The Words of the Hwang Family |
How We Should Live in this Time of Great Transition
Sun Jo Hwang
December 26, 1999
From a sermon by Rev. Hwang at the early morning service on December 26, 1999
On the foundation of True Parents' and True Children's successes, on December 17, and holding the position of national leader of Korea responsible for internal matters, I once again had a precious opportunity to meet our nation's president. We had a private meeting for one hour and 25 minutes at the president's official residence, Chong Hwa Dae. Our discussion ranged from the providence that True Parents are guiding, to our movement's activities and the future path for the Korean people.
In terms of the providence, I can say that this year was one that bore fruit and a year of internal and external blessing: we have seen the Il Hwa Cheonma soccer team winning the league title, the great success of Universal Ballet Company as an ambassador of shim-jung culture, the involvement of the Women's Federation with the Seoul NGO Conference, the True Family movement for all citizens, pure love education in middle and high schools all over the country, True Family seminars and Hoon Dok Hae meetings for community leaders, and the winning of government authorization to enter into a business relationship with North Korea through Pyunghwa Motors Corporation.
[Rev. Hwang mentioned that Father had suggested members make extra conditions at the end of the year.]
The most important thing is that we should examine once again the original relationships, centering on God, between God and man, and between people. What do you think faith is, concretely speaking? Until now, the way of faith has placed strong emphasis upon the spirit world. Religious understanding traditionally encourages proper behavior so that the person can go to the Kingdom of Heaven. Also, faith is affected by the expectation of reward. Yet, from the Principle point of view, the reason we go the way of faith is neither to go to heaven nor to receive blessings on earth. The reason we must go the way of faith is to restore our status as an original human being. A life of faith repairs our incorrect attitudes and imperfect character. It is the process of restoring our true nature that was lost through the fall. Faith can be called the primary course of overcoming our fallen nature. Faith is restoring the proper relationship between God and man, and restoring the originally intended relationship between human beings.
How much have we been able to maintain relationships of heart before God and True Parents during this year? There are different forms of relationships. Recently, True Father has been emphasizing relationships. Relationships between relatives, between school friends, relationships in society, and so forth. Father has concluded that everything to do with life can be described as relationships.
However, the relationships we should have with God and True Parents are the most essential of all relationships. These can be called the 'Relationships of Heart'. We must reflect on how much we have created a relationship of oneness with God in our lives. We must examine how much we have been able to live feeling True Parents' heart and circumstances.
A time to examine our relationships
We must also reflect on whether we have been able to maintain the original relationship of heart with people and church members. Dear members, the most regrettable things before heaven are not to do with the tasks we undertake. The work we do comes and goes. Yet relationships remain forever. Nothing is more regrettable than when hearts have been scarred in the relationships between members living under True Parents.
When we are in discord with someone, when we have such wounds in our hearts, it may not destroy our relationship with that particular person, but it does destroy our relationship with God. God cannot exist where there is conflict. When you are unable to maintain a relationship of heart with other members, and with the world, this destroys your relationship with God.
Therefore, when we are loyal to people, we become loyal people, and then we are loyal to God. When we love people, we are loving God. When our relationships with people are sound, our relationship to God becomes sound.
Most fundamentally, it is important to examine our vertical relationship with God and True Parents, and to reflect on how much we have been aware of God and True Parents' pain and deep heart. At the same time, we must once again reflect upon our relationships with other people.
We should reflect on how much we were able to become one in our relationship with our church leader, to share in relationships with members, to share in relationships of heart with other people in the world -- starting with our own families. If we have lived as a person of both vertical and horizontal harmony in such relationships, we can conclude that our life has been fruitful. However, if we have not fulfilled our role as a central figure of harmony, we should realize that our life cannot receive a high score from heaven.
Now the new millennium is waiting for us. You should know that the new millennium is not simply a change of a century; it is a change in the providence. From the point of view of providential history, the new millennium is beginning. A history of 6,000 years has passed and a new history is beginning. When we look at this centering on True Parents, eighty years of True Parents' providential life is concluding and a new era is opening up.
Even with regard to the providential history of Unificationism centering on True Parents, one era has passed, and a new era, the new millennium, is just ahead. How are we meant to greet this new millennium? To welcome the new millennium we should change into new clothes. That means we should throw away our old clothes.
To allow the new skin to emerge, we must shed the decayed skin of the past. Our Family Federation should look at the new millennium with a different viewpoint from that of the past. We must begin the new era with a more sincere heart, and with a more thorough heart toward ourselves.
Let's become victors of the new millennium
Since this is the era in which we can settle at a new level, the most important thing we should consider in the new millennium is the establishment of tradition and education for the members and for the second generation. We must spread a culture of the Holy Spirit throughout society based upon Hoon Dok Hae. The strategies of our church headquarters will be employed centering on these points.
Until now we could say that the flow of the providence was to embrace the world, but in this new millennium we are welcoming the era of providential settlement. We plan to begin the new millennium by firmly establishing our tradition. Through education, we will initiate and expand a new culture that can continue from the second generation to future generations. I truly hope you will be able to greet the millennium based on such tradition and education.
If you have not been able to participate in the providence, I hope you will make time for deep repentance and reflection. Trust that all our mistakes made during this past year will be indemnified and forgiven when we have the heart that we are paying off a great debt to God and True Parents.
In addition, if there were any uncomfortable incidents between people horizontally, I pray from the bottom of my heart that each person will be able to meet the new year after reconciling and resolving everything on the basis of relationships of heart. I pray that this new providential era will be a time of blessing in which all of us can become victors.
I pray from the bottom of my heart that God and True Parents' blessings will be with all of the families of our members, and I would like to conclude this sermon for the last early morning service of 1999.
[Originally published in Today's World, January 2000]
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