Cheon Seong Gyeong 1059
Parents should set a good example
in their life of faith. In the family, they
should show their children how fer-
vently they practice all aspects of a life
of faith, including prayer life and fam-
ily services. They should help the chil-
dren recognize how important the time
for Pledge is. They should not just hold
Pledge service at that particular time,
but as parents, they should also teach
their children about God’s will. (31-269,
1970.6.4)
Cheon Seong Gyeong 1419
Let us say that the bride follows her
husband to his house on her palanquin.
The moment she steps over the thresh-
old and becomes a part of his clan, any
thoughts centered on herself will no
longer be allowed. If she were to con-
duct herself in a self-centered way, as
she used to in her own house, would that
be tolerated by her new family? This is
the question. Can she ask them to toler-
ate her? Of course she cannot do such
a thing. Since she is in a new place, she
must be cautious about her every move
– the way she looks, listens, and speaks.
Why should she be cautious? She must
think about how she can be of use to her
husband’s clan, and to the new environ-
ment she finds herself in, rather than be
a source of conflict. This is an extremely
difficult thing to do. (142-160, 1986.3.9)
When We Should Stay Awake with Heaven
Sun Myung Moon
April 19, 1959
To escape from being swept into the pitfall of fear and death, you should find the heavenly signboard, or the one point based on the three. You should also take risks. You must take risks. You can live only if you make a determination to hold onto something new as you toss aside the flow. Otherwise, who can guarantee that you will not become a sacrifice to judgment along with history? Thus, we should carefully watch the direction we are taking. As we watch, however, we should not do so emotionally. As the end draws near, you should turn to the right direction or look to another side for a certain rescue boat as the fear, insecurity and urgency of death you feel increases. You should have the heart through which to break away from your world view and all emotional ties and look for something else. Otherwise, you can never be awakened.
If there is something in your hearts that you feel is greater than death, you should hold onto it and set out for an adventure, leaving everything behind. At this moment, the connection of death is severed. It is the same when we look at history.
Although Noah’s ark went against the historical trend, it was a signpost God established for the salvation of humankind. Moses appeared amid the intense suffering of the Israelites in Egypt. He went against the general movement of the people, yet he still was a signpost through which the people could live. Jesus was also a signpost who could turn back the four thousand years of sinful history and convert the way of death into the way of life.
The reason we yearn for the saints is that we are trying to find the signpost for our restoration. We are infinitely longing for and moving toward that ideal world, which is the place of hope, a good situation, and Shim Jung. We are trying to return with such efforts. It is the same with history. The world will collapse unless the unchanging center is established which can conclude the entire progress of heaven and earth and all the six-thousand-year history. It will collapse.
If God cannot establish this, He is useless. If He cannot, His slogan of faith, “Believe in Me,” becomes nothing but hypocrisy and ritual. This kind of God would only try to dominate human beings. However, God appears as a rescue boat in the dire moment of death.
As the time of historical hope, heavenly hope, and the hope of the world comes near, with new determination, hope, Shim Jung and a good situation, you should be able to hold the one center and set out, leaving behind all personal details and willingly taking the risk for a resurrected image. Only then can we have the heart to be awakened in the course of history and the providence. Thus, you should first have hope and make a determination to endure to the end, even under raging waves of death.