Tag: martyrs

Rather Than Curse these Enemies, Jesus Loved Them

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#108-Strengthening Families & Communities Forum-April Gallart

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    If the son advises and teaches his parents to love their country so that they become patriots, and makes them a mother and father whom heaven remembers, is he a filial or unfilial son?
    So, rather than a son who says to his parents, “Mom, Dad, don’t go out! Just rest at home.” he should say, “Mom, Dad, what are you doing? Please, let’s try together to find even one more person who can be a patriot, who can work for the unification of North and South Korea, who can work to save North Korea.” Then he makes them shed tears, blood and sweat. Then what would you think if the people in the neighborhood were to praise this achievement?
    Would the parents say, “You scoundrel, you really made your mother and father’s life difficult, so at first we thought you were a bad boy. Yet we became successful and are praised by everyone. My! You really are a filial son.” Do you think the parents would say this, or would they say, “You are an unfilial son”? What do you think? (209-266, 1990.11.30)

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With a greater heart than that of God who nurtured His love for the universe at the time of creation, you need to bring your people together and invest everything you have into them without expecting anything in return. We are responsible to form a model family serving God. Its final destination is the highest ideal of a family, with love so beautiful that when the True Parents come to visit, they would never want to leave. In fact, all world leaders, including the royal family of True Parents’ direct sons and daughters, would desire to live in the home of this family. (298-54, 1999.1.1)

Martyrdom

Teachings of Rev. Sun Myung Moon

Great religions were born and grew up in the soil of persecution and martyrdom. They stand on a foundation of the precious traditions of their founders. Therefore, we must not avoid sacrifices as we recover the original honor of our religions. (271:72, August 21, 1995)

Throughout history religions have taught the value of sacrifice, ultimately to guide people in approaching God. The stairway to Heaven has thousands of steps. For each step God must triumph and Satan must be defeated, but each time Satan demands his maximum price—a sacrifice. Satan does not like to be defeated. That is why so many martyrs appeared in Christian history.
    Christianity has produced more martyrs than any other religion because it is the central religion of the providence. To human eyes, each martyr’s death looked like a setback, yet in fact it was a victory for God. The martyrs are the reason Christianity kept advancing victoriously despite opposition and persecution. At every step, Satan demanded a huge sacrifice as the price for his defeat. (130:283) Continue reading “Rather Than Curse these Enemies, Jesus Loved Them”

They Came Upon Him and Seized Him

Latest Richard Urban Show: #107-Strengthening Families & Communities Forum: Richard Urban

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Jesus strove to establish his family but could not fulfill that portion of God’s will. He then went the path of the cross, putting behind him the thought of bride and bridegroom. Hence, he said that he would come again and hold the Marriage of the Lamb. This refers to the appearance of the ideal family in which God can find rest. Then the Lord can attain the position of True Parent. As the True Parent, he has to give birth to true children and then form true brothers and sisters. Centered on this true family, by forming true clans and true races, he has to establish a new race and a new nation. We come to the conclusion that Jesus has to come again to realize this. (39-345, 1971.1.16)

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    Your family should not become secularized or slaves of habit. You should not think, “Things will be better in the future even though it is terrible now.” You are to be perfect now; the present is the problem. When the past and the present are perfected, the future will be perfect. Not having had a perfect day in the Garden of Eden still causes us to suffer the effects of the Fall.
    The ideal is the place where the past, present, and future can be united into one. You should be able to offer up the present. God’s desire is to set up the eternal stepping stone on earth. This is the historical point of synthesis. (21-77, 1968.10.20)

Martyrdom

WHEN PEOPLE OF FAITH ENCOUNTER HOSTILE AUTHORITIES who feel threatened by their convictions and values, some may pay the ultimate price. Father Moon explains from a spiritual viewpoint that whenever goodness advances, Satan exacts his toll. That is why it is often the best people who are sacrificed.
The word “martyr” means witness. In their steadfastness in the face of death, the martyrs bear testimony to their faith and to God who inspires such faith. The example of the martyr, who places God above his or her own life, is powerful and inspiring. Martyrdom, therefore, strengthens the community of faith, deepening its roots and furthering its growth. Tertullian famously wrote, “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.”
Today some regard fighters who die in the course of offensive operations that take innocent lives, e.g., suicide bombers, as martyrs. If that is martyrdom, it is the weakest form. The highest form of martyrdom stands on the foundation of goodness and mercy, even as Jesus blessed the Roman soldiers who nailed him to the cross.

Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.
    Psalm 116.15

Then they will deliver you up to tribulation, and put you to death; and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake.
    Matthew 24.9

Continue reading “They Came Upon Him and Seized Him”

The Course of Religious Martyrs and Patriots

Ezekiel 47

13-14 The Lord God said to the people of Israel:

When the land is divided among the twelve tribes of Israel, the Joseph tribe[a] will receive two shares. Divide the land equally, because I promised your ancestors that this land would someday belong to their descendants. These are the borders of the land:

Psalm 48

Our God, here in your temple
    we think about your love.
10 You are famous and praised
    everywhere on earth,
    as you win victories
    with your powerful arm.
11 Mount Zion will celebrate,
and all Judah will be glad,
    because you bring justice.

Let Us Love Heaven and Become Patriots

Rev. Sun Myung Moon
March 1, 1959

Matthew 5: 33-48

The patriots fought against all conditions of oppression because they loved their nation and land. They had hope for the one victorious day and had an unshakable belief that such a day would surely come. This is how they were able to not submit to the oppression, and carry on their struggle. We should understand this.

These principles hold true in winning a nation. To establish a heavenly ideology, we must have a stronger sense of unchanging camaraderie. Hoping for the holy land, we must act on behalf of Heaven. Although there have been many religious people who upheld God’s providence in step with the flow of history, among them all, Christians were offered as miserable sacrifices in fierce battles with Satan. We should understand this.

Even when we look at the 4,000 years of Old Testament history and the 2,000 years of Christian history since Jesus, we find that numerous people have followed the teachings of Heaven, while other people have not even dreamed of such an ideology. As they pursued Heaven’s ideals, many people were sacrificed.

In history, many people were sacrificed to establish Heaven’s ideology. Where will these two groups of people come together, those who have been sacrificed for the sake of God’s will and those who have been sacrificing themselves in the fight for their nations? This is the very question of this age which raises our curiosity. People say that a world government will emerge in the future. History is flowing toward one government and the world of one ideology. These two are approaching each other today. What must we do when these two do not seem to be coming together in a harmonious way? Continue reading “The Course of Religious Martyrs and Patriots”