Blessed Family Practices

1. Begin your day by waking up at dawn and praying to Heavenly Father that throughout the coming day, you may become the personification of gratitude in front of Him.

Resolve to become a manifestation of God's hope, someone whom He can raise and use for His providence, like a spring garden where flowers grow and bloom abundantly. As you work during the day, you need to become like a plant growing in the summer. Thereby you become a manifestation of hope and a being of value, someone whom God can be with.

The evening is like autumn, the time when you harvest all your day's accomplishments and offer them to Heavenly Father. At that time, you should be able to say you will stand in front of Him in the position of a sacrificial offering.

And when night falls, corresponding to winter, you should resolve to establish an internal parent-child relationship with God with all the life force that is stored up within you and be ready to receive energy from God. If you can live with gratitude for 365 days a year, making each day victorious, you will feel the joy and worthiness of a life connected with God. (29-340, 1970.03.14)

Witnessing and the necessities of life

2. Although you may work during the daytime, you should do religious activities in the evening. Witnessing is more effective in the evening; it is also effective in the early morning. By knowing how to utilize your time effectively, you should be able to inspire new guests to such an extent that they want to flee their homes and come to church, full of an irrepressible desire to hear your lectures.

You should become such a person. Can there be any result if you don't kindle their motivation? I'm saying this because, if thus far you have not been able to do that, from now on, you should work harder and do better. You should be creative and find new ideas and methods.

Designate a place as your holy ground; go there early in the morning and pray there out loud every day. You must make your prayer so powerful and mystical that anyone who passes by will be inspired.

If you continue with your prayers, righteous people in the neighborhood will discreetly come and listen to you. As they hear your prayers, although they may not understand them, they will enjoy their sound and feel them resonating in their hearts. (97-196, 1978.03.15)

3. Try conveying the Word past midnight and continue until you hear the first crow of the rooster. It is so mystical. Try conveying the Word when the only sound is the barking of the neighborhood dogs in the quiet, tranquil night.

You'll feel as if you are on a new path of life and are about to break through to find the bright sunlight, or you'll feel like a ship's captain on a new journey on the ocean, searching to find the lighthouse.

You'll experience a sense of valor, pride, and majesty as if you're alone in a world filled with secrets of all kinds. To experience such a richness of heart, you need to teach and guide people during the nighttime, even until dawn.
(29-197, 1970.02.28)

4. When you clean and arrange your room, you should even hang up your clothes in a principled way. Men's clothes should go on the right side of the closet and women's clothes on the left.

When you lay clothes in your dresser drawers, you should put men's clothes in the topmost drawers and women's in the bottom drawers. This is the principled way. You all need to train yourselves to do things this way.

Putting men's clothes on the bottom and women's clothes on top is a violation of the Principle. (131-290, 1984.05.04)

5. When you take off your clothes, you should take off your trousers first. Next, take off your jacket and put it on top of the trousers. You should know how to keep your surroundings in order through such a principled way of life.

For example, men's shoes should be placed on the right or top, and women's shoes should be placed on the left or at the bottom. You should know how to arrange everything in order in a principled way. (131-291, 1984.05.04)

6. Smiling and laughter can be truly intriguing. Even a slight grin is a kind of laughter. What happens when we laugh? Everything becomes round. When an old man laughs, “Haw! Haw! Haw!” his mouth doesn't continue going up but starts curving down into “Huh! Huh! Huh!”

Why does it curve down? Why do his lips not continue going up?

It's because his mouth needs to become circular. When you smile sweetly, your mouth curves up only a little. However, when you laugh, “Ha! Ha! Ha!” your mouth becomes very round. People who can laugh heartily and give a big smile are rarely evil. (173-242, 1988.02.21)

7. Men should comb their hair as carefully as women do. When they groom themselves, they should decide the best side for parting their hair to present the best appearance, just as women do when applying cosmetics.

In the West as well as the East, men generally part their hair on the left. Women must give this some thought. (131-304, 1984.05.04)

8. You should walk elegantly. When you walk, your posture must be balanced. You should always pay attention to keeping in good posture. You should walk confidently. Some people walk with their shoulders hunched, but when you are walking you have to keep proper balance. You need to do so.
(131-306, 1984.05.04)

9. In Asia, when a woman goes somewhere and sits down on the floor, it is not appropriate for her to lean her back against anything, even though men are allowed to do so.

This is because women have wider hips, and they naturally feel comfortable when they sit, while men have smaller hips and a larger upper body. If a woman sits with her back against the wall, it is uncomfortable for the baby she is carrying and can lead to a problem. (131-306, 1984.05.04)

10. Health is the most important thing. However, even if you're sick, you need to know how to manage your facial expressions in such a way that people don't notice your illness. Some people make a gloomy face even when they have only a slight cold or other minor ailment. This isn't proper.

When a husband looks worried, his wife should comfort him, showing her caring heart but with a cheerful spirit. We need to always manifest a positive, healthy facial expression. (131-307, 1984.05.04)

11. Human relationships are formed based on emotional bonds. Family relationships, moral concepts, social systems, hierarchical order,r and so forth are all based on the emotional factors of human life.

This is why people tend to bow their heads in front of someone with whom they have developed a close relationship over time or before someone whom they respect due to their high spirituality or deep heart.

Again, the motivation to form human relationships starts from the emotional bonds in the family. Human relations begin with parents who love their children and are completed when the children return that love. (64-124, 1972.10.29)

12. You love your parents and need them, I hope. You want to see them and be with them. The age difference between you and your parents and the relationship between above and below set up a hierarchical order. Hence, you should be a filial child to your parents and show them respect with proper manners.

All concepts of morality in our relationships and our social life reflect the fact that the one above is in the position of subject partner and the one below in the position of object partner, in a vertical relationship.

From that viewpoint, you should long to be with your parents. You should want to become a filial son or daughter who can demonstrate obedience and humility. This is the relationship between parent and child. (112-251, 1981.04.19)

13. The reason human beings are special is that they have moral standards to guide their relationships. Human norms are what govern relationships. We don't use the term “human norms” when dealing with one person; it applies when there are two or more people.

Social ethics derive from the ethics in a family formed through the marriage of a man and a woman. Ethics define the duties and rules of human relationships. (136-208, 1985.12.29)

14. We need to establish a new tradition that transcends peoples and nations. That tradition should be established based on the foundation of relationships according to God's desire, not human desire.

This means we shouldn't cling to our habits, past customs, or present-day styles. Our way should be different. (66-297, 1973.05.16)

Holy salt and holy candles

15. When you purchase things you should sanctify them with holy salt, and when you return home you should purify yourself with holy salt at the door. This is a basic principle we need to practice. Anything that has been sanctified with holy salt should not be given back to Satan's world.

However, if you cannot avoid doing that, give it back with your left hand. When sprinkling holy salt, sprinkle it in the shape of a cross-north, south, east, and west. (009-078, 1960.04.11)

16. Our church family members should sanctify everything. In most cases, we can use holy salt to sanctify things, but when we eat rice or noodles or drink water, how can we sanctify them with holy salt?

What should we do in such instances? We should blow on them, as Jesus did after his resurrection – and as he was blowing he asked the disciples to receive the Holy Spirit. It is also the same as when God created life by blowing into Adam's nostrils.

Therefore, from now on, you too need to blow three times on everything you are about to eat or drink. Your breath represents the substance of life. Korean customs are wonderful. When Koreans drink water, they first blow on it; before they sit, they first blow on the spot.

God must have moved the natural conscience of the Korean people so that blowing could be one of their customs. This is not merely a coincidence. This is why we must always sanctify our life by having the mind to sanctify everything.

You should blow three times before you eat or drink to sanctify the defiled six-thousand-year history that has proceeded through the three stages of formation, growth, and completion. (150-303, 1961.04.15)

17. People cannot be happy unless all things are happy. Yet, all things are living in sorrow over being trapped in the realm of the Fall. Therefore, we need to bring joy to all the things of creation. The means to make them happy is holy salt; it is by sanctifying them with holy salt.

How did the creation become so tainted?

Creation was tainted because of the false parents. Hence, the tradition of holy salt began with the emergence of the True Parents; it began with the True Parents' Holy Wedding. Since all creation became tainted because of the false love of the fallen parents, the holy salt tradition is based on the love of the True Parents, which began with their Holy Wedding.

The holy salt tradition began based on the new relationship of love that the True Parents laid both vertically and horizontally. Holy salt is a necessary conditional object for removing the sorrow of the Fall and leading all things out of the sphere of lamentation and into the world of new hope. (58-224, 1972.06.01)

18. Satan has held the ideal world captive until now. I proclaimed the Day of Victory of Heaven to mark our resolve to take responsibility for and indemnify this wrong. Based on the sacrifice of Heung Jin, who ascended to the spirit world, the gates of hell were opened on earth, in the physical world.

As a result, we can now go with Heaven's authority to reach out to hell in the spirit world and hell on earth, even to those in prison there. Just as Jesus during the three days after his death descended into hell and opened the gates of hell in the spirit world, during the three days after Heung Jin passed away, I opened the gates of hell on earth.

It means that through the occasion of Heung Jin's ascension, I recovered all that was lost due to Jesus' crucifixion. I created the aecheon (love of God) candles that I lit at East Garden before I came to Korea. I proclaimed the Day of Victory of Heaven on May 16, 1984, and lit the candles on the same day at East Garden.

Only blessed family members can light the aecheon candles. Single members cannot use them. You must be blessed to use them. Heaven's realm of love can expand only when we unite with Heaven centering on True Parents' love.

Since the Aecheon candles symbolize the right of dominion through love, blessed families can have them and light them. (132-103, 1984.05.20)

19. You can use the aecheon candles during critical times in the nation and the world when there are serious problems in your family or when there are grave problems in your clan. During these times, you should light these candles, and grandfather and grandmother, parents, and all family members should pray that the authority of dominion through love may be realized.

Then Satan can't invade that family. The aecheon candles separate us from Satan. You need to remember that God and True Parents are present and think that the authority of the dominion of love materializes wherever these candles are lit. Lighting the candles brings sanctification.

The True Parents began the tradition of lighting the aecheon candles. If you do the same, your families will be sanctified as well. Once you have these candles, you should no longer feel shame. If you still feel shame, you do not deserve to own the candles. Look at a candle. You will see it sacrifices its wick and waxy body to give off light. Therefore, the candle is a symbol of the sacrifices that still need to be made to bring light to humanity and unite everyone centered on Heaven.

Neither the wick nor the wax on its own can produce light; both are necessary for it to shine brightly. Furthermore, the aecheon candles are paired, symbolizing that husband and wife, as subject partner and object partner, must together become a sacrifice to generate light. Wherever this takes place, Satan cannot be present.

Therefore, with these candles and through the foundation of the Day of Victory of Heaven, there is a connection between True Parents and all blessed families around the world. The aecheon candles signify Heaven's dominion over blessed families. (132-104, 1984.05.20)

Reporting in prayer as blessed central families

20. The way we conclude our prayers will change beginning on January 1, 2001. From then on, we will end our prayers, “I report all these things in the name of so-and-so, a blessed central family.” I have indemnified everything and restored the right of the eldest son, the right of parents, and the right of the king.

Therefore, you must train your family to become subject partners who can enter the era of liberation as unfallen Adam and Eve. Otherwise, you will fall away.

When Adam and Eve fell, they were punished right away. Likewise, we are entering an era when, if you commit the same mistake, your relationship with your husband or wife can be severed immediately. (340-094, 2000.12.24)

21. The time is coming when we will be able to joyfully report everything to the Father, as His partners. Therefore, while previously we concluded our prayers with “I pray all these things in the name of so-and-so, a blessed family who has inherited True Parents' foundation of victory,” that time has now passed.

We must now conclude with “I report all these things in the name of so-and-so, a blessed central family” We no longer use the word “prayer.” From now on, we should report to Heaven. The time to report to Heaven has come. However, to offer a report, we must have good results.

How long are you going to say, “I pray for this and I pray for that,” like beggars? We must proudly report our accomplishments to Heaven. Hence, from now on, you will not be able to pray well unless you have accomplished something.
(341-151, 2001.01.01)

22. We initially prayed in the name of True Parents instead of Jesus; then we began offering prayers “in the name of so-and-so, a blessed central family.” But now we are offering a report in our prayer.

In the era of the fourth Adam, unless our prayers are reports to Heaven we will not be able to receive the right of ownership. To receive from Heaven the right to be owners, we must become families that represent Heaven's nation.
(500-242, 2005.07.12)

23. Blessed central families have nothing to do with the fallen world. They stand in the position of Adam and Eve before the Fall when both were connected to God's realm of heart. This is what blessed central families are. They are families that have accomplished God's ideal of creation and represent the family of unfallen Adam.

In such a position we should not merely pray; instead, we should offer reports to Heaven. Had Adam's family become perfected, they wouldn't have prayed for this or that; rather, they would have offered reports to Heaven. The family of perfected Adam would have built the ideal world, reporting to Heaven daily.

If on a certain day, they had not accomplished anything, there would have been nothing to report. In such circumstances, there would have been no need for the Messiah or religion. Why? It's because they would have known everything about their life and situation.

Human knowledge would have extended from the individual to the family, tribe, people, nation, world, and cosmos, all the way to the realm of God's heart.
(343-107, 2001.01.16)

24. From now on in the Unification Church we need to say “aju” instead of the “amen” that conventional Christians say. “Aju” means “my abode.” The ah in “aju” can be written with the Chinese character (我 ) that means “me. The syllable “Ah!” is also the sound we make when in awe. “Ah!” is a sound that contains and expresses surprise and admiration.

Thus, it will release all the bitter sorrows of human history. You often hear, “Ah, this is good!” But do you ever hear, “Ah, this is bad”? When we say, “Ah!” we are usually referring to what is best. Now the second syllable, ju, can be written with either the Chinese character for “lord” (主) or the character that means “reside” (住).

Therefore, “aju” refers to the final position one assumes after becoming an owner. “Aju” also means “moving in;” thus it means, “Ah, I have now become an owner, and I need to move into my home!” “My home” means God's master bedroom.

When we are born, we are not immediately in God's master bedroom. We first live in the womb of God's wife.

However, when we grow up, we come to say, “Aju, this is my home!” There is no greater aspiration than this. It means that my home has become a place founded on the realm of eternal oneness.

It has become inseparable from the inner heart of God. Hence, “my home” has two meanings: It is my home, and it is the home of God's innermost heart.
(539-012, 2006.09.17)

25. “Amen” means “May what I prayed for be accomplished.” However, what exactly should be accomplished? It is “I” who should be accomplished. Therefore, each of us should stand in a position in which we can say, “Aju! I have become the owner of the ideal that everyone and everything is praying for.”

We can't say “aju!” when we have nothing to do with the content of our prayer. (548-294, 2006.12.15)

26. We say “aju” instead of “amen.” This is because “aju” means the number one owner. The Chinese character for ju (主 ) means “lord.” It means we can surpass the Lord. The Lord used “amen,” but he could not use “aju.” Doesn't this mean we can be beyond the Lord? “Aju” in Korean means “very.”

For instance, “This is very (aju) good!” Thus, after people came out from an audience with the queen or the king, they would say, “It was very (aju) good!” We use “aju” as an adverb when referring to something as the best, the highest, or the greatest.

Furthermore, the Chinese character for ju is also the character for “king” or “lord.”

Thus, when we say it, it means we have reached the highest point that encompasses the three ages. (539-300, 2006.09.22)