Blessing One Million Americans in Marriage Explanation of the Steps of the Blessing

HAVE YOU HEARD OF THE MARRIAGE BLESSING CEREMONY? It is a totally new initiative by Rev. and Mrs. Moon, who are establishing the standard of True Parents by working beyond races and religions to unite all people into God’s family. The Marriage Blessing is a cleansing of past mistakes and an opportunity to make a new commitment in marriage as a blessed family. It starts with the Holy Wine Ceremony.

WHAT IS THE HOLY WINE? The Holy Wine is made up of 21 ingredients representing all things. It has ingredients that symbolize the love of parents, the earth, the seas, and heaven. The Holy Wine contains all the essential elements that stand for purity. More importantly, we are able to receive this because of the victorious foundation of peace made by True Parents. This makes it possible for humankind to cut off from the original and ancestral sins. By drinking the Holy Wine, we are reborn spiritually and physically.

WHAT IS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE HOLY WINE CEREMONY? • To understand the Holy Wine in the context of history, the condition to become the first Israel is circumcision, and the condition to become the second Israel is baptism. The condition to become the third Israel is the Holy Wine Ceremony. • The original ancestors, who we refer to as Adam and Eve, were supposed to become husband and wife with God’s love in their hearts, but the order of love was reversed, and they consummated their marriage with selfish love. The Holy Wine Ceremony restores the order of love to its original state. • Adam and Eve’s mistake was passed down to us through the blood lineage. This ceremony signifies a rebirth that reverses that mistake. The woman goes through a process of being restored first, then she gives birth to the man. Together, husband and wife are engrafted onto the original blood lineage of God.

1. HOLY WINE CEREMONY A. Taking the Holy Wine • The wife should stand to the right side of her husband.

Now we will offer you the Holy Wine. First the bride drinks half the cup, then offers the remaining wine to her husband. When you receive the cup, please hold it with two hands, and offer a small bow with a humble heart. We will now start the ceremony with a prayer.

• . Opening Prayer • Couple offers bow to Officiators • Attendant offers Holy Wine to Officiator Wife, she gives to Officiator Husband. • Officiator Husband gives wine to (representative) bride. Brides bow as they receive with two hands (attendants can give wine to other brides). • Brides drink half the wine, then give to husband. Husband bows as he receives with two hands, then drinks remaining wine. Returns empty cup to bride while bowing. Bride bows as she receives empty cup, then gives cup to Officator Husband (or attendant) with a bow. • Officiator Husband gives empty cup back to Officator Wife.

B. Sanctification Prayer Now we will offer a sanctification prayer.

• Place hands in proper position (refer to graph below) • Officiators Pray: “God please accept this couple (these couples) standing in the position of Adam and Eve before the fall.”

2. BLESSING CEREMONY Now, after the Holy Wine Ceremony, you stand in the position before the fall. (If you are single, it is an opportunity to keep your purity and prepare for your heart and character for married life in the future.)

• The husband should now stand to the right side of his wife.

As a married couple, the Blessing Ceremony confirms an eternal bond between you as husband and wife, and commitment to true love and fidelity in your family.

A. Holy Water Ceremony We will now sprinkle holy water on you.

• Officiators Sprinkle Holy Water over couples

B. Blessing Vows Now we want to offer you the opportunity to make a new commitment in your relationship. If you agree, please respond “Yes” to the vows we are about to read to you.

Vow Options: One Vow 1. As families who must realize the Heavenly Parent’s ideal of creation, do you promise to become eternal couples who will inherit the tradition established by the True Parents of Heaven, Earth and Humankind and to perfect ideal families who will strive to realize Cheon Il Guk? Four Vows 1. Do you, as a mature man and woman who are to consummate the ideal of creation of God, pledge in front of God and True Parents to become an eternal husband and wife? 2. Do you pledge to become true parents, raise your children to live up to the will of God, and educate them to become responsible leaders in front of the entire Unification Family, all humankind, and Almighty God? 3. Do you pledge that, centered upon True Parents, you will inherit the tradition of living for the sake of others, and pass this proud tradition down to future generations and to humankind? 4. Do you pledge that, centering upon the ideal of creation, you will inherit the will of God and True Parents, love the people of the world as God and True Parents do, and ultimately consummate an ideal family which is the building block of the Kingdom of God on earth and in heaven?

C. Benediction (Blessing Prayer) We will now complete the Blessing Ceremony with a benediction prayer and proclamation of your Blessing.

• Officators with outstretched arms pray: “Dear God our Heavenly Parent, we are offering this couple (these couples) to you. We ask that through this ceremony we are removing the accusation of satan from their blood lineage, and engrafting them into God’s family. Heavenly Parent, please accept them as blessed families, and embrace them as your pure children.”

Pronouncement “I hereby declare, on this [today’s full date] , before God, True Parents, and Heaven and Earth, that the families who are attending this Marriage Blessing Ceremony, sponsored by the Family Federation of World Peace and Unification, over which we, [Officiators’ Couple Name] are presiding, have now received the Blessing.”

3. CHASTENING CEREMONY Finally today, we invite you to participate in the Chastening Ceremony. This is an opportunity to cut from any physical abuse, or misuse of love from the past. You may have hurt each other, or been hurt by others, either way, this ceremony will offer you a new beginning.

1. Couple bows to Officiators 2. Bridegrooms strike the bride’s buttocks first, three times 3. Bride then strikes the Bridegroom’s buttocks three times 4. Couple bows to each other.

You are now purified and blessed in marriage. Congratulations!

Tip: It is a good idea to ask if there are others whom they know that they would like to share the Marriage Blessing with.

40-DAY REDEDICATION Your couple can now make a totally new start. You have received a Blessing and forgiveness of sin. In order to start this new chapter in your life, we invite you to participate in a 40-Day Rededication of your marriage. During this period of 40-Days, you will not have sex. Instead, you will re-learn how love each other as God’s children. You can use this time to meditate and pray how to bring God deeper into your own heart as God’s son and daughter. We encourage you to keep a journal if you like, and keep track of any reflections or experiences that you experience. After 40-days you will come back together again as husband and wife to (re)consummate your marriage with this new blessing. Would you like that?

3-DAY CEREMONY After completion of the 40-Day Rededication period, you will come back together as husband and wife through the 3-Day Ceremony. This is a precious experience in which you completely eradicate any residue of fallen, selfish love, and re-position your relationship with the Heavenly Parent, as God’s true son and daughter, and with each other as true husband and wife. Couples must time their 3-Day Ceremony so as not to conceive, they may need to wait a few extra days before starting this ceremony. Please read instructions on how to conduct the 3-Day Ceremony.