I am very grateful to be able to celebrate this day commemorating Danbury together with Father and, such bright, healthy-looking young people as your selves.
According to His will, God has sent us the Lord of the Second Advent and revealed His providence centering on the True Parents to restore all human beings to His bosom. To accomplish this, God has been walking the course of suffering far beyond our perception both spiritually and physically-that is, through His words and reality. And for us to accomplish our ultimate goal-the establishment of the Kingdom of Heaven on earth-we still have a very long way to walk.
When I reflect on Father’s imprisonment, I feel that from my point of view, I lost the head of my family; from a Unification Church point of view, we lost our leader; and from the viewpoint of God’s will and the world, we lost the central figure of the providence.
As you know, I have many children in my family, but they are not a burden at all.
Also, since the Father has shown us the true standard and way of life, the goal of the church leaders should be clear. Furthermore, God’s will and Father's desire to unify all religious groups and the entire world and universe. In my opinion, the task of establishing such unity and clarity of purpose is impossible without a central figure. I had always been afraid of losing our central figure, and through Danbury, my fears became a reality.
My third daughter, Un Jin, likes horseback riding. You may assume that horseback riding is a very simple sport. However, to jump an obstacle, the horse and the person who rides it must be united; otherwise, they will fall or even hurt themselves. Even though you may become a “small Rev. Moon” according to Father’s teaching, like a perfect horse, you will have no value at all unless you have a perfect master who can ride you.
Truthfully speaking, from the viewpoint of God and human history, this day should not be celebrated but eliminated. When I told you at the beginning of my speech that I am happy today, what I meant was that I can celebrate this day with gratitude because I know there are many deep meanings behind it.
It is very easy for us just to revere and follow Father, but it is not easy at all to substitute for him. I know very well how difficult it is to respect his mission and be able at the same time to replace him and satisfy all the people working under him.
Especially through my own experience throughout that one year, I deeply understand how difficult it is to fulfill his role.
During Father’s imprisonment, Heung Jin’s ascension, and the process of establishing and celebrating the Day of Victory of Love and the Day of the Opening of Heaven [February 1, 1984], many significant events occurred on both internal and external levels. I went through experiences that you could hardly even imagine. Complicated things happened continuously which unfortunately I cannot explain to you one by one. I often thought, “I wish I could be imprisoned along with Father would be much better off!” I was especially shocked when Dr. Pak, who was in charge of the court case during Father’s absence, was kidnapped.
Looking, back I know now that from a heavenly point of view, those events were not necessarily damaging to us; rather, through them, God kindly opened the way through which we can obtain His forgiveness and blessing.
Frankly, I often felt depressed instead of being able to maintain my hopes, but I could never show my struggle or true emotions to other people. Every time I experienced great internal suffering I realized what a difficult course Father has gone through. While comforting God he must unite the tangled fallen history. He has no one to turn to and take counsel with; he must do everything by himself example, teaching, persuading, and leading others. Since people do not fully understand him or his words, he must educate and guide them time and time again. This time I understood what excruciating pain he often feels.
Although I could share his life experience in this way for only one year, I am very appreciative and grateful to God. Also once again I want to thank you for gathering here today so that we can celebrate and show our respect to Father.
I have many other things I would like to tell you, but I am too emotional to say more. Whenever new opportunities arise in the future, I want to share more of my experiences with you. In conclusion, I pray that the day on which God can glorify your sincerity, determination, and effort will come very soon.
Dr. Sun Myung Moon
