Oh my
God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" l wish Jesus had never
said that. 1 would rather read that Jesus said, "God, my Father,
glory to you. If my death upon the cross is the way to fulfill your
will, I will die one thousand times." At no time, even in my time
of hardest suffering, did I pray for God's help because I always knew
there was a reason for my suffering. If sacrifice would yield a greater
victory for God then I wanted to receive even more. The members of the
Unification Church come from all over the world and all races to say,
"God, I know what you want. Even if it requires my own sacrifice
and that' of my people, I am willing to do it to liberate you and
mankind."
People today are in bondage, and by liberating mankind we can
liberate God from His sorrow. Billions of people have lived on earth
and left the sound of their own bells, but what sounds will resound
through history for eternity? What light will shine for eternity? Not
the bell of knowledge or power, but the bell of the love of God. How
much love you have toward God determines everything, even the length of
your life and the size of your territory in the Kingdom of Heaven.
Some members are working very hard on MFT. Perhaps some of them
complain that even when they break records the Church never recognizes
them or gives them medals. But my thinking is that it is not enough to
give the money that I have earned with my heart and soul; for the work
of God and His will I can give everything and still that will not be
enough. There is no time for me to think about my honor.
Some Christians think they are religious because they are generous
in their tithing, but I think tithing is only a start. I want to give
my life and blood and sweat and even more. I would rather become the
most indebted person of history for the sake of God's will, owing my
money to every bank in the world if necessary. Will God ask why I am so
dumb as to work this hard instead of enjoying my life a little before
going to spirit world? Would God praise or chastise me?
If I am willing to give every ounce of capability and every dollar 1
can earn before I become indebted, God will arrange the resources in
advance to move ahead. There have been many arduous times in my life
when certain funds were urgently needed and always a miracle happened.
Perhaps someone would receive a revelation to give his fortune and all
of a sudden that need would be met precisely.
There are millions of small bells in the world, but when a
king-sized bell resounds throughout all the universe, all the
others will be drowned out. That one bell is the sound of love. When
that bell of loves sounds, the louder the better. You will never tire
of that sound, whatever time of day, even 24 hours a day. That sound
goes beyond the limit of time and geography. Those who are sleeping now
do not know love. The worst situation you can be in is to be
insensitive to love.
Nowadays everyone has home church fever. I am pushing you hard
every week and in New York Col. Pak pushes you. Don't you feel you
can't stand it any more? As long as you have the sound of the bell of
love ringing in your heart, it doesn't matter how hard I push for it
will never hurt you. If you do home church only out of duty, however,
you will never survive. If you become a person burning with love then
people cannot help but welcome you and invite you to stay longer with
them. You will become a magnet that pulls the people.
You must experience having such a deep fellowship that you don't
want it to end, even when it becomes two or three o'clock in the
morning. It should be an experience that people wish could last
forever, and it you are truly doing home church out of love then you
will surely feel it. When such people come to a family meeting at home
church they feel they can breathe, and when they return home they long
to be back there again in home church. You are the powerhouse to
generate all that.
If you create that kind of atmosphere then certainly God and spirit
world will become one with you. When you open your spiritual eyes
spirit world will be a living reality to you. If people experience that
kind of uplifting love of God in home church then when they go back out
on the New York streets they will stare at the familiar sights of cars
and buses and feel that a thousand years have passed since they last saw
those things. Nothing will look normal.
We sometimes say that your conscience spanks you, but you must be
beyond the level of conscience, at the point where love is your guiding
light. The mind can be so intoxicated by love that it won't function
normally and you simply feel joyful without being able to say why. When
you walk, you are so elated that you just smile to yourself, and at
night under your blankets you are so happy you just smile. Wherever you
are you are happy. In love you forget hunger and sleep because your
mind is so intoxicated. Your body won't even realize it is missing
sleep and food. Have you experienced this?
If you are truly intoxicated in the love of God then difficulty and
suffering have nothing to do with you because you don't even worry about
them. Because of love you want to give your most precious things to
your loved ones and you hold nothing back. That's the way God is. When
we know this truth there is no room for complaining, or for saying you
are overburdened. Nothing can bother you, even the person who tries to
hit and curse you. You feel instead that he is complaining because he
has not received your love and you can't even get mad at him, much less
fight back. You must see his behavior as a sign that he is starving for
love. When people in your home church area are hostile you should wish
you had been there ten years ago for them to receive the good news you
bring so that they would welcome you now.
1t you feel that stepping forward for execution will give you an
opportunity to declare the victory of the love of God on the most
dramatic stage, then even death will never bother you. No power will be
able to make you tremble. The power of love is the greatest of all. I
have a very hot temper, and if 1 didn't know this truth then I could
never let the unjust persecution of the world go on without protesting.
But instead I feel that persecution is a request for my love.
When the whole nation of America came against me I felt sorry that I
could not have come ten or twenty years earlier so that now people here
could be satisfied. When God sees my attitude will He scoff at how dumb
I am? He will feel I am truly His son and be proud of me.
Even Satan cannot protest but must surrender to the power of love.
As long as you have love you have immunity and Satan has no way to
influence you. Satan can always invade other achievements regarding
money and power, but not love. If you try to win heaven with money,
Satan will offer to pay you a little more. If you try to win heaven
with knowledge or power, the same thing will happen. If Satan had love
then he could not have become Satan, so when you plant love you will
reap love.
When you become a man of greater love then you can ring a greater
bell of love, and in looking down from Heaven God will see that your
light is the biggest and brightest. Such a light is far more beautiful
than any diamond because it shines with all living colors. Love not
only shines. but has a taste as well.
The more you receive of it, the more you like it and the greater
your intoxication in it. That's why it is really true to say that God
thinks of nothing else but love. You can be all kinds of bells, but
above all you must become a bell of love. No other sound will reach the
heart of God. What you will be held accountable for is how much you
have shed your sweat and tears for love.
All people in the world today can be seen as patients in a hospital,
without exception. What do hospital patients think about all day long?
No matter how much money or honor they have or how much work is waiting
to be done, they think only about how they can get well. No medicine
has worked for these patients and they are still sick; what they really
need is a prescription of love. That alone can cure them, particularly
in America.
A dose of love is a cure-all. Love doesn't just restore a
person back to his original health, but makes him a completely different
person who can love his family, society, nation and even the whole
world. That person will become a man of love. With love we can even
change the content of men. They won't be restored just to their old
selves, but will become totally new men who have nothing to do with the
satanic world and are pioneers of the world of love.
You should realistically understand the nature of hell: it is the
place where people cannot receive the benefit of love and are consumed
both with regret over what they have done and with resentment over what
they think people have done to them. They are totally without love
there. Hell is the place where people dwell who are always blaming
others instead of themselves. When they remember the Moonie who knocked
on their door, they will wish that the Moonie had been more persistent
even though the door was slammed in his face. They blame that person
for not persisting two or three times more, thinking that they would
have accepted him after a while. People in hell are full of hatred and
animosity. A betrayer of love is the worst enemy. If a loved one
betrays you, you clench your teeth in anger and frustration and can't
bear even to see that person.
Let us become a bell for love which can resound throughout the
universe. When the sound of the bell of love reaches the hospital it
will liberate the patients into restoration. Then they can be
discharged and become bells of love themselves, bells whose ringing will
save more people. Your bell will bring resurrection, and then those
people can do the same.
I don't want you to do home church just out of' duty but because of
an urge that you cannot resist. If your be loved parent or child were
in jail, you wouldn't go to see him out of duty. The people in your
home church area are like prisoners in jail, and as God's representative
you go there with parental heart. You will never lose by doing that but
will inherit the love of God. The more you do as a channel of God's
love, the more you will inherit.
The world abounds with untruthful love and false teaching, so people
are skeptical and will not trust you right away. They have never seen
true love or tasted genuine truth, so it's only natural that they not
trust you. You have to penetrate their trust one level at a time,
gradually winning their hearts, but it takes time and real effort and
love to do it. I want you to have concern and pity for those people who
fiercely reject you because they are the people whose hearts have been
hurt deeply and who cannot trust. You must understand that they need
more love than anyone else, and just give and give and give until their
hearts melt.
God's love is eternal and all-powerful, and ultimately it will
win, no matter how great the obstacle blocking the way. It is ironic
that even though I teach about this love people still think I am some
kind of monster. Nevertheless, the bell of true love is ringing out
from this place. God is amused by this situation. America is totally
rejecting me and even trying to evict me, yet even Americans cannot help
but be more and more interested in me. You are misunderstood and people
sometimes even tremble when they meet you, more than if you were a
prostitute or criminal. That is proof that eventually you can turn
these people around in a life-giving way with love.
If you ring the bell of love with such effort that you falter and
die, nothing is ended. Someone else will rise up in your place because
people will compete to pick up the rope and continue ringing the bell.
There is no way that bell will be silenced. Some people think that if I
die then the Unification Church will fade and die. Why won't this
happen? I am ringing the bell of love with all my might, and if I die
then millions of Reverend Moons will come forward to ring the bell in my
place.
The world is like a barren desert and it is very hard to find other
people like you. Looking for true love in this world is like looking
for water in the desert. However, the spirit world knows the true
situation, and even though I may seem to be totally deserted and alone I
am never lonely because God and the entire spirit world are with me.
When I was in England last year I invited about forty of our
missionaries who were working under very difficult circumstances in
their countries to come to London. Working there was like heaven
compared to their mission countries, but when I asked if they wouldn't
rather come back to America to work, they all said they wanted to return
to their own countries. I feel that if you are truly people of love
then even if you discourage people from following you they will insist
on coming with you. If you left their countries they would feel as
though they were dying and would insist on coming with you.
When I was in prison I never preached even one word of Divine
Principle but the spirit world was there and conveyed my heart. Many
disciples were found who wanted to live and die with me there, even
though they never heard one word of Divine Principle. That prison was a
living hell, but when I saw the people there as God must see them, I
felt l should love them as He would. I prayed for them and cared about
them; this thought could travel and spirit world communicated to them
and these people were drawn to me like a magnet.
Your own ancestors are bringing more elements to you so that you can
be pulled by the central magnet, just as those people were. The spirit
world doesn't assist you because you are attractive, but because they
know you are the inheritors of the love of God. That love is precisely
what they need and the only way they can get it is by participating in
your cause. Home church will make you a tribal messiah, but are you
going out with a messiah's heart? Do you look for someone to help you
and give you something, or do you feel that you are the messiah who will
bring whatever your 360 homes need? You are going to home church to
give, not receive.
If you have nothing in your pockets then you can give the people
your tears, sweat and blood and your love. You may not give anything
tangible, but if you give them love then you have given them the best.
Many people misunderstand who Moonies are, but one day they will
realize that Moonies stand for real love. If you are conquered by love,
you are thankful, and if you are a conqueror of love you are still
thankful. The Book of Revelations teaches that it is better to be hot
or cold, but never lukewarm. Love works best in either heat or cold,
but worst in lukewarm circumstances.
Love causes a violent reaction either way; it doesn't produce any
middle ground. Are you going at a lukewarm pace in home church? Love
can have a hot and cold side; cold love sometimes means spanking
children for their own good. Late Thursday I spoke strongly to the New
York department leaders and they trembled that cold night. I am a
loving person, yet I am ruthless when I speak of the Principle because
there is no compromise possible. I am ruthless toward evil and totally
uncompromising, but in love I give everything I can and hold nothing
back.
There have been many bells of goodness and love in history, but
today you can create the greatest bells of love, ringing them in a
desert-like world. You are the first and last in history to do so.
We are living in an age of hope and consummation, the time when God's
history will be finalized. There is nothing greater you can expect.
You should be honored to participate in this final drama of God's
history. Let us be great bells of love ringing out in the desert. Once
people hear the sound of love correctly, they will follow your pattern
and imitate you and the sound of the bell will never cease.
In spirit world we will all have some accumulated testimony about
how much love we gave to God and the people. Even though your ancestors
lived many years before you, as far as love is concerned you are the
forefathers. Those who loved less than you did will bow down. God is
the oldest person, the forefather of all because He is the source of
love and He practiced this way of life from the very beginning. In love
you become a small God here on earth, so when you go to spirit world you
have complete freedom to dwell in the realm of love God has been
creating from the start. My voice is the loudest of all here on earth
because I am ringing the bell of love.
Before you love anyone, listen to the sound of love in your heart.
If you ask a question to that mind of love, it will answer. You must
discover this in your own heart. God is like a broadcasting station,
and as long as you have a receiver you can understand what God is
saying. As long as you have a receiver for love, you can hear what
God's love is saying.
Your 360 homes are your training center to open up your mind and
heart of love. Once the love of God is consummated in your heart, you
become the subject of your surroundings, no matter where you go. I'm
sure you have pictures of Mother and me in some album. They are
probably on the last page, right! No.' Who told you to put them on the
front page! Your own mind did. Because we are a symbol of love, your
conscience hurts you if you put us last; then you don't enjoy that album
or want to show it to anyone.
Your home church people will have their own albums, and since you
testify to the True Parents, even though they have never seen Mother and
me they will put our picture on the front page, and right next to that
they will put your picture. And they will say, "This person is my
messiah." If this doesn't happen then our teaching is false. This
will happen automatically, not because you tell them to do so but
because they desire to do it.
When you see something wonderful you always wish you could show it
to True Parents. Mother and I always think that way as well, wanting
you to ride in nice cars and have beautiful houses in the future. I am
not only thinking about this, but doing it. There is a lot of physical
work to be done so we have industries and businesses. The Korean and
Japanese members all feel indebted to me, not just because they are
resurrected by this truth and love, but because their families, jobs and
homes were all given to them by me. I want to do still more. I have
set a world record for matching couples, but actually the True Parents
have so many children to worry about that I can't help but set such a
record!
Even if people in your home church area never see me in the future,
I won't mind at all if your picture is on the front page of their album
as their messiah. Would you ever check to see whether your picture is
there? No, because their action would only be done out of their mind of
love, not duty. Your picture will symbolize hope and happiness to them.
Our teaching is crystal clear, not hidden in symbols or vague
mysteries. Because the teaching of Christians is often vague, they lack
spiritual power. We do not see dimly, however, but face to face. We
are now running to the patients in the hospital to bring them to the
palace of God, not to their old homes. All people have some part of
themselves that is waiting to be ignited with hope for the future, even
though they are patients in the hospital. The Unification Church has
the supreme task because we have the best life-giving gift to give.
You will never be alone, even though all of your 360 homes reject
you. The electrical pole, the street signs, even the postal box are
your friends, and in ten years they will all testify to what you did and
how many tears you shed. Nature is like that. When people are your
worst enemies then nature is your best friend. Even when you are
trembling and shivering, that scene and experience is your friend as
long as you are not shivering for yourself. You will never forget that
moment. Your worst form of suffering will be a teaching aid for the
future, and everything you do will be recorded as the acts of apostles
to instruct the people. When people a thousand years from now read of
your deeds, they will still shed tears; that is the kind of chapter we
want to write.
When you hear the story of my suffering you feel badly, and it
becomes a source of inspiration to suffer for mankind in my place. What
a precious asset it is when many people can come alive because of one
man's suffering. History demands such a man; God demands such a man.
Will you go to home church out of duty, or with enthusiasm and the
love of God? Listen to the bell of love in your own heart. Your mouth
won't obey if you want to talk of anything apart from sounding that bell
of love; your eyes and ears won't want to have anything to do with it
either. If that is the case then you are not far from the ultimate
breakthrough to the spirit world and heart of God and you will always be
sure of your course and destination. You are carrying the prescription
that can solve all the problems and bring comfort and happiness for each
of your 360 homes. If you are living in that heart that even if you
don't intend to speak your mouth will automatically open and convey that
love.
Susan Fefferman, you are back from three years' missionary work in
Iran. Did you love the people? The coming of night won't bother the
person who is anxious to visit one more house, meet one more person.
The missionary's life is that kind of life. When you come to America
you should be longing for your children back in Iran. When you site
down to eat, you should feel such longing to see them that you can't
even eat. That is true parental heart.
The love of God is far greater. When your hand reaches out to help,
see it as the hand of God extended. If you see your image in a mirror
when walking down the hall, you should be seeing the image of the love
of God. Always ask yourself how much you have suffered for the sake of
the love of God, how much you have loved your fellow man and served them
for the sake of God. A sense of duty and responsibility all come on
that foundation.
1979 is the year we are definitely going to become bells of love,
ringing out so the power of love resounds through the earth. You are
the one who determines how bright your light is. The power plant is
ready. God is just waiting for you to light up and decide how bright
you will be. You should be so bright that no one can miss you; your
bell of love should be so loud that no one can avoid hearing you.
You are the only lighthouse on a lonely, dark sea, a beacon alerting
the people to the emergency. Are you going to become such a light?
The lunar calendar is in a sense an internal calendar. Today is a
new beginning on the first day of the new year. Let's ring the bell of
love. Those who will do it, raise your hands.
Thank you. Let us pray.
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