Cheon Seong Gyeong 2274
Then what sort of a tradition is the ideology centered on God’s love? It is one that transcends all national boundaries and the entire horizontal world, and in the act of giving and taking, causes people to be eager to give first and slow to take from others. A world with such a tradition is the ideal world to come. The ideal world is not one where dictates are made on some great authority. Rather, it is a world having the tradition that all human beings are brothers and sisters and where the hearts of all are moved naturally to blend together in the love of God. That is the way the world will be in the future. (21-49, 1968.9.1)
Cheon Seong Gyeong 2300
Then what is God’s greatest hope as He guides the providence in relation to the earth today? It is to bring people born from fallen parents back over to His side and say to them “I am your eternal Father and you are My eternal sons and daughters.” You should realize that the historic hope of fallen humankind and the original hope of God are to be able to welcome such a day. (3-26, 1957.9.15)
Cheon Seong Gyeong
Selections from the Speeches of Rev. Sun Myung Moon
Book 7
Etiquette and Ceremonies
Chapter 4
Tradition and Daily Etiquette of Blessed Families
Summary:
ITrue happiness is found when an entire family lives and works completely for the sake of each other based on love, rather than focus on themselves or personal belongings. When grandparents, parents, and children are all frugal with their personal spending and work hard together to build up their shared resources, their household will naturally prosper and create an unselfish model that can eventually expand to fix the wider world. To properly align with God, families should surrender their sense of ownership to Him and embrace a simple life, mimicking how church leaders and missionaries live with only the barest essentials—often called a “sleeping bag culture”—to remain free from material luxury. Ultimately, practicing this strict financial discipline and lifestyle is essential, as failing to be frugal and responsible could lead the Unification Church back into a difficult period of suffering and spiritual tribulation.
Section 8. Thrift, Diligence, and a Frugal Family Life
8.1. A frugal life
Is not happiness all about living and working for the sake of each other based on love? The wife lives for the sake of her husband, the children live for the sake of the parents, and the parents, grandparents, and grandchildren live for the sake of the family. When all members of a family strive to create something for the entire family rather than for their individual selves, when the grandfather, father, and mother and even the children are frugal in their personal spending in order to create something for the entire family, and when the entire family works hard to expand their common possessions, that household will prosper. For this reason, such a nest of love can expand from a place that refrains from spending money in order to save up and live for the whole. When these families spread out to society and the world, the ideal can be fulfilled. This does not happen centering on yourself or your own personal belongings. (167-214, 1987.7.19)
The rights of ownership must be returned to God. For this reason I do not have anything. Since I know this, I live a simple life. The age is gradually approaching in which the entire family can go anywhere with a single bag and live. There is some truth in the biblical passage, “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.” (229-65, 1992.4.9)
How do you establish a firm economic foundation? You should first be frugal. That is why I tell you to be frugal. But no matter how much I emphasize this, it is still not being done. Even in an environment where we can freely give and receive material things, we may be chased out if we cannot fulfill our responsibility. In such a case the Unification Church will have to go through a second course of tribulation. (24-101, 1969.7.13)
Our missionaries are trained so that they have no need for the luxuries of Western societies. It is because we have a new culture called “the sleeping bag culture.” Wherever they go, our young people do not feel disoriented. You will discover that the homes of Unification Church missionaries are without any luxurious furnishings and possess only the simplest of household goods. (130- 280, 1984.2.7)
pgs. 1077-1078
Daily Inspiration Discussion Forum
What are some ways the families can “save up and live for the whole”?
Share you answer here to discuss with and help others.