CARP Bay Area USA: God guided Mother Moon to take mantle of Mother of Peace

After reading this chapter of Mother of Peace, I have come to see that there have been so many ways that God guided Mother Moon to take on the mantle of Mother of Peace. From the deep and humble history of the Korean people, the patriots and people of incredible integrity and character in her ancestry, and the incredible hardships of the journey her own family undertook as they walked the way to prepare for her mission, I could realize through this chapter how God meticulously and lovingly prepared Mother Moon for her great mission. Out of darkness and, “in the midst of a world consumed by chaos in which no light of hope was to be seen”, Mother Moon nurtured her vision and dream of a world of peace using the horrors of the Korean War to, not dampen, but strengthen her conviction. Her mother and grandmother’s absolute faith in following the Will of God wholeheartedly with “generous and happy spirits” despite the constant threats to their lives only deepened Mother Moon’s own concept of what it means to be a person of faith. In fact, Mother Moon in her memoir shared that it was from her mother’s lifestyle, of constantly putting faith to practice by helping and serving others, that she learned the meaning of true discipleship. Today we can see the result of the impact of her mother in the lifestyle that Mother Moon practices everyday: constantly putting others before herself, traveling around the world sharing her vision of peace, and investing into numerous organizations that help contribute to peace in almost every field of endeavor.

What moved me the most during this chapter was recognizing how difficult Mother Moon’s childhood was and how she chose to not let these traumatic experiences control her but to deepen her resolve in creating a world of peace. As a refugee of war, Mother Moon together with her mother and grandmother directly witnessed the horrors of war as they traveled on foot many miles to escape the invasion of South Korea by the communist North. In a harrowing account, Mother Moon describes a near death experience her family had as they narrowly escaped death when they crossed the Han River bridge seconds before it was detonated by the South Korean Army to block the invading North Korean troops. She witnessed as hundreds of innocent civilians desperately crossing the bridge were brought to their untimely deaths. She was seven years old. “Even today,” she recounts, “whenever I cross a bridge over the Han River, I see that blue flash and hear people’s agonized screams echoing as if they are still burning in hell. My heart aches at the sound.” And yet despite this and other experiences which would cause many to lose hope, Mother Moon shares that she has become even more serious to make sure that war vanishes forever from this world. “Heavenly Parent gave me more than a sense of meaning and value,” she reflects, “he provided me with a scale by which to measure my purpose in life”.

This chapter of Mother of Peace revealed to me how awesome and instrumental Mother Moon’s mother, Hong Soon Ae, and grandmother, Grandmother Jo, were in Mother Moon’s journey. In every opportunity given them to choose the way of God or to move towards personal comfort or safety, Mother Moon’s mother and grandmother always stayed true to their faith. Faith was more than just a concept to them but a promise and a way of life. One of my favorite lines from this chapter is when Mother Moon describes her mother’s faith saying despite her difficult environment her mother, “did not compromise with reality. With the Holy Spirit, she created her own reality.” That is one strong woman. Mother Moon’s sense of identity as a daughter of God also came from the deep conviction of her mother and grandmother and constant reminders growing up that she was God’s precious daughter and that her father was God. I believe that her mother and grandmother’s exemplary life of faith and incredible kindness towards others was a great influence in Mother Moon taking on the mantle of Mother of Peace. I am incredibly grateful and humbled to learn about the lives of these incredible women and if I can learn to practice even just some part of their kindness, unchanging faith, and beauty I will consider my life a life well lived.