Reconciliation and Peacemaking

Jesus called peacemakers God’s sons and daughters. Indeed, reconciling parties in conflict is to participate in the work of God, who desires that all the members of His family live in peace with one another.

Yet the work of a peacemaker can be difficult. Even though he or she tries to be even-handed, demonstrating concern and empathy for both sides, the peacemaker is liable to be attacked and blamed by one side or the other.

A peacemaker must therefore be willing to make sacrifices and take risks for peace—even to the extent of sacrificing his life. Reconciliation requires much of the quarreling parties.

Beyond a temporary truce, it requires genuine forgiveness. Ultimately, it should lead to bonds of love and solidarity between the former enemies.

Father Moon teaches us to apply the scriptural ethic to love our enemy (See Chapter 13: Love Your Enemy), to reconcile with enemy nations and enemy religions.

Reconciliation

If you are offering your gift at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Matthew 5.23-24

Let us have concord with our own people, and concord with people who are strangers to us; The Divine Twins create between us and the strangers a unity of hearts. May we unite in our minds, unite in our purposes, and not fight against the divine spirit within us. nor the arrows of the War-god fall with the break of day. Atharva Veda 7.52.1-2 (Hinduism)

Better and more rewarding is God’s reward to those who believe and put their trust in Him: who avoid gross sins and indecencies and, when angered, are willing to forgive… Let evil be rewarded by like evil, but he who forgives and seeks reconciliation shall be rewarded by God… True constancy lies in forgiveness and patient forbearance. Qur’an 42.36-43

If they (the enemy) incline to peace, you incline to it also, and trust in God. Qur’an 8.61 The Messenger of God said, “Shall I inform you of the best morals of this world and the hereafter? To forgive him who oppresses you, to make a bond with him who severs from you, to be kind to him who insults you, and to give to him who deprives you.” Hadith (Islam)

With malice toward none; with charity for all; with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nation’s wounds; to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan—to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves, and with all nations.
Abraham Lincoln, Second Inaugural Address

Teachings of Sun Myung Moon
You should offer your devotions in peaceful surroundings and with a peaceful heart. You should not worship where there is discord, because God is not present where there is discord. Your act of worship can bear fruit when there is goodness, with all evils having surrendered.

It cannot bear fruit where there is conflict and complaint. That is why when there is a falling out among brothers, they should first reconcile before making an offering table for their ancestors.9 (286:209-10, August 11, 1997)

If each side insists, “I exist for myself,” they can never be reconciled. To achieve the goal of peace, people on both sides need to take the stance, “I exist for you.” Then they can come to the point of consoling one another. Peace can arise only when we say to our opponent, “I am here for you.” (60:21, August 1, 1972)

Thus far, nations tried to expand their territory by invading others. However, from now on we should follow the principle that to reach the world we should deny ourselves. In order for your beloved nation to lead the world, it must go beyond national self-interest. If your nation cannot do this, it does not have the philosophy that can unify the world. (26:294, November 10, 1969)

What kind of world would it be if each nation thought, “God is on my side,” while it treated other nations as the enemy? It would be a world of continual wars and conflicts. To become God’s sons and daughters, you have to love the way God loves. You have to love humanity.

I know that God wants enemy nations to reconcile, become friendly, connect with each other and unite into one. That is why I work to encourage nations to think beyond their borders and form a united world. (83:312, February 25, 1976)

Peacemaking

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Matthew 5.9

If two parties of believers fall to fighting, then make peace between them. And if one party of them does wrong to the other, fight that wrongdoer until it returns to the ordinance of God; then, if it returns, make peace between them justly, and act equitably. Lo! God loves the equitable. Qur’an 49.9

He brings together those who are divided, he encourages those who are friendly; he is a peacemaker, a lover of peace, impassioned for peace, a speaker of words that make for peace. Digha Nikaya 13.75, Tevigga Sutta (Buddhism)

During the short eons of swords, They meditate on love, Introducing to nonviolence Hundreds of millions of living beings. In the midst of great battles They remain impartial to both sides; For bodhisattvas of great strength Delight in reconciliation of conflict. Holy Teaching of Vimalakirti 8 (Buddhism)

Rabbi Baruqa of Huza often went to the marketplace at Lapet. One day, the prophet Elijah appeared to him there, and Rabbi Baruqa asked him, “Is there anyone among all these people who will have a share in the World to Come?” Elijah answered… “Those two will have a share in the World to Come!” Rabbi Baruqa asked the newcomers, “What is your occupation?”

They replied, “We are clowns. When we see someone who is sad, we cheer him up. When we see two people quarreling, we try to make peace between them.” Talmud, Ta’anit 22a (Judaism)

After all the kings had been seated and perfect silence had ensued, Krishna, possessing fine teeth and having a voice as deep as that of a drum, began to speak, “In order that, O Bharata, peace may be established between the Kurus and the Pandavas without a slaughter of the heroes, I have come hither. Besides this, O king, I have no other beneficial words to utter… Know, O thou of Kuru’s race, that those wicked sons of thine, headed by Duryodhana, abandoning both virtue and profit, disregarding morality, and deprived of their senses by avarice, are now acting most unrighteously towards their foremost kinsmen. The terrible danger [of universal slaughter thus] has its origin in the conduct of the Kurus. If you become indifferent to it, it will then produce a universal slaughter. If, O Bharata, you are willing, you may be able to allay that danger even yet, for peace, I think, is not difficult of acquisition. The establishment of peace, O king, depends on you and me. Set right your sons, and I will set the Pandavas right.”10 Mahabharata, Udyoga Parva 95 (Hinduism)

I have nothing new to teach the world. Truth and Non-violence are as old as the hills. All I have done is to try experiments in both on as vast a scale as I could. Mohandas K. Gandhi (Hinduism)

We are asking the nations of Europe between whom rivers of blood have flowed to forget the feuds of a thousand years. Winston Churchill

Teachings of Sun Myung Moon
Antagonism has no place in God’s love, only unity and harmony. In light of this, you can understand what the Bible means in saying that peacemakers will be called sons of God. (Way of God’s Will 3.2)

How patient is God, who has been enduring for millions of years?

We, too, need to possess His patience. I’m not saying we that should never fight. But there is a right time to fight: when we can fight for the benefit of both sides.

We should not fight those who oppose us seeking their destruction. We should fight to educate both sides and bring them together in harmony. We should educate each side to no longer regard the other as the enemy. (104:33, March 25, 1979)

To bring about a united, peaceful world we must overcome the many challenges arising from differences in region, race, religion, culture, custom, language and nationality. If we view the world from the perspective of the Creator—through God’s eyes of true love—we see that despite all these differences, the world is one.

When young people inspired by God’s true love, dedicate themselves to sacrifice and service, they can begin to solve poverty and hunger throughout the world. They can begin to heal the wounds caused by differences between rich and poor.

They can help people overcome the animosities and hatreds arising from different historical experiences. True love means to love that which cannot be loved. From this definition we can acquire a clear sense of direction for overcoming relationships of enmity and conflict. (288:201-02, November 28, 1997)

I have the mission to prevent racial conflict and make peace between the races, especially between blacks and whites. The best way to accomplish this is to inspire white people to humble themselves voluntarily and serve black people. (124:275, February 27, 1983)

Black people in America walked the path of slavery, taking the role of Abel as their part in the restoration of the heavenly side. It was black people who established America, not white people. Black people were sacrificed to build this nation; also the Indians were sacrificed.

You should know that if there were ever a racial war, black people would want revenge, and neither would the other colored races leave the white race alone. Why do you think I, Reverend Moon, came to America? Indians are like my cousins. We are brothers.

They are all perishing, and I have to prevent it. I didn’t come here for revenge, but to save. I am here to help the races reconcile with each other. Who can reconcile whites and blacks? Can a white person or a black person do it? No, it won’t work. Blacks won’t listen to a white person, and whites won’t follow a black person. But black people can listen to someone of the yellow race.

Yellow people were also the victims of the white establishment. If yellow people take the lead in forgiving their enemies—white Americans—and tell blacks to do the same, they will listen.

A yellow man can teach black people to forgive, because their enemy, and the Indians’ enemy, is also my enemy. Representing all minorities, I will take the lead in forgiving. I explain to them that they are Abel, and this is Abel’s historical path. (106:241, December 30, 1979)

Responsible Christian leaders could not resolve the problems in the Persian Gulf, so as a safeguard [against a full-scale religious war] I am convening a dialogue between prominent Christian and Muslim leaders. Most Koreans would say, “What has it got to do with me if Iraqis die or a nuclear bomb falls there?”

But I know humanity’s dismal path, and I want to steer the world to avoid its hidden reefs. Hence, even though I am insulted and ridiculed, I am striving to save humanity through diplomatic efforts, even spending my own money.

I am trying to get America and the Soviet Union aligned for this purpose. I have also worked for reconciliation between China and Taiwan, and recently I began efforts to reconcile Israel and the Arab world. (211:13, December 30, 1990)

I have reached the advanced age of eighty-five, by the Korean way of counting. But I will con- tinue to work harder than anyone else until the day the Earth overflows with God’s true families, guns in the Middle East fall silent and give way to fireworks of peace and joy, and shouts of “Mansei” celebrating the unification of my homeland Korea echo across the Pacific and are heard in America. (March 23, 2004)

Jesus’ Sacrificial Love as a Model for Peacemaking

And when they came to the place which is called The Skull [Calvary], there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on the right and one on the left. And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.” Luke 23.33-34

But now in Christ Jesus, you who once were far off have been brought near in the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who has made us both one, and has broken down the dividing wall of hostility…that he might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby bringing the hostility to an end. Ephesians 2.13-16

From now on, therefore, we regard no one from a human point of view; even though we once regarded Christ from a human point of view, we regard him thus no longer.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Corinthians 5.16-19

Teachings of Sun Myung Moon
Jesus presented a new direction for this conflict-ridden world. Oppressor nations and oppressed nations, such as Rome and Israel, viewed each other as enemies, thus creating high walls between them.

Jesus’ philosophy was that these walls needed to be demolished. He thought, “You Romans want to conquer me by force, but I will conquer you in the opposite way—with love.” That is why he even sought blessings for his enemies as he was hanging on the cross.

His plea for the Roman soldiers, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do,” expressed this amazing philosophy. By making this plea, Jesus became the model and the archetype for all nations of the world to overcome the conventional way of seeing each other as enemies. He became an example of someone who has no regard for national borders. (March 9, 2000)

Jesus’ saying, “Love your enemies,” is God’s strategy to make evil surrender voluntarily. This is an amazing truth, full of grace. These simple-sounding words mark the boundary between victory and defeat in the battle between God and Satan. (316:81, February 10, 2000)

Jesus taught, “Love your enemy,” but we are extending it even to loving enemy nations. After loving our personal enemies, we should leap over national boundaries to love and even save nations that attacked our nation in the past. This is the ideology of the Messiah. (93:160, May 22, 1977)

The Bible says, “Blessed are the peacemakers, they shall be called sons of God.” Because I knew God’s Will to establish the Kingdom of Heaven, I work to reconcile humankind.

If either side throws a spear, I should be the first one to be hit. In order to bring reconciliation and save the two that are fighting, you shouldn’t mind if you get bloodied first. (211:13, December 30, 1990)