Loving God With All Our Heart, Soul and Mind

Dr. Ki Hoon Kim, Continental Chair of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (FFWPU) North America, shared a message at the New Jersey Family Church in Clifton, New Jersey on Sunday, March 22, 2015. He expressed some of True Mother’s recent words and elaborated on the responsibility we have before God at this time in history. Dr. Kim’s full message is below.

When I met with Pastor Manoj Jacob at the Cheongpyeong Heaven and Earth Training Center in Korea during the recent Cheon Il Guk Leaders Assembly, I told him that I would like to stop by the New Jersey Family Church soon. It’s usually my first stop after I meet with True Parents in Las Vegas or Hawaii; I like to stop by New Jersey Family Church first. I’m very happy to see all the family members and young people, and we had a nice breakfast meeting with some of the married young adults. I remember many of your parents from when I was the regional leader here in New Jersey in 1990.

On the very last day before I left Korea, True Mother invited me to meet at the Cheon Jeong Gung Museum, and she asked me, “Are you struggling?” I said, “No.”

“How about America, is it suffering?” she asked. I was very silent; of course, my answer to True Mother was “no.” True Mother said, “Your answer, ‘No,’ to me means, ‘Yes.’” True Mother knows everything, all the struggles we have. I often think about True Parents’ situation, and when True Mother mentioned that we are sometimes up and down with struggles, she asked me to look at her directly and to see her confident smile. She seemed to be saying that her smile, in the midst of difficulties, is the answer to our suffering.

The Example of Our True Parents

I always try to learn from True Father and True Mother. Even though they are under pressure, like the time when True Father had to go to Danbury in 1984, he encouraged us. He asked us not to cry for him, but to pray for America as God’s chosen nation. True Father was very clear. He understood that America is not just represented in its 238 years of history, but represents the last 2,000 years of God’s providence for restoration. We call this country God’s nation, and although Korea is referred to as God’s fatherland, True Father came to this country over 40 years ago with the commitment to save this country as God’s chosen nation.

Do you know about True Father being asked by Jesus at age 16 to carry out his mission? Jesus explained to him that True Father was Jesus’ successor to save this world, something that Jesus tried to do 2,000 years ago. Although he could not succeed, he could not give up his mission and kept his commitment until he appeared to True Father. He then asked True Father to complete what he tried to do in his 33 years of life. Following this commission, True Father began his own individual indemnity course until 1960, after which, with True Mother as True Parents, he fully established the second coming of the Messiah.

What is the best way to attend our Heavenly Parent, Jesus and True Parents? One time Jesus was asked by a Jewish leader, “Which is the most important of all the Commandments?” Jesus replied, “Love your God with all of your heart and all of your soul and all of your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.” So my question is, what does your “whole heart” mean? How can we love our Heavenly Parent and True Parents? The answer is, we pray every day and do Hoon Dok Hwe (scripture reading). This is the best way to attend our Heavenly Parent and True Parents.

Love Your God

Jesus also mentioned loving your neighbor as yourself. We have to understand and act. Think about True Father and True Mother. They’ve been through a lot of suffering, and they always gave the greatest hope to us and to America. What really is the meaning of your whole heart and living for the sake of others? The answer is: Try every day to live for the sake of others, caring for people around us and our family.

“Love your God” means love all providential figures in history, like Adam’s family, Noah’s family, Abraham’s family, Moses and, of course, Jesus. If we think about the suffering of these families, and Jesus’ life of suffering, they had all kinds of responsibility left incomplete. In addition to that, we have our own responsibility to fulfill: today’s responsibility as a Blessed Central Family. I was shocked to realize what my responsibility is. More than Adam’s family, more than Moses’ family, more than Jesus; this is my responsibility. How big and what a heavy burden.

Our Heavenly Parent and True Parents blessed us with the conviction: “You can do it.” This is the standard of a Cheon Il Guk citizen. With this kind of commitment and love, we can build the Kingdom of Heaven on earth. God wants me to be that kind of person. True Parents expect each of us to have that kind of family and community.  We can do anything for the sake of God, for the sake of True Parents, for the sake of our family church, New Jersey, the nation and the world. Just as True Father got Jesus’s mission, we got this mission from True Father and True Mother.

How to Grow Our Spirit

The first time I met True Father, I couldn’t understand a word he was talking about! After two years it got better. It takes time to understand some things. True Father and True Mother tried to shorten God’s Providence; not taking 6,000 years, but maybe one or sometimes three years. I joined the church at 12 years of age, because of my aunt pushing me to go to church every Sunday. I didn’t know anything about True Parents or the Divine Principle or True Father’s message at that time. It was a very hard time. It took me more than ten years, and even now, I can’t say that I understand that I understand everything that True Father tried to share with me. Still I do not understand all that True Mother is trying to share with me.

That’s why doing Hoon Dok Hwe every day will change our life of faith and our daily activities. Believe me, this is 100% guaranteed. True Parents’ message will save each one of us and lead each one of us to a pure place where we will become pure citizens of Cheon Il Guk.

This year on Foundation Day, True Mother shared a great message by using nature as an example. She spoke about seeing an olive tree for the first time in 1968, when True Parents visited Israel. Some olive trees live 1,000 or 2,000 years. According to True Mother’s explanation, the olive tree has to endure very hard weather conditions and grow in a desert. The roots have to go very deep in order to find water. This takes 15 years, after which the tree bears fruit.

There are lots of insects, such as locusts, in that area, and they attack the trees. However, the olive tree has a chemical inside itself to repel the insects. True Mother is asking us, “What is the root of our Blessed Central Family?” It is True Parents, who are unchanging, like the root of the olive tree.

Commitment and Responsibility

True Mother also spoke about the Inca culture in South America. They built a city on top of a mountain and lived there for around 350 years. Due to their location, they had the challenge of finding water, but because of their yearning for rain, praying to God and Heaven became their lifestyle. How desperately are we committed to becoming citizens of Cheon Il Guk as a Blessed Central Family?

This year, True Mother mentioned the key word on Foundation Day is “responsibility.” Be a responsible tribal messiah. Without fulfilling their portion of responsibility, all the providential figures chosen by God failed. However, God never stops His providence of restoration. Even central figures like Adam, Noah, Moses, Abraham and Jesus could not fulfill everything God asked of them. If we don’t fulfill our portion of responsibility, we cannot be called a central family. History shows us there are no exceptions. Even True Parents’ children need to fulfill it in the same way. There is only one True Parents in human history, so fulfilling our portion of responsibility is our most important activity. This is what True Mother shared at this time with myself and other leaders in Korea. Be a root like True Parents, and you will become a root for your tribes.

These are the last days. Why did True Parents say there is only one True Parents in human history? Why should we look for another True Parents? True Father said there is only one True Parents eternally. I was praying to understand this, and wondering how we can fulfill God’s Will by 2020. Many people asked me, “Where is Cheon Il Guk? What is the difference before and after its proclamation? What are you looking for by 2020?”

Everything is on your shoulders, everything is in your hands. It depends on you and me. Like Jesus’s commitment 2,000 years ago, and True Father. When I understood this, I knew I must act like True Father and True Mother and set down deep roots.

Our Mission is Our Conviction

Once, while visiting Kona, I went with True Mother to a tree nursery. True Mother purchased a large monkey pine tree and had it transplanted to the coffee plantation. Some time later, when I visited that place, I noticed that the tree had lost its leaves and flowers, and I wondered why. Through the transplanting process, the tree had to make a new start. The caretaker explained that the tree was okay; it just needed some time to regain its original beauty. Likewise, when we move from one place to another, it takes time to settle down, and it is not simple. Likewise, we may have expected many changes after Foundation Day. When you understand your responsibility, you will see the changes, because we received the Holy Marriage Blessing from True Parents. 

Why have True Father and True Mother been saying that there have been no True Parents before now, and True Father and True Mother are the only ones in human history? What will happen after Vision 2020? I discovered True Father and True Mother taught that all Central Blessed Families are messiahs. No one else in human history taught this. We are not only church members, not only followers, we are messiahs and owners of Cheon Il Guk. When we understand this clearly, there is no confusion. I am a messiah on behalf of True Parents. We will carry on  their vision and, sooner or later, we will build God’s nation, like the spirit of the Founding Fathers. We can rebuild this nation of America. Yes!

There are many things to do. I once received a phone call from a sister in Louisville, Kentucky, whose cousin was a producer for the Oprah Winfrey talk show. They were planning to do a program on gay marriage and wanted to know the views of the Unification Movement on that issue. I advised her to read the Cheon Seong Gyeong sections on true families to find the answer. We need to be able to come up with answers and suggest feedback to change the world for the better.

I really hope that you understand that True Mother is asking us to be responsible. In Sun Jin Moon’s speech as the new International President of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, she explained that her first priority is to attend True Mother and True Parents. In our work as tribal messiahs, we need to think about this. And if we become tired, we can look to True Parents’ smile as a comfort and encouragement. Doing Hoon Dok Hwe is also another important message for each one of us.

Thank you for coming and thank you for listening, and God bless you all!