Ep 801 - The True Family and I Part 6
The True Family and I - January 4th 2023
PDF Printable Text and Images + Testimony Yasutaka Ozawa
Key Points
• Only those whose minds and bodies are united, only brothers and sisters, husband and wife and parents and children who are united centered on God can enter the Kingdom of Heaven. The family enters the kingdom of heaven as a unit.
• Religion is a training center for mind-body unity. It teaches the body to do what it hates to do, namely, fast, serve, sacrifice and make offerings.
• True love always requires sacrifice.
• If we gain victory over our body and liberate our conscience, we will go to heaven.
• If we subjugate our body's wishes and put our conscience in a totally subjective position, we will liberate the unlimited and infinite hope of the conscience.
• The Three Blessings are God’s conditional promise and vision of hope for humanity, including Adam and Eve and us and our children, to perfect ourselves, to become the owners who realize an ideal family and multiply it, and to dominate all things with love. We can receive these blessings if we keep God’s commandment not to eat until the Blessing.
• As a protection against any temptation, we need to continually educate our children about the hope and vision of great blessings from God if they do not eat the fruit, so that they long for those blessings and so that “Do not eat” becomes their driving motto.
• If we live centered on shimjeong and love, we can transcend our own bad habits and our life of faith will be ambitious every day as if it were the first day.
• If we treat the Word heartistically, then we hear the same words as if we are hearing them for the first time.
• We can renew our minds when we live joyfully with a heart of gratitude, giving to, serving and attending others.
Transcripts from November 3, 2021 to the present, personal notes from November 11, 2020 until November 2, 2021 and slides from August 29, 2021 to the present are available at MD.Hoondok.com as PDF files.♦
Today I’d like to talk about “The True Family and I” from True Mother’s Anthology, Book 2.
<This speech was given by Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon between September 14 and October 26, 1995 during speaking tours to Japanese cities and Korean universities. > The world cultural spheres were formed according to the different human circumstances and antecedents. To this day, religious people have not known that the purpose of religion is to prevent the body from continuing to lead the mind. Had there been no Fall, religion would not have been necessary. Something went very wrong and religion became necessary to correct it. What does God intend to do through religion? God intends to discipline the body. You will not be saved just because you believe in religion, or go to heaven just because you believe in Christianity. However, it is the children who are centered on God's love who can go to heaven. Adam's family was to have had the love of God at its center. It was to have had a blood relationship with God. The kingdom of heaven is the place where such families dwell. We need to dominate the body in order to strengthen the power of the conscience. A liberated conscience then will lead our body, and we will return to the bosom of God's love as original beings free from sin.
Therefore if we ask what religion is supposed to do, the answer is that it needs to motivate our body to do everything it hates to do. What does the body hate most? To serve others! To sacrifice for others! Furthermore, religion asks us to be an offering. Being an offering means our being willing to shed blood and being capable of sacrificing our life. Therefore, the Bible tells us that a person who is willing to lose his or her life shall find it, and a person who wishes to find his or her life shall lose it. What this paradox teaches is that if we live according to the flesh, we will go to hell. If we gain victory over our flesh and liberate our conscience, we will go to heaven. If we subjugate our body's wishes and put our conscience in a totally subjective position, we will liberate the unlimited and infinite hope of the conscience.
Existing religions have the belief that you can go to heaven by simply believing. However, according to True Parents' words, the kingdom of heaven is a place where only those whose minds and bodies are united, brothers and sisters are united, husband and wife are united, and parents and children unite centered on God can enter.
Therefore, the family enters the kingdom of heaven as a unit. Wow! This is surprising news. All religions have not known this until now. Until now, religions have not known that the conscience must lead the body freely and return to the original unfallen bosom of God. Religion is a training center for mind-body unity.
Therefore if we ask what religion is supposed to do, the answer is that it needs to motivate our body to do everything it hates to do. What does the body hate most? To fast! To serve others! To sacrifice for others! To become an offering!
Is it easy for you to fast?
That is not simple. When I became a missionary and went to Malaysia, for ten years I did a morning fasting condition, but I tell you frankly I still cannot control (my desire for) food.
Is it easy for you to fast?
It's really hard to control your desire to eat. And is it easy to serve others? Everyone in the fallen world is self-centered and tries to live for their own satisfaction and happiness, but hates serving others.
And our bodies hate sacrifice. However, genuine true love begins with sacrificing for others. Parents are willing to sacrifice for their children until they die. A genuine true person’s life must be accompanied by sacrifice.
One day I heard Father’s sermon at the headquarters in Korea. I was so inspired. He said true love requires sacrifice. Without sacrifice love is not true love. This content changed my life.
When a mother raises children, without her sacrifice can you imagine raising children? True love always requires sacrifice. If we truly love someone, we are ready to sacrifice. Giving, living for others and serving needs to involve sacrifice. Without sacrifice how can we live for the sake of others? That is why we need to know that true love always requires sacrifice.
Therefore, the Bible tells us that a person who is willing to lose his or her life shall find it, and a person who wishes to find his or her life shall lose it. What this paradox teaches is that if we live according to the flesh, we will go to hell. If we gain victory over our body and liberate our conscience, we will go to heaven.
If we subjugate our body’s wishes and put our conscience in a totally subjective position, we will liberate the unlimited and infinite hope of the conscience.
Father said we don’t know the taste of our mind and body really uniting; what infinite hope our conscience will feel! Then you can do whatever you want. This is the power of the unity of mind and body.
Furthermore, if we really create unity between our mind and body, we can gain the cosmos. We can gain whatever we want. That is the power of unity.
But our fallen standard of unity is still very far away. Father said if we really become an ideal man and bring unity between mind and body and husband and wife, we cannot imagine how incredible it is – the same as True Father and True Mother. Can you imagine? If all humankind were the same as True Father and True Mother, how powerful (that would be.)
LIVING DIVINE PRINCIPLE: The Human Fall 15 - Why God set up the Commandment as an Object of Faith• Why did God nurture the faith of Adam and Eve by giving them the commandment, "Do not eat of the fruit"?
• In their immature state, Adam and Eve could not be directly governed by God through love. Because the power of love is stronger than the power of the Principle, God foresaw that if they ever formed a common base with the Archangel, there was a possibility that they could succumb to the power of deviant, unprincipled love and fall.
• It was not only to prevent their fall that God gave immature human beings the commandment. God also wanted them to enjoy dominion over the natural world by inheriting His creative nature. In order to inherit this creatorship, human beings should perfect themselves through their faith in the Word as their own portion of responsibility.
• Furthermore, God gave the commandment not to the Archangel but only to the human beings. God wished to exalt the dignity of human beings as bestowed by the Principle of Creation, which entitled them to stand as God's children and govern even the angels.
• God's second blessing was to be fulfilled when Adam and Eve entered God's direct dominion of love, by joining as true husband and wife and bearing and raising children in God's love.
• Indeed, the Principle mandates that human beings eat of the fruit once they reach full maturity of character.
• Accordingly, God's commandment, “Do not eat of the fruit," was binding upon Adam and Eve only while they were immature.
Adam and Eve who Should Have Kept the Blessing Words of God Deep in Their Heart
<5-108> There is a saying in Genesis that God blessed human kind after the creation. However, the blessing was yet to be accomplished at that time but to be done as a promise. That was why Adam and Eve were standing at a position where they long for the day with a very big hope when they can dominate all things. And God made an earnest request not to eat of the fruit to Adam and Eve who were standing at such a position saying “When you eat of it you will surely die.“( Gen 2:17). Therefore Adam and Eve should have kept the hope of God’s blessing deep in their mind. If they had kept and followed it, they could have started as one family with a man and a woman who can establish God’s will. These were the principles.
We must know that God's creation of human beings and bestowing the three great blessings on them was a blessing of promise. The blessing of promise is a conditional blessing.
Then, what conditions must Adam and Eve keep? It is to keep God's commandment for them to not eat of the fruit. If they had kept that condition, God would have blessed them. So, the blessing God spoke of was the blessing of promise.
Adam and Eve should have kept the hope of God’s blessing deep in their mind. That hope of blessing had to become their vision. That vision was to become the owners who realize a family and can dominate all things in the world.
Like Adam and Eve, we must know that the blessings that True Parents have bestowed upon us are conditional blessings. The blessing given to us by God and True Parents is a blessing of position. Therefore, this positional blessing becomes a perfect blessing when we complete our portion of responsibility.
It is important for us to educate our children not to eat of the fruit, but we must continuously give them vision education centered on God's three great blessings. If we do not instill in our blessed children a vision for the three great blessings, everything will flow away.
We should not just say(?), “Do not eat the fruit.” We need to share the vision (about) why not to eat the fruit, what kind of world will appear, what the benefit will for them. It is a very hopeful vision. Then everyone will be so excited to achieve that vision. Such a vision is important. How can we provide such a vision centered on the three Blessings? That is our final, fundamental vision.
If we have a strong conviction to achieve our vision, we can overcome any hardships and trials. That is the power of vision. We must instill hope and vision in them and educate them to keep their purity. Children without vision and goals are easily swayed by temptation.
You must guide them to set clear goals in life and move forward. The Bible also says that people without a vision perish. Our vision is to achieve the three great blessings that God desires.
The first blessing is to become filial sons and daughters through individual perfection. The second blessing is to become a true husband and wife, have children, and become true parents. The third blessing is to multiply ideal families to form the nation and world and become the owners of love for all things.
Adam and Eve did not know, if they had not eaten the fruit, what kind of beautiful ideal world was going to come to them. Without vision we are just focused on reality. That is why the Bible says without vision the people perish. We need to show them God’s clear blueprint and vision becoming reality (among) his sons and daughters who are filial sons and daughters. Secondly is the ideal family, and thirdly is dominion over the beautiful cosmos. “Look at the star and moon and ocean. Everything will belong to you. You will be like a king and queen.”
Of course, sometimes we need to teach them strictly. But we need to share a clearer, more hopeful vision, not just teaching them, “Do not eat!” “Keep purity.” They don’t like to hear that. We need to have the wisdom how to guide our children.
Adam and Eve who had to Have the Commandment: “Do not Eat of the Fruit,” as Their Daily Motto
<5-265> Because Adam and Eve were not able to develop their wisdom until seduced by the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, they could not feel God’s heart deeply. Even though they were standing in such a position, if they had cherished God’s words: “Do not eat of the fruit.” as their motto in their daily life, feeling itself and the motto of their whole life, the words of the archangel infiltrating from the side would not have been a problem.
They were not aware of what the purpose of creation of God who had them dominate all things was. In other words, they did not long for the thing coming after keeping that commandment, that is, the thing that they would encounter after keeping the words. If they had known what may come after they had kept the commandment: “Do not eat of the fruit.” and if they had been able to be possessed by the feeling of admiration of what would come afterwards throughout their daily life, not forgetting the awareness of their lives and life feelings, Adam and Eve would have not eaten the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
Even though Adam and Eve were in an immature position, they had to live with God's word, "Do not eat of the fruit" as their first and most important motto in their lives. The most important motto of life is more important than anything else, even more than life.
Have you been risking your life to keep the word ‘Do not eat the fruit’? God's commandments given to Adam and Eve are also valid for us today.
Adam and Eve did not know what God's purpose of creation which allowed them to rule over all things was. Adam and Eve did not have a longing for what kind of hope would come true after keeping the commandment, "Do not eat the fruit.”
In order to achieve a vision, one must earnestly long for and yearn for the world that comes after the vision is realized. We must educate our children so that they can have a longing for the preciousness of keeping (their) purity and realizing a beautiful couple and family.
Rather than educating unconditionally, “You must not eat the fruit,” we must educate children about the hope and vision of how much they will receive great blessings from God and the universe if they do not eat the fruit.
What is the best way to show our children vision? (The example of) his father and mother. When I see my father and mother, wow! They are such a lovely couple! “If I want to marry in the future, I want to marry like my father and mother. I have never seen my mom and daddy fight. They are such a lovely couple. When I look outside, I can’t find anyone like that.”
What is the best way? To show the example. “How much my father and mother love me! When I look at them, how much they love my grandparents. I want to be that kind of person.” We need to show that kind of substantial hope and vision through our family life. Then children never go away.
Now is the era of showing. Then children cannot say anything because a beautiful example is already there, right?
Even though I say this, it is not easy to practice, right? Even my family is still far away. When I look at my wife, I have so much regret. If we had realized this earlier, then without any regret I (could have) loved my wife more. Now I am getting old and am starting to realize how precious my wife is. I am really grateful to her. If I had had this kind of grateful heart when I started family, how much my life would have changed! What a different guy I would be now. I am getting older and I realize wow! I am so sorry to my wife, to my children, to my father and mother, that I did not become such a filial son. I am geting old, and now I realize what the real meaning of filial piety is, what the real meaning of unity between husband and wife is, what the real meaning of attendance and serving, what the real meaning of the era of love. Wow! It is not simple. (After) I came back home (this time), I have repented every day.
I think all of you are much better than I (am).
TODAY’S YOUTH MINISTRY: Practice a Life of Faith as if it were the First Time
Habitual Faith Will Not Be Resurrected
1. When we hear the Word, we are convinced that the Words are right, but putting them into practice is very difficult. It is not easy at all. Why is that? It is because up to this day, our life became habitual in a self-centered pattern. That is why it is difficult to become new. It is because we haven’t lived like that since we were young. So, we need to know what kind of bad habits we have. If our faith becomes a habitual life centered on the current self, we will never grow. Resurrection does not happen with habits. A habit-centered life is the same as in the past. That is why habits are absolutely forbidden. You must always have the core of love and shimjeong in your heart to be renewed. Our life of faith must be ambitious every day, feel like the first day, and even though we eat it all the time, it is like eating it for the first time. For healthy people, doesn’t the taste of food always taste like eating for the first time? Even if it is always the same food, you can be a healthy person when it tastes like the first time.
Living creatures are always new, fresh and exciting. Living creatures do not ever live yesterday, but live faithfully in the present life. However, there are many times when only human beings live habitually according to a self-centered pattern.
Good habits are good, but the patterns and habits of living routinely without heart and love make us sick. When we hear the word, we accept that it is true, but it is really difficult to put it into practice. It's really not that simple. It is because up to this day, our life became habitual in a self-centered pattern. So it's hard to be renewed.
If our faith always repeats itself as a pattern and becomes a habit, we will never grow. We cannot be resurrected through habits. Therefore, it is absolutely forbidden to live a life centered on habits.
So how can we become renewed? We will become new only if we keep the core of love and shimjeong in our heart. If we live centered on shimjeong and love, we can transcend our own habits.
Practice a Life of Faith as if it were the First Time
2. So, in our life of faith, even though we are hearing the same Words, we should always feel new like it’s the first time hearing them. They are Words we already know, but we must feel them newly like it’s for the first time. Then how do you do that? If you treat the Word heartistically, it will happen. If you listen to the Word only with your head, it always feels like the same words. That is why it is said that when those who practice habitual and formal faith hear the Word, they continue to repeat the Words they have heard until now. When many people attend 40-day and 120-day workshops and listen to the Principle, if they have preconceived notions that they are the same words they heard in the past or have habitual attitudes, that person will never become renewed. Then, they cannot be resurrected. On the contrary, if you attend a workshop and feel that it is new, you are a person who is awakened and resurrected.
If we live with a focus on shimjeong and love, our life of faith will be ambitious every day and it will be like the first day. We always eat food, but just as it feels like eating for the first time, – nobody eats habitually, right. It is always fresh. It tastes so delicious! Every meal is so exciting! Our spiritual life should be like that. Our life of faith must always feel like the first time.
Even though we are reading and hearing the same Words, we should always feel it’s new as if it is the first time hearing them. Then it can be called a normal life of faith. They are Words we already know, but we must feel them newly as if it is for the first time.
Then how do we do that? If we treat the Word heartistically, it will happen. If we listen to the Word only with our head, it always feels like the same words. Therefore, when a person who has a habitual and formal faith hears the Word, it sounds as if it is repeating the same words he has heard so far.
If we want to hear the same words as if we are hearing them for the first time, we must first renew our heart and mind. Living creatures always stay fresh and grow well even though they always look at the same sun and air. Living beings do not think that yesterday's air and yesterday's sun are today's air and today's sun, nor do they get tired or reject them with any preconceived notions. For living things, air and sun are life in every moment.
Therefore, when people hear the Word and Principle, if they have preconceived notions that they are the same words they heard in the past or have habitual attitudes, that person will never become renewed. Then, they cannot be resurrected. Ultimately, we must renew our hearts and minds so that everything becomes new.
In conclusion, how can we live the same life as the beginning with a fresh and new heart always without staying in habit? How can we renew our minds? First of all – this is my own experience; also, Father often says this – we should always live with a heart of gratitude. Always have a grateful heart. If we (maintain) this kind of attitude of gratitude, I’m telling you, it always makes me happy to think that ...
If we always live with a heart of gratitude, we don't take everything for granted.
That is why I always say, why don’t we share our appreciation, our gratitude toward God. This is very important. When we just wake up what should we be grateful (to) God (for)? Wow! God is my parent. I am so grateful. When we have a habit of gratitude, a grateful heart, our life is completely changed. It is always new and fresh. ...
Second, we must live with a joyful heart. “I am always happy to think that my God is my parent. It always makes me happy to think that I met True Parents. I am so glad that I have met the eternal truth. And I'm so glad I was blessed.” When we have that kind of joyful heart ... “God is my parent. It is really true. I met the savior, the second coming, True Parents. Wow! How joyful I am! I met the eternal truth! I met my wife! I received the blessing! I received the Blessing! I received salvation! Is this really real? How happy I am!” Then we become more grateful and have more gratitude to God.
The next thing is to always live with a giving heart.
When we are tired, our life has become heavy without much excitement, do something for others.
If we give, our heart will be happy and our spirit self will be happy, so excited. That is why I always like to give something. Then I am so stimulated, moved and touched through a giving life. My life becomes very fresh, always(?) “Kamdong, kamdong.”
When our life becomes a giving life and when we have a giving heart, I am telling you, our life has so much excitement and we are so happy about it. Many people do not know this top secret. When we have this kind of giving life, our heart is renewed and we are so moved.
Lastly, it is to live with a heart of serving and attending others. If we always respect and serve others, our heart will always be happy and we will gain incredible strength. (We?) become humble. Then your heart is prepared(?): “I want to serve; I need to give something.” ... “I want to serve. I need to give something.” We always need to ask, “How can I make my wife, my children, my Abel, those who are closest to me happy? (If we are always asking?) “How can I make them happy?” our life (will) no longer (be) habitual and is so exciting, so happy!
Wow! Today I told you about a top secret: how our life can become fresh, and meaningful(?) and non-habitual. I shared four points with you.
Today, I spoke about “Practicing a Life of Faith as if it were the First Time.”
(Testimony Yasutaka Ozawa, Next Generation Winter Workshop, UTS)♦
Now we are creating jeongseong centered on the continental level. When we create unity among our first and second generation, I feel that sooner or later many second generation and third generation will surely come back. We need to create that kind of beautiful foundation and environment for them to come back. Now that kind of atmosphere and environment are going on. I am really grate for all our first generation and second generation joining Morning Devotion and (investing) our heart and effort in it. I think God will surely bless (our effort?).