This speech was given at the Second Anniversary of the Holy Ascension (Seonghwa) of Sun Myung Moon, the True Parent of Heaven, Earth, and Humankind, on August 12, 2014, at the Peace World Center, Korea.
Distinguished guests from home and abroad, beloved blessed families and members from around the world, I welcome you. I am so pleased to be with you all here.
On this second anniversary of the Holy Ascension (Seonghwa) of Sun Myung Moon, the True Father of Heaven, Earth, and Humankind, we feel how much God has loved us until now and that he has given us all His blessings. Yet, for our shortcomings in fulfilling our responsibilities, we repent once more.
Heavenly Parent is with us wherever we go
As a result of the Fall of Adam and Eve, the first ancestors of humankind, Heaven had to undertake the providence of restoration through indemnity, a history marked by pain and bitter sorrow.
However, not once did God forget about His lost children. To save them, he had to go through a miserable and excruciating course of history.
When He had established His chosen people through the long 4,000-year providence and had fulfilled His promise to send His only-begotten son, humanity once more committed a mistake in front of this great grace given by God.
Even so, the only-begotten son said he would return. Two thousand years later, God's only-begotten son has emerged again through the providence unfolding through Christian history!
On this foundation, God prepared his only-begotten daughter and elevated us to the position of True Parents. Thanks to that, another page has been written in the book of history.
The world today remains fallen. It is a world owned by Satan. Hence, even though religions have tried to pursue a good lifestyle, they have not known the way to heaven.
Now, thanks to True Parents, we have been able to obtain the title "blessed families," which indicates that we have been born anew.
How can we describe in words the overwhelming emotions that we feel today?
Our True Father, you worked hard, so hard. Our True Father, we love you. Our True Father, we miss you.
Hak Ja Han Moon
True Father, who saved the United States and the world
Yet, just as the people, out of ignorance, did not welcome Jesus 2,000 years ago, they did not accept the True Father, the Messiah, as the Second Coming. The providence, however, continues to move on.
In 1971, when True Father went to the United States, he said he had come as a doctor and as a firefighter. Heaven had prepared the United States as a stronghold for the free world, yet the nation was moving away from upholding God's Will as He had originally intended it to do.
The United States stood at a life-or-death crossroads because of its culture of decadence and family breakdown, and because of the communist ideology. The True Father, who knew how hard God had worked to raise the United States, had to go to the front line once more. That was in 1971.
In the 1980s, True Father aroused the attention of the United States by following a path, all alone, to save that nation, which was facing threats to its religious and ideological underpinnings, a threat that came from communism. He left many accomplishments as his legacy, accomplishments that no ordinary human being could have achieved.
In trying to save the United States, his goal was to bring salvation to all of humanity by our Heavenly Parent's Will. That is why Father called on the free world, which was wavering, and on the United States, where democracy was wavering, to forgive, love, and unite. He awakened all the good people of the United States.
He practiced the love he preached. Yet, Reverend Moon, who lived for others in such a way, ended up following a suffering course in prison at Danbury. Even though he did not have to follow that path, he still followed it, calling us to unite.
He cried out, "I do not know what blessings Heaven has prepared in the background where I am going. So be strong! Be confident!" From the perspective of the global providence, it is the True Parents alone who saved the United States and the world.
Sun Myung Moon
Be proud citizens of Cheon Il Guk
This second anniversary focuses particularly on the activities True Parents carried out in the Americas. Let us all mobilize all our strength, ability, and effort in front of True Parents' great love with oneness in heart, oneness in body, oneness in thou, and oneness in harmony in front of God's Will.
I hope that we will all do our best, as proud citizens of Cheon Il Guk, to lay the substantial foundation for Cheon Il Guk. During the first anniversary of Father's ascension, Japan and Korea became one through the Peace Road Bike Tour.
This time, 14 countries took part in the event, and the teams cycled a total distance of 6,000 kilometers.
How beautiful is that?
Despite the changes in climate and bad weather, the participants were not deterred. All brothers and sisters present here have become one in heart and vision.
With this second anniversary, you have shown the people of the world that you are proud sons and daughters of True Parents, and you have demonstrated this as well in light of True Parents' achievements.
I thank you all for all the hard work you have invested so far. Our goal is now clear. Please keep in mind that our Heavenly Parent and True Parents are always with you wherever you are.
Sun Myung Moon