Our Mission, Establish a Victorious Standard and Create a Victorious Foundation

Today, as we stand on the path of restoration, we must reflect once more on how many of our ancestors risked their lives on this path, yet failed and were mired in misfortune, ultimately disappearing into history. However, the standard of hope we should look to now, as we follow the path they walked, is not the national or state-level standard they sought. We stand before a global standard that can surpass these.

When we reflect on ourselves in such a position, the question “How should I proceed?” becomes inevitable. Historically, our ancestors failed to achieve the initial victory for God’s Will, leaving behind a sorrowful history as defeated people. Consequently, they are now subject to criticism rather than reverence. Where can we find the cause of this? It is found in their failure to establish a victorious standard by which they could always be one with God. Therefore, we must understand how to establish such a victorious standard.

And in practicing what you know, you must be gallant and confident. If there are those who oppose you, you must become brave enough to take them on and overcome them. Otherwise, all the standards you have painstakingly established in order to gain knowledge and put that into practice will fall into disarray. Therefore, when obstacles arise in your path, you must determine how to establish and implement a plan to break through them in one go, using the capabilities you have built up and the results you have achieved. Only then can our mission and responsibilities be fulfilled.

So, why did our ancestors fail? On the path of restoration, they lacked the knowledge foundation necessary to reach the standard of completion centered on God’s Will. They didn’t know. Moreover, even what they knew, they couldn’t apply. We must bear fruit as we practice, not practice first and bear fruit later. Therefore, practice requires training and discipline. No matter how much knowledge one has, if there is no practice, that knowledge is of no benefit.

That is why knowledge and practice must be one. Only then can a relationship be formed. Since a relationship is formed when there is a counterpart, concepts such as ‘relationship’ or ‘connection’ cannot be established independently. Therefore, knowledge alone does not resolve everything. This is why training is necessary.

When entering a marathon, runners know the course they must follow, how long it will take, the distance, where to start, and which direction to run. At the start, all runners line up knowing that sometimes person

A will run ahead, and sometimes person B will be in the lead. They also know where the point at which they must turn round is, if there is one, and where the finish line is. Everyone knows these basics. However, to achieve actual victory, what must we do? We must train ourselves to run faster than anyone else and reach the finish line before them. Without becoming such a person, we cannot be victorious.

We must act with our lives on the line. While knowledge can be acquired over time, practice of our faith cannot happen without investing our lives. We must go to the point of victory even at the cost of our lives. It won’t do to casually think, “I’ll do it for a few days or years.” This victory cannot be achieved without first restoring ourselves as individuals. There is a boundary line that we must go beyond. This is unavoidable. To transcend this boundary line, however, can you do so simply by transcending yourself? As mentioned earlier, even when restoring a nation, you do not do so by transcending the country itself. Instead, you must pass the world level to transcend it. In this manner, we must pass through the individual to the world levels.

How to Create Your Own Victorious Foundation

People in the past failed because they did not know, but we must be victorious because we do. What we achieve must not be temporary but an eternally guaranteed reality. Where does eternity begin? It begins when we transcend the national level. Since the satanic world has surmounted the national standard, we must advance centered on the goal of national restoration.

Therefore, you should be able to stand in such a position in the service of God. You should be able to say that you will represent the nation and take responsibility for its difficult problems. If our Unification Church advances in this way, this nation can be restored through our church. We must undertake this responsibility. There are two aspects of your responsibility - in other words, while being concerned with establishing a victorious foundation that represents the whole, you must also fulfill your own mission. Only then can we build God’s victorious foundation and complete our mission. Remember, hardships are your infinite assets.

This text is an edited summary of the words True Father spoke on March 11, 1970