Keynote Address at the 21st True Family Values Awards Banquet

True Mother delivered the following keynote address at the 21st True Family Values Awards Banquet, which convened at the New York Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge on December 3, 2016.

Beloved members of the American Clergy Leadership Conference, I am happy to see you today.

God is our Parent. When God created the world, He began with a purpose. God has been waiting for the human ancestors, the True Parents, who will fulfill their responsibilities according to this purpose. This messianic concept has been prevalent throughout fallen human history.

As you are well aware from the Bible, God had a dream for humankind. Human beings also had great hope of returning to our Heavenly Parent, God. However, Adam and Eve, who were to become the first true human ancestors, had fallen, and because of their mistake, indemnity had to be paid. Unless indemnity was paid, the providence could not move forward even one step. That is why God had to lead the providence of restoration and the salvation of humankind.

These days I have been speaking on numerous topics, and I began to think about the flood in Noah’s time. This flood happened in a particular geographical location, but God had raised Noah as the central figure so that Heaven could find God’s children in this satanic world. God chose a central figure for that reason. However, after the flood, Noah, as the Bible says, lay down and slept. Noah had three children, whom I’m sure you’re well aware of. They were Shem, the first son; Ham, the second son; and Japheth, the third son.

Ham, seeing his father lying naked, was ashamed of him. That act led to the family not uniting with the central figure. Do you understand what I am trying to say? In order for fallen humanity to return to God, absolute love, absolute faith and absolute obedience are required. No self-centeredness can pollute this standard, so even though Ham was Noah’s son, his lack of faith and his shame toward his father became a condition. A condition resulted in the three sons dividing.

What am I trying to say? Regarding the central figure whom Heaven appoints, there must be complete unity. We cannot allow self-centeredness, greed or jealousy to invade that standard, because that is how we lay the foundation to return to Heaven. Today, however, we can see that America is rife with issues, isn’t it? Meanwhile, wars and unfathomable conflicts are happening all over the world. How can we create a unified world of peace?

Many people with great ideals and goodwill have made effort. Many religions, too, have made tremendous effort to solve these issues. Originally, God wished to restore fallen human beings. For that purpose, God raised the chosen people, so that human beings could unite. God inspired the messianic ideology, so that humankind would be prepared to accept the Messiah.

However, the process of taking a single step forward at the time was so difficult that it took 4,000 biblical years and the laying of countless indemnity conditions for Heaven to send the Messiah. Heaven kept its promise; Heaven sent the Messiah. What happened when Jesus finally arrived among the people of Israel? Unfortunately, they were unable to unite with him. The people of Israel were unable to accept Jesus, and then they went down a difficult path and paid a lot of indemnity, as you are well aware.

Today, especially the clergy must teach [the people] properly about God. To enlighten people properly about God, we must know that the central figures of this providence of restoration through indemnity are the Savior, the Messiah and the True Parents. Hence, when it comes to teaching and sharing the good news with the members of your congregation, please align and unite with True Parents. You ought to teach your congregation from that aligned position.

The hope of humanity is to realize a world of peace. Humanity’s hope is to realize a world of peace, freedom, unity, and happiness, in which we attend God as our Parent. To realize that kind of world, we need to change. This means that we need to move away from the realm of indemnity; we need to receive the Blessing from True Parents and be born again through that. Unless we are born again, we cannot change. Isn’t that true? Therefore, I hope that each one of you can give your best effort in all of your endeavors and undertakings.

I know you are doing your very best. However, I would like to emphasize that this time is particularly important; these periods do not happen all the time. During the time when the Savior, the returning Messiah, the True Parents, are on the earth, your achievements will be greatly recognized by Heaven and by humanity. If you fulfill your responsibilities, people will revere you. You will be able to stand in True Parents’ presence in the new era, Cheon Il Guk, which True Parents have opened.

What is Cheon Il Guk? It is an era in which two become one. It is an era in which couples unite. To become citizens who live in the Cheon Il Guk era, we must go beyond the realm of paying indemnity. This means that we need to receive the Blessing from True Parents. Do you agree?

Receiving the Blessing entails responsibility. The more you share happiness, the greater that happiness becomes. Happiness is not selfish. Happiness is not self-centered. Happiness engenders altruism, sharing that happiness with all 7.3 billion people. The day that all 7.3 billion people are happy is when we all receive the Blessing. I hope that you all will work hard to achieve this ideal. All races are beautiful in God’s eyes.

I am saying do not hold prejudices. If we look into it, we are all brothers and sisters. Thinking that one person is higher or another is lower is an incorrect way of thinking. From the position of attending God as our Parent, all human beings are equal. Unfortunately, because of the Human Fall, as a result of humans having fallen, True Parents are necessary, absolutely. Do you understand?

Therefore, around the world we can see many issues and problems today. An individual alone cannot solve these problems. Let us attend True Parents as the center and solve these problems one by one. In particular, Heaven chose this nation of America for a special mission. There is no doubt about it. This nation was chosen to lay the foundation for the returning Messiah. Heaven blessed America for this purpose. We have learned about the nations Heaven chose throughout history. When those nations failed in their responsibilities, we know that indemnity had to be paid. I believe that even this nation is not an exception to that rule. Therefore, Rev. Moon came to this country very early and invested forty years of his life, investing himself completely.

Yet for America to become a nation, a people, that repays grace with grace and fulfills its responsibilities toward Heaven’s providence with gratitude, I believe the American people need you to enlighten all of them. That is the only way this nation can become a nation that fulfills its obligations. Please remember this. I hope that you can have this attitude in revealing the truth and be bold, be proud, be strong; march forward courageously.