Sun Myung Moon Speaks to Unification Theological Seminary Students - 1981
To those Freshmen (Juniors), raise your hands, how many times have you seen Father? (Once). When Father looks around he sees so many sisters here now. Is it difficult or easy to study here at the Seminary? (Difficult). What kind of dreams do you have? As American young people what kinds of things do you long for? In the beginning your dreams or visions are big ones and then they get smaller and smaller. Yes? (No). What are the best dreams that you have had? (About the Kingdom of Heaven on earth). Don’t you have dreams about yourself - about your spouses? (Laughter).
Well anyway, what is the ideal of creation - the four-position found- ation. Now what good will it do in the future if you are so busy mainta i ning a family and you wanted to aspire to be President? Why is your spouse so impor- tant? Why are your children so important? Yes, to learn about love. Therefore, the best dream is a dream a.bout love.
What is a saint? Saints are those who love beyond the boundary of themselves, a family, or their country - they are also dedicated to the invis- ible world. If you too live for the sake of the whole world you will benefit history and future generations. Saints are connected both internally and ex- ternally with love. They are the ones who see the value in the spiritual world, yet they are also willing to go beyond the boundary of a foreign country.
How do we learn to become faithful sons and daughters? What is the textbook we should use for this education? For men the textbook to learn about love and how to be faithful is women; and for women, it is men. Also you learn through your sons and daughters. If you love your parents the same as you love your own children then you will have true filial piety. It will take 3 genera- tions and then there will be a connection representing the entire world. So if you love your parents as much as you do your sons and daughters (including all of your cousins, aunts, uncles, etc.) then you will come to have the respect of your entire clan. But you must have a clear purpose. Why? By doing that, by loving your family you learn to love your clan, so then in turn you can love your country. Your country then is only a training ground for loving the entire world, and then, for loving the s~iritual world • - . What does the spiritual world have to do with you? Why does Father keep teaching you these things so much? There are many Americans that think tha~ is -Rot necessary foi their life to be so complicated. They say that they just want to lead a simple life: “I just want to love my husband (or my wife), even having children is too much trouble.” They want to love a quiet life in the country, and not get involved in all the complicated things of the community, L the nation or. the world. You might feel U~e same way at times - you might ask, “Why do I have to go through 2 or 3 years in the Seminary?”
But if yo~ understand the importance of your life here on earth and how it’will affect your eternal life in the spiritual world, it can be compared with the way that your blood circulates around in your body: if you have true love from having given and sacrificed and served, then you can go anywhere you want to in th~ spiritual W!=)rld. Haven’t you ever wanted t6 hav.e the mast be.~uti.ful clothes like a King and go anywhere you wanted? Haven’t you wanted to ride a fast horse, or drive a Lincoln Continental and go anywhere? After you accomplish the long
path of attaining true love, then you can have these things, not jus~here but in the spiritual world;] Even if you had an ugly wife, through true love the most ugly person becomes so beautiful. That’s how it is in the spiritual worldi that’s why you are doing these things here. If you keep practicing true love you will shoot straight ahead like a bullet. Those \iiho do not practice or learn true love, when they come to the spiritual world, how mi serable they will be! ~ . .,.; ( ·,,,,--t,A ,.-• -;-. -~ - ~ owe are living and practicing now for that eternal world. f If you atta i n that true love, then you will need nothing more in the spiritual world; everything will already “bow down” to you. You will “shoot like a bullet of love;” you will keep on going, hitting the bull’s eye all the time. When Rev. Moon shoots a bulle t of love to someone then that bullet richochets and bounces off that person and then goes on to someone else, and someone else, etc.
Those who were matched or engaged this last time raise your hands. Why did . Father have that matching? It is because there is no way that Father wants you to be alone. He wants you, regardless of the waiting and the time it takes, to h a ve spouses and children. What if you were married for 3 or 4 years and for some reason there were no children, or if you were getting to the age where you could no longer have a child, wouldn’t you really become desperate just to have one child? Father knows these things. But what about the matter of loving your country? Which direction does a saint go? Before they go toward the direction of just loving their own families they go toward the whole world.
You must first experience the most painful kinds of situations in serving and giving in the family setting before you can be called faithful (filial) sons and daughters. So in your family you must work harder, sleep less, and you must also be like the most zealous patriot and be willing to bear the most sorrow for your country. And how many terrible and sorrowful things you have in this country! In big cities like New York there are so many prostitutes, drug addicts, lost and uncared-for old people on the streets, so many young prisoners, etc. But you could say, “What does all that have to do with me?” aut if each one of you made a ten- year plan to work on making those kinds of tragic situations be taken care of or go away, then you can become a saint. To be saints you have to experience the same pains and sorrows as the suffering people in the world; you have to know the heart of those that have hunger, oppression, confinement in prison, and even the pain of losing your family.
If Rev. Moon goes the path of a saint, he has to be prepared to go that path of pain also, even losing you, giving up his country of Korea; to lose these things for the sake of the world. But if you never complained and had the heart of being truly grateful, and if you go the path and follow in that kind of sorrow and pain, then you will go the same place in the spirit~al world as Father. Tal<e Ron_ald Reagan’s family, for instance, they can all just walk into the White House, even though they do not actually have an offical position. Even those who worked so hard throughout his presidential comapaign and the ones in the past who have supported and helped him, can now become his staff members. It is the same wa_y in religion - if you gain the true love of the entire world it ~s more valuable than-the love of- your country, or if you gained the love of a country, it is roore valuable than even the love of your family or clan.
, So this is why that for the sake of the world we must even sacrifice our families, our clans, our nations, etc. For instance, if Father didn’t have
a family but he still worked hard for the nation or the world then many people would want to become his family. So do you understand this principle? How do you know it isn’t wrong? You just grow to be a “huge tree of love” - once people are attached to that tree they never want to leave it or let go. Have you watched a bee with honey? After they get their “stinger” into the honey, they don’t want to pull it out, even if you touch or pull off the bee their stingers still stay in the honey: Father used to watch many bees like this when he was a boy; don’t you see that when human beings or mankind get a taste of true love that they do the same thing?
Father knows more than anybody else about the existence of that kind of spiritual world. That’s why Father has so much ambition, why he is a man of so many visions and dreams for the future; he knows the way and how to attain true love. Father is so ready to put you into a situation of suffering for the sake of others because he has confidence that that is the way to go. Father knows that in the spiritual world that love is everything; no matter which society you enter int~,in the spiritual world if you have true love then you become instantly har- monious. Even though you may not completely understand now, Father knows that there is that kind of situation there in the spiritual world where love is great! You must be desperate to work for, plan for and be determined to find that kind of authority of love that will last eternally.
So now it’s hard to study in the Seminary for you, isn’t it? (Yes, Father). But how wonderful it is to see that this is the “ground” or foundation for you to -build a big factory of love in the world. All for the sake of love you are learning many things: church history, homiletics, even karate (Won Hwa Do). If ~------ it’s for the sake of love you could even go “disco dancing”, or maybe drinking wine or whiskey; actually if you already know of true love it’s not so terrible because you are already intoxicated! (Laughter). If you want to do something very badly and someone of authority says “Stop!” Then you still want to do it. But if for the sake of love someone asks you to stop, then there is no problem, you will stop.
If you were to ask your eye, “What is your dream?”, then what would your eye answer, wouldn’t it be, “Love.” It doesn’t matter if you have blue eyes or black eyes. Well then, what kind of dream do you have? Maybe you will ans~er, “After I get blessed I want to have a honeymoon!” Ah, see, there’s “moon” in it! (Laughter). Father longs for and wishes that everyone would join us just for the sake of love. So what kind of dream do you have? (Love dream!!) For just young people or old people too? (Everyone). Suppose you had two bags and you wanted to put in your mind , in ·one bag and true love in the other, which bag would have to be the largest? (The bag of love). Yes, the mo.r:e that gets in the “bag of love• and because it can just stay there peacefully, it can increase and increase. The bag that holds the U!fnd would always be fighting and in conflict.
We can”conquer and “subjugate” by love, isn’t that wonderful? Father doesn’t want that, do you want that? (Yes!) Well then if you can “conquer” everything by love and if you win then maybe Father will yield to you. That’s why when parents g~ow old they want to give everything to their children - this is authority of love. God would never regret it ·if He gives you this entire world out of love; if like yeast (when it makes the bread get bigger and begger) you can ~ increase , love, wouldn’t God be happy? So Father is throwing “yeast” to you and
telling you to grow more. So don’t you understand, Father has been telling you to to witness, to go fundraising, to do Home Church over and over again. It is because all the people you touch will receive some “yeast” also. Father has al- ready gone the course of buying so many clothes, meals, and houses for othe;s - if you inject that kind of love and give and serve others, then you can spread the same “yeast.”
In your life of faith you must witness to others; why do you think you are studying? So that you can be better prepared to reach others! So just realize that just one rrore page of the book you are studying late at night will be one more page for you to reach up to heaven. An expression of love can be in many different ways: in writing songs, in poems, in serving, there are many ways you can express love. So why are you studying so many different kinds of things? For the bigger love you will reach; people are even willing to die for the sake of a bigger love.
How much more wonderful it is if this in not a dream and Father is tell- ing you the truth. From your behavior you want to see Father more than even renowned scholars who come here - why? Because of true love. It doesn’t really matter what others say against Father - it doesn’t bother him - he already has so much love and the love of God. Why is that “love dream” so necessary? Be- cause beyond distance and time everything will come to you in the spiritual world if you have true love, but you must practice that on earth. So having a family of your own is going through a “training course.” Learning to love, raise up, harmonize and take care of your spouse, your children, your in-laws, your aunts, uncles, and cousins is not . easy; it is very, very difficult; but it is absolutely necessary for you to develop the heart of true love.
Who knows love best? There will be a time when all of America will want to “get hold of a Moonie” - a Moonie will never complain, will serve and have love, and if you are working the President of your company will be drawn to you by love. People will say, “Even if you don’t like me, I want to be with you.” Even God will not care so much about fancy manners and sophistication and will want to be with you if you have love. Even if you took a nap in the Heavenly Palace, God would accept you if you had such strong love. (Laughter). If you would wear the glasses of love there would be nothing that you would see that would not be beautiful - or if you wore a nose of love then everything would smell beautiful.
So you must express your love towards your studies and toward all the things involved in this Seminary. If you see paint peeling off a wall, it needs to be fixed, it needs care and a loving hand. One thing that_Mr. Kim could do would be _!o divide the entire school into many ictions and you would be respons- ible for your section. But this is your school and you must also learn to love the entire building.
Have you Juniors been carp fishing or boat _riding yet? Have ~ou seen our boats that we are building? You should nave several here at Barrytown. (Clapping). But everyday you would have to fundraise for 2 hours to maintain those boats. If they break down they·need to be repaired. , Raise your hands, those who miss your fiancees? How do you miss them, in a fallen or principled way? Unless you become ideal peop~e, where is the ideal love? An ideal person always follows.~d is hungry for· God’s true love.
True love is never an end in itself, it is always for a purpos,e beyond yourself, of something bigger. Peo.f>le want to become ideal people because of love - but only after you have loved all of mankind can you be the “best.• If you feel that you want to become “the best” and you only sit tight and do nothing, then you will never be the best. Only if y o u ~ and go out and love the world, and then come back will you be recognized as “the best.”
Can you conquer the world and win people like Hitler did? No, you can only be the “best one” through “conquering” with true love. If Father “conquers” you, do you feel happy? (Yes!) Of course, if that kind of love is strong enough you feel all right. If you can “conquer” your husband or wif”e through love, isn • t that all right? The world calls Rev. Moon a “millionarire” but even though you see Father wearing the same suit many times the only thing that Father wants is the power of true love.
Then let us all have a dream now and for the future of true love. Those necklaces that you sisters are wearing, make them necklaces o= true love. People will eventually want to “s~ve you” and help you and rescue yo’ll if you sacrifice and work hard and get yo~rselves persecuted and in a difficult position. The smallest effort never gets lost, even though it takes time. ‘Try this way of true love for ten years and see what happens - there will be many people who will want to come to know you. Love goes in cirles and never stops and never ceases. The whole universe someday will want to go the path of love. How excited you will be when God permeates inside you!
-..,_ All of this talk about the future in the spiritual wo-rld may seem to be too “dream-like” or unreal, but I want to insure you that it is all reality. To do the work for this immense spiritual world 1· am doing all tnat I do, and that is why you are doing the same. Just like the caterpillar’s course: from a cocoon into a beautiful butterfly; it’s hard to believe. But won’t God certainly make you into what you are dreaming? _Qoesn’t God care enough about you to give you ~hat you long for, what you want to be? But what Father is teaching you here on earth is the training, the preparation; then someday like Sak.eda (?), the little boy in the story, you too can sing and dance and fly.
If you have love then everyone will want to be with you - everyone wants to stay with love - like your clothes and your socks even if you were sweaty and smelly. You want Father to stay to have dinner, even stay ov-ernight, yes? Why? (Because of love). Love can be cold and strict, and can be ~rm at times; always after parting we wil’l meet again, so departing is not so bad. Well, the condition now of Mother is very heavy, so if I. stay overnight how will Mother feel? Actually·, tonight I had a plan to take Mother out for a Chinese dinner, but David Kim changed my plans! (Applaud). 1 But Mother always understands these things so quickly and goes beyond sad feeling;; Father is so happy about that, love is good for solving everything.
Have a good dream (kum). Father has to say “goo_d bye.”
, (unofficial notes by Shirley Stadelhofer)
COMMCNCF.:.’-U:NT ADDF’.ESS TO TEE
FIFTH llNIFICATIOH TifEOl…oGIC.~L S CMHIJ\nY GRADUI\TJ!, G CI…l\ SS
BY REVEREND ~UN H’fUNG MOON
June 27, 1981
Graduates of the Class of 1981, Parents, Profe sso rs, Ladi e s and
Gentlemen: From a small village in West Germany, I extend to you 48 ~embers
of the graduating· class my sincere ccngratulations on this joyful occasion
and ceremony on this 27th day of June, 1981. I also wistt to extend my con-
gratulations to your parents, your tea~hers, and to the administration and
staff of the Serainary, without \./hose bchind-tho::-sc1::n1=: s co(l}.Jl:!rai.ion c.rn1 w•.::Li,
it would not have been possible to have an academic cel~bration like thi3
I regret that I am unable to attend the graduation cer<?.Il’~:,y, b<?~!’\g en-
gaged in in-po~ant work to advance the Providence here, but I will miss all
of you very much. Your President, Mr. Davids. C. Kim, personally appeale1
to me many tlmes and thro_u gh several communication routes to attend today.
But .i:t i:s not his lack of ability nor his failure to persuade mo? tl~at keeps
1ne away; ra.the.r it is the higher priority of God’s dispensational plans for
the entire European contin~nt.
As you may recall, in the early months of this year, I announced publ i..cly
that my heavenly mi5sicn to the t~re~ nation;:; of Kor.::a, Japo.r., ar.d especiall~•
the nation of America - had been complet~d as of April 20, 1981 according to
God’s schedule. This mission can be deficribed as my three 7-year or 21-year
course; dating from Holy Matrimony in 1960. Also, you may recall my announce-
ment that r.iembers of the Church fflUSt go thrc_u gh their own three 7-yt!!ar courses
patterned after nry own, in order to bui:-ld God’s Kingdom. Detailed instructions
were g.tven a~ to what to do and “w’hen to begin, but leaving the rest to your own
responsibility and mission. With. th~ bl mi’nd, please do not be disi\ppointed
by ‘111.”;{ al::,sence from your graduation today,
On this happy and joyous occasion I would like to share some t hc·Jghts
with you graduates on the tl:e..me and motto: “Be unconditional givers i:L7d ::; ~c ri-
fi ce rs for others.” Do you know that a di spe nsational mi s sion has been ~ive n to
the nation of America by God since its beginning 200 years ago? In God’s eyes
America represents all the free nations of the world; so on L~is victori cus found-
ation this nation must overcome 3 serious problen.s:
l) Stop the spread or Communism, an atheistic ideology which is the
greatest thre3t to t..~e whole world,
2) Bring about a revival of declining Christianity,
3) and, based on its traditional Judeo-christian ethics, America
must prevent the decay of morality, especially of the young people.
At this critical juncture in the history cf this nation, Unification
people have assumed these crucial and unfinished tasks. Si~ce America is failing
to solve these problems, God expects dedicated young people like your~e lves to be
responsible for them. You graduates are now chosen from among many Unificationists
to be leaders of the world and to assume these most difficult missions that I have
mentioned. During your two or three year program here in the Seminary, you have
become more educated and trained than other members. In light of this excellent
education and training, you must be more serious and responsible than others, and,
because you are potential leaders for the future, you must then take responsibility
for America and the world. You have assumed this noble responsibility from Heaven
as chosen members of the Unification Church Movement.
Education should not only be theoretical, but must also include the working
out and testing of theories in practical living and experience, so that those
theories may be ·assessed for their validity and practicality. With this direction
in mind you must lead the nation of America and t.’le world.
In light of these remarks, let us examine what was wror,g in the past,
from a provice ntial point of view, with America’s help and material assis~ance
for minority, underprivilege d and have-not nations. It is true that in the pa s t
America did help many nations and underdeveloped countries with abundant materials
and substances, in order to promote the welfare of those nations and peoples. How-
ever, in helping them, America had its own interests and concerns in mind which
were not based on God’s expectations for America. Therefore, when America’s own - . interests or c-oncerns vanished, for whatever reason, the assistance to those
nations or peoples ceased. God’s fundamental desire in blessing America for 200
years is that Anerica help other nations and peoples, sacrificially and uncondi-
tionally, without any need for excuses and reasons. Both in the past and in the
present,Aroerica has failed to do God’s will in this area. God has blessed America
unconditionally with material abundance, and in turn, America should give thos~
blessings unconditionally to needy nations throughout the world.
But this is precisely the way in which America is failing God’s will, and
because of this failure America is no longer qualified in the eyes of God to be a
leader of other nations. Giving help and assistanc~ with a spirit of sacrifice
and in an unconditional way are the very key elements that must be present in order
for America to receive God’s blessing continually.
The other point that I would like to make is the necessity of a new order
and a new leading system of thought in the-contemporary world. In Korean we call
it “Ju-chei Sasang,” which can be translated: “The most influential ideology and
thought.” This thought is needed for the nations of the world,~- The Unification
Olurch Movement is working to accelerate the development of this new order and new
system of thought through the Unification Principle. You are the very messengers
of this nev movement. Be proud of yourselves because of t..”iis mission; it is a
special gift from Heaven. Why not enjoy it, use it, spread it, and multiply it
throughout the nations, the world, and even the universe and cosmos. Go to the ; ends of the globe and even to eternity with thfs new me s s2.ge. Go with the spirit
of “an unconditional giver and sacrificer” for others and for the Provide nce.
In a few days you will be enrolled in a special training session, lasting
throughout the summer, for the purpose of shaping your educational tools and
~piritual weapons before you go out to the front li~e. Leiving aside all academic
pride, humble yourselves and adjust to your new environment.
- I wish you the best of luck and great success in wh.:ite·J’er missio:1s are
ahead of you. Once more, rr:y deepest and most heartfelt congratulations to all
of you. Thank you all very much.
June 27, 1~81
Dear Father in Heaven:
Thou hast planned for many years for this Se.Jrlinary to fulfill
- some portion of Thy will, and today 48 graduates have been prepared with
the help of parents, teachers, faculty and staff.
We are grateful that Thy guidance and protection are given to
this youngest Seminary in the contemporary academic world, and to its
new graduates. They still need to grow through trials and errors in this
world, which is filled with evil, hatred, bigotry, conspiracy and other negative
forces, bent on destroying the efforts of the righteous to follow Thy
will and , dispensation.
Father, help them to overcome all of these evil forces by the
power of Thy divine love.
Following the theme expressed by our Founder, Rev. Sun Myung Moon,
in his address, let the.m be “Unconditional Givers and Providers for Others
in the Nation and the World”.
We pray that Thy continuous protection will be upon all of
these graduates, and Thy blessings UI>On the parents, teachers and friends
who are here today to congratulate them.
In the name of Christ Our Lord,