Prayer at the Commencement Ceremony of the Unification Theological Seminary

Today is June the 26th, 1982. We are now at the moment of closing the sixth commencement ceremony of the Unification Theological Seminary here in Barrytown.

In order for the Unification Theological Seminary to come into being, many religions have gone the road of suffering to establish this foundation. The Unification Church movement has been developing and growing amidst severe persecution and suffering on the world-wide level, beyond the racial and national level. Father, we deeply appreciate the protection and guidance you have given us.

We realize the amazing truth that your will can only be realized when the base of true family, true nation, true world and the base for true peace is realized, and when your ideal of the Kingdom of Heaven on earth and in heaven can be established.

We have also come to realize how sorrowful you have been and how deep has been your sorrow for man throughout human history.

Judaism was born amidst suffering. You labored in tears to raise up Judaism for 4,000 years. Upon that foundation, you sent Jesus Christ to start a new dispensation centering on him. Judaism should have truly welcomed the Messiah and should have prepared a warm reception for the Messiah so that you would have been so joyful. However, the Israelites and Judaism could not accomplish this.

Thus, Christianity went the path of suffering, undergoing severe persecution under the Roman Empire and shedding so much blood of so many martyrs. Now Christianity has become one of the world’s major religions, reaching every corner of the globe. However, Christianity has failed to love and unite with Judaism. Thus it has lost its original mission and has divided into several hundreds of denominations each one fighting the other. We know well that this unfortunate event should have never taken place in your Providence.

Now the Unification Church has emerged on this earth with a grave historical and providential responsibility to revive and unite Christianity beyond all denominations and also to embrace Judaism. In order to accomplish this solemn goal, you have been educating and training me from my childhood on, even when I did not know your will at all. You have been guiding me through the storm of suffering and persecution. Today you have enabled me to engage in a world-wide battle against the Satanic power. I sincerely appreciate all your guidance and the protection you have bestowed upon me.

We know clearly that what we need most is not knowledge or power but young people who are truly pious and loyal to you, Heavenly champions who are willing to fight for the cause of truth and goodness.

With this realization, we have established this Seminary. Heavenly Father, please bless this Seminary. According to your will, the Unification Church, even from its beginning, has been making every effort to love Christianity even though they have opposed us severely. We have also endeavored to embrace Judaism. We have been doing our utmost to fulfill our responsibility and to be your honorable children of whom you can be proud.

Now we are climbing to the highest level of your Providence. We know that your desire is not just to unite one specific religion or one denomination, but to embrace all other religions besides Christianity and Judaism in order to establish one world under you. So we are now endeavoring to embrace all other religions. For that purpose, we initiated the “Youth Seminar on World Religions”, whose members will visit this Seminary soon, at the beginning

of July. This is done not in the name of Rev. Moon or of the Unification Church, but according to your heart and the desire you have cherished for so long. We sincerely pray that by your working through this activity, all religions will become united and world peace will be expanded.

Your long-fostered wish is to unite all religions, beyond national and cultural boundaries and their traditions, and to create a unified world where all people will love each other.

We need champions for you, young people who can accomplish this solemn task. That was the very reason for establishing this Unification Theological Seminary. Today we have come to see the sixth commencement since we started this Seminary.

I sincerely pray that you will guide the future of all the graduates. I pray that through them your desire will be accomplished to unite all religions, all mankind, and to unite the spiritual world and the physical world.

I pray that these people can become exemplary people honored by you, respected by all mankind and loved by all the spirit men in the spiritual world. Please guide them and raise them up as you desire,

I appreciate all the staff, the professors and the parents for their prayers and their love for this Seminary, We owe very much this happy occasion to them, We pray that your abundant blessing may be upon this occasion so that this happiness will be expanded to become’ joy in heaven and the joy of liberation for all mankind.

We pray all this in the name of the True Parents. Amen.