True Loyalty and Filial Piety from Children to Parents

The Unification Church North American Headquarters 481 8th Avenue, New York, NY 10001 Tel: 212-997-0050 | Fax: 212-997-0051 | E-mail admin@unification.org

Dear Brothers and Sisters, Greetings, and may the love and blessings of our Heavenly Parent and our True Parents be with you. Please read Father’s guidance below from Cheon Seong Gyeong concerning the meaning of true loyalty and filial piety from children to parents. This is the example that Hyung Jin Nim is following in his daily life and is asking all blessed families to follow in relationship to our True Parents. I highly recommend that all of our families watch the video of Hyung Jin Nim’s clear guidance to the International Leadership Conference, which took place in Korea during the Day of all True Things Holy Day celebration on June 12th. Hyung Jin Nim was in the 6th day of his 8-day fast and the spirit of God is flowing through him. In his speech to the leaders of our worldwide church he gives four basic points (which he practices himself) that are essential for our spiritual growth and our relationship to God and True Parents: 1. Daily repentance. 2. Hate our personal sin. 3. Associate with people who are centered on True Parents and who can bring us closer to them. 4. Strive to ‘walk in True Parents’ footsteps’ and become more like them each day. You can view this inspiring speech by Hyung Jin Nim now on our national website. It is entitled, “Rev. Hyung Jin Moon Addresses International Leaders.” God bless you.

Rev. Joshua Cotter Executive Vice-President HSA-UWC USA

Cheon Seong Gyeong – Sun Myung Moon

Book Fourteen - A Life Of True Filial Piety Chapter Two - True Loyalty and Filial Piety Section 3. True Loyalty and Filial Piety Is Being Obedient and Loving Others

Filial sons and daughters must fulfill their filial duty while their parents are alive. Loyalty also must be fulfilled when the king is alive. It is no use at all trying to fulfill your filial duty after your parents have died. Loyalty is of no use at all when the king is dead. People who try to do this are deceitful. Rather than making a big memorial service for your parents after they die, it is much better to say even one good thing to comfort them while they are alive. It is much more beautiful to become a partner in their sadness and try to comfort their hearts while they are alive, rather than setting up a service with thousands of kinds of food for them after they die. It is much more precious to fulfill your filial duty before your parents die, rather than just cherish their memory. (51-223, 1971.11.28)

Filial children must always unite with their parents’ heart and direction. People going the way of filial piety are not those who behave in a way far different from their parents. If the parents go east, then the children should go east. If the parents go west, then they should go west. If the parents have given a certain direction, but suddenly make an about-face, then the filial child must follow them. There should be no dissent from this. If you follow your parents when they leave home, and each time they order you to turn back and go home, you should turn to go back but then do an about-face and follow them anyway, even if this happens ten times.

If you protest, you will not be able to fulfill your filial duty. If parents behave in a strange way, their children also must behave likewise. If parents give an order, then the children must follow accordingly, even if it is means behaving strangely. Acting in a strange manner in itself is not good. You may think that your parents are doing things unknowingly, but actually they know what they are doing. Therefore, you should follow.

Why would parents behave in a strange way? Their strange behavior would serve to identify the most filial child out of all the filial children. If there were one hundred filial children and the parents acted strangely enough, the most filial of them all would eventually emerge. The filial son, who absolutely accommodates his parents’ orders at the risk of his life, even though he knows his parents are being capricious, can even become the king of all filial children. (62-32, 1972.9.10)