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Numbers 3

³⁹ So Moses and Aaron obeyed the Lord and counted the Levites by their clans. The total number of Levites at least one month old was twenty-two thousand.

Richard:  Our lineage is very important.

Jonah 4

Jonah was really upset and angry. ² So he prayed:

Oh, Where Shall I Go?

Sun Myung Moon
January 18, 1959

Matthew 7

We know that everything around us today has gone through a fallen course of history. The people who surround us today are living in a fallen reality. Based on the reality, it is possible to predict that fallen history will continue.

How can we explain the fall, which occurred in the past, exists in the present, and will be projected into the future? You know well that, during the long period of the 6,000 years until now, although our ancestors tried hard to avoid it through countless efforts and sacrifices, fallen history continued. You also know well that in the present age, many people are anxiously struggling to avoid the effects of this sinful world.

I have been living in such a world in the past and am living in it at present. As I reflect upon myself, I cannot deny that the resentment of my ancestors moves in my heart. A sad feeling flows due to the shock of living in the present world. If there is a connection that arouses yearning in us, what will it be?

Now is the time to yearn for our ancestors, who fought their way through the fallen course of history with sad hearts. It is time to yearn for our comrades in the present, who are struggling with sorrowful hearts to escape the realm of death, suffering and the fall. Hence, if we are to long for the past, we should not long for the historical facts; rather, we should yearn for the Shim Jung of the ancestors who were fighting with true faith against the historical tragedy.

What spirit did our ancestors possess that they could work for the sake of removing the historical tragedy? What spirit do our ancestors seek to instill in us today? Who are the comrades fighting to establish tomorrow’s foundation of goodness, carrying the hope of the future and overcoming all the troubles of the present?

It is undeniable that those who cannot revive such a heart will betray the connections of history and of the age, and will destroy the future. You are standing in such a position today.

When an ancestor appears and asks you, “Do you know me?” what answer will you give? On the other hand, when you face a brother fighting against this sinful world in this age, he will ask you, “What words can you say to me?” He will say, “I am fighting under persecution for the sake of the path of tomorrow. What words of advice can you give me?” The question is, what answer will you give to the voices of the past, the present and the future? Furthermore, although I hear the ancestors’ words and understand their Shim Jung, things remain for which knowing is not enough.

There are situations that cannot be resolved by the situation of the age, and there are situations that cannot be resolved by the situation of the future. In other words, the sorrow of history remains, the sorrow of the age remains, and the sorrow of the future looms. Realizing that such sorrow remains, we should keep in mind that we must speak representing our ancestors, the people of the present, and our descendants.

If our ancestors do not have a descendant who will take this responsibility, then they will lament, even if they themselves have accomplishments. The ancestors who fought for the sake of the Will, who were stricken with the Shim Jung of sorrow, who were consumed with the Shim Jung of resentment for the sake of Heaven have one hope in us today. If we fail to possess this Shim Jung, their sorrow will deepen. You should know that this will be the same in the present and the future.