To everyone in the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, moving forward, the plan is our movement will have a new name, “The Heavenly Parent’s Church,” and to all of its members, family members, and blessed families, good day.
We have finally entered the month of May. It is another month of hope, and I would like to share with you five main points.
Last Sunday, True Mother’s Secretary to the President Jung Won-ju, individually asked about the situation with the coronavirus in Japan. She texted us through the app called Kakako Talk, and as I saw her messages, I felt True Mother was by her side. Because of this, I felt Mother really loves the members of Japan, and that she is very interested in our work. I really felt that we are always in her prayers. This was the first thing that came to mind through this exchange.
Ms. Jung Won-ju peppered me with questions and asked things like, “Is Japan alright? Are the members fine? How is the situation with the coronavirus?” It was as if Mother was in the background watching over the members of Japan with great interest and also with a lot of concern. I could feel this throughout my exchange I had with Secretary Jung Won-ju.
So first, I would like to say that as we are in the midst of this difficult time with the coronavirus, True Mother deeply loves the members of Japan; she is deeply concerned; and we are being protected through her deep prayers. This is the first thing I would like convey to all of you.
In addition, beginning with Church President Lee Ki-Seong of Korea and America’s Church President Kim Ki-hoon, many leaders from Korea or America, even members in Taiwan, or even Sub-regional director Damian in America have asked if Japan is well. Even though the situation in America is still dire, they are all showing concern about Japan.
From Europe, Regional Chairman Michael Balcomb has asked if Japan is okay. Europe is also in the middle of troubling times, yet they send us messages of concern. So, the whole world is really keeping an eye and is worried about Japan, and I felt their concern towards us.
Personally, I am not the type of person that normally dreams (at night). I am not the spiritual type. I am rather the active type that likes to put things into action. I would say that is my specialty.
However, as we are in these serious timeswhich has forced us to pray for the safety of the members in Japan against the coronavirus, True Mother appeared in my dreams three times in the past week. I don’t have the time to talk about the dreams in detail, but Mother appeared three times, and Father even appeared once and I was able to communicate directly with them in my dreams.
To that degree, we have been desperate this past week and I truly felt that Heaven is protecting Japan and will guide us through these times.
So, to everyone, as you pray deeply, I hope that you can converse profoundly with the Heavenly Parent and with True Parents. As some of you may have callings or see certain dreams, I hope that you ask for guidance from your hearts.
This was the first point.
Second, there is a special part in Mother’s biography that I feel the members in Japan need to keep in their hearts. I would like to introduce this part with you now.
In the Japanese edition of the biography, this part can be found on page 219. In the middle of page 219, it says, “Shortly before leaving for Moscow, Father and I met and spent time with some of the elder members. Most of them tried to stop us from going.” The members were trying to stop True Parents from going because it was dangerous at that time. It says, “They asked, ‘Why do you dare go to the stronghold of Communism?’
“However, Father and I could not bend our will. After Reverend Moon looked each member in the eye, he said something unexpected. He said, ‘The time has come for the second founder of the Unification Church.’
“With the words ‘second founder’ being mentioned unexpectedly, no one could raise a voice. After Reverend Moon looked over the members again, he slowly opened his mouth and said, ‘Even if I am gone, it will be fine as long as Mother is here.’
“At that moment, my major mission as the second founder of the Unification Church became clear. Everyone there was quite shocked, but I quietly took in those words. The mission of the Only Begotten Daughter to save the world and as the Mother of Peace had already been placed upon me 30 years ago. However, I had been doing my best to support Reverend Moon as his wife for him to lead the providence in the frontline.
“That day, the announcement of the second founder was made as a precaution in case something terrible were to happen in Moscow.
“On March 27, 1990, we welcomed True Parents’ Day—one of the holidays of the Unification Church—and at the commemorative service held in New York, the realm of liberation for all women was declared. With that, I became the second founder of the Unification Church.
Then, on November 27, 1994 at Belvedere, New York, my public mission as the second founder was officially announced, and the significance of this mission was emphasized. It was a time when the training of 160 thousand Japanese women, as well as rallies in various countries, had finished and my role was starting to become evermore important.
That day, I called on all of the members to make the determination of ‘becoming one and pledging to become families that can establish the tradition of True Parents.’
“Moreover, in June 1991, at the main buiding of Clearstone Deer Farm in Canada, the Pledge and Declaration as the will of King was made.
“As his will, Reverend Moon declared that after he were to ascend, I would fulfill the role of carrying God’s mission and that the women representatives of Japan would take the responsibility and support True Mother.
“This declaration includes the mission that Japan needs to become one with True Mother and embrace the world.
“In this manner, Reverend Moon took precautions on several occasions in the case something were to happen to him.”
This is what is written on pages 219 and 220 of the Japanese edition of her biography.
In other words, the second thing I would like to mention today is that Father had appointed Mother as the the second founder of the Unification Church. And since that moment, Japan has been deeply connected with her as the Mother Nation. This is what I truly want to share with all of you.
What I just read included three events. The first of these was on March 27, 1990 during the 31st True Parents’ Day held in New York. Together with the declaration of the realm of liberation for all women, the declaration was made that True Mother was the second founder of the Unification Church according to True Father.
Vice President Lee Son Man has said, “The words ‘Only Begotten Daughter’ appears 123 times in Mother’s biography.” He says this in the May edition of World Family. So, the words “Only Begotten Daughter” appears 123 times.
How much providential meaning do the words “Only Begotten Daughter” have? This is something we cannot even measure or calculate.
In any case, the first time Father declared Mother as the second founder of the Unification Church was on March 27, 1990 in New York.
Next, on June 15, 1991, the ceremonyof Pledge and Declaration as the will of King was held at the main building of Clearstone, Canada. The Will signifies the King’s will. This was a historic declaration and four Japanese women representatives attended this ceremony. Father wanted the Mother Nation of Japan to be the heartistic foundation that could support True Mother. In particular, we can understand that when Father was alive he sincerely wanted the women of the Mother Nation of Japan to become this foundation.
In this month’s edition of World Family, Reverend Oyamada talks about his thoughts and feelings after reading the biography and he refers to this particular ceremony. That’s how important this moment of declaring Mother as the second founder was, and Father even had four women representatives from Japan attend. He also mentions Father’s will and how passionately he wanted the women of Japan to be the heartistic foundation that could support Mother first and foremost.
Then, on November 27, 1994 at Belvedere in New York, Mother’s public mission as the second founder was officially announced yet again, and Father’s words were made even more clear. This was about the time when the training for 160 thousand Japanese women had finished.
In this manner, Father declared Mother as the second founder of the Unification Church, and at that moment in time, some of the women representatives of Japan were in attendance. Father also clearly stated that Japan needed to become Mother’s heartistic foundation. Even if they were to split up, out of all the women in the world, the women of Japan should be the first to support Mother as her foundation of heart. Moreover, just like Mother and as the Mother Nation, Japan needs to carry the other son and daughter nations of the world, educate them, and lift them up. These words were left behind by Father.
Next, I’d like to talk about the third main point.
It is needless to say, but currently we are facing the crisis of the coronavirus even in Japan. We are still in the middle of this crisis. I know I have been saying this a lot, but I’d like to talk about five attitudes that we need to have towards the coronavirus.
The most important and basic attitude we should carry is to fear the virus properly. Of course, it’s not good to be overcome with fear and worry about it excessively.
If you worry about it excessively and just stay cooped up in your homes, Heaven’s providence will not move forward. Furthermore, just because you stayed home does not guarantee you would not get the virus. However, on the other hand, the coronavirus is truly frightening. No one knows who are where they may get it. That is the scary part. Therefore, fearing the virus properly is the basic attitude and a fitting attitude in this moment that I would like to reiterate.
As you all know, the number of cases worldwide is nearing 3.5 million. The number of deaths is approaching 250 thousand. In Japan, we are closing in on 15,000 infected and 500 deaths. For a moment, the number of new cases decreased in Tokyo. However, we are not able to let our guards down just yet. This kind of situation has been ongoing.
Another important note is that it may be a way of educating children in terms of a life of faith, but there is one thing we must not get confused with.
What that is is the misunderstanding that if we do Heaven’s will diligently, Heaven will protect us no matter what, that we don’t have to worry about the coronavirus and just do Heaven’s will diligently. This way of thinking is flawed.
What I’ve learned through the Divine Principle is that God has His portion of responsibility and we have ours. These two elements help the will come to fruition. When seen from God’s portion of responsibility, the human portion is only five percent. However, from the human standpoint, this requires 100 percent of our efforts, and so, when we invest everything we have, that is when the five-percent human portion of responsibility will be achieved.
In terms of teaching faith to our children…for example, let’s say a father and mother in a particular family are public leaders. They may think that as long as they did Heaven’s will diligently, their children would be protected, that their children would naturally develop their faith, and that they would eventually get blessed. Some of us may have this kind of understanding
However, how much have we done as parents to educate our children? Even though we may have been busy, how much time did we spend with them? When they needed us most, were we there to listen and talk with them? Did we actually do anything to help guide them in their lives of faith?
In terms of investing ourselves in our children’s affairs, we need to realize that we have not done nearly as enough.
It is the same in this situation with the coronavirus. As long as I invest diligently into the will, God will protect my family. This way of thinking may be very admirable in terms of being a model of faith individually, but we also need to invest in the human side of things.
Investing in human affairs will help you receive Heaven’s protection. Investing in human affairs will help you grab hold of your destiny. This is the Principle that we have learned, that the two factors of God and human beings’ portion of responsibilities together will bring the will to fruition. This is something I wanted to share with all of you.
Second, please thoroughly practice the basic preventive measures. First, avoid the three C’s: 1) closed spaces, 2) crowded places, and 3) close-contact settings.
In addition, please use face masks. I always wear face masks. The only time I don’t is when I have to give this speech. But when I need to meet people, I always wear a face mask.
Moreover, please wash your hands. When entering your homes or churches, please also make sure to use disinfectants or sanitizers.
Please make sure to practice good hygiene and these basic preventive measures. If we don’t follow them, Heaven will not be able to completely protect us. Please think in this manner.
Third, we need to look at this fight with the coronavirus as a long-term battle. It is not going to be over in a month. If we think it’ll be over in three months, it’ll be over in four. If we think four, then five. This is what we are facing.
Therefore, please be ready for this to continue into the summer and be ready for a long fight. As we practice the preventive measures against the virus thoroughly, please take part in your activities one step at a time. I truly believe we need to have this kind of attitude. So, the directive for May is that there will be no big gatherings or services throughout the month of May.
In Korea, the situation with the coronavirus is nearing its end, so the Family Federation in Korea is considering resuming services around May 10th. Unfortunately, the end is no where near in sight for Japan, so all services and big gatherings will be prohibited throughout this month of May.
You may ask, “When will we be able to resume?” Japan HQ will keep a close eye on the situation with the number of cases throughout the country, so when the end-of-the-month nears, Japan HQ will make another official announcement then.
Therefore, we won’t be able to have services, big gatherings, events, or even a large-scale blessing ceremony. Then the only thing we can do is to enrich our family services and family gatherings. Please set up a good internet system as we now can utilize video services. Please take advantage and plan things like virtual services, hoon-dok-hae services, or calligraphy services in your communities in compliance with your churches or church districts.
So, activities will not be centered around gathering in churches, but will be centered around family services and family gatherings as we face this long battle. I would like to emphasize this point, and this was the third basic attitude against the virus.
Fourth, it is very easy for main offices of regional districts, church districts, and churches to hold meetings, but I would like to ask that these offices also stick to telecommuting.
If there are 10 staff, please leave operations up to two or three people, and the remaining seven should work from home. In addition, please rotate the staff that will be in the office. As much as possible, please refrain from gathering at churches or holding events and meetings. I really ask this of all the offices.
Please telecommute if you need to work. Reducing human contact is the basic principle to stop the spread of the virus. Please adhere to this.
Fifth and lastly, the situation is that the coronavirus has spread throughout Japan, and many family members find themselves in this environment we have today. We are living our lives in this setting, so we don’t know when the coronavirus will creep up onto our family members.
For example, you may have a fever for two or three days. You may feel dizzy. You may develop a cough or a headache. You may develop these coronavirus-like symptoms. If you do, please report this to your churches, and the churches should report this to the church districts, and the church districts to the regional districts. Please report this ASAP. This is an essential step in preventing the spread of the virus. The initial response is crucial. The action we take in the early stages is a major factor in preventing the virus from spreading.
In that regard, if you suspect something out of the ordinary, I ask that all parties report it so that the news may reach us at Japan HQ. Preventing the spread of the virus should be done in the early stages, and it may not lead to early treatment, but early detection is important as it can lead to proper action. I really would like to ask this from everybody.
So, our basic attitude that we should have against the coronavirus is the third main point I wanted to share.
The fourth main point is that since we are unable to gather in churches and hold big gatherings or services, I would like to ask once again that each family and each individual in the family offer prayers fervently. Please convene in your families or in small groups and offer prayers with fervor. Or, you may offer an intense prayer by yourself, individually. With these prayers, let us receive cooperation and help from spirit world, as well as protection and guidance from the Heavenly Parent and True Parents. Our fervent prayers are required now more so than at any other time. I truly believe so.
Please offer fervent prayers to receive guidance from the Heavenly Parent, True Parents, and spirit world. I also ask that you offer individual prayers.
From April 10th to 30th, we had a special 21-day cheongseong prayer period. This was extended from May 1st to the 7th. This special cheongseong prayer period was extended to May 7th, and on May 8th, the 60th anniversary of True Parents’ Holy Wedding will be held. Unfortunately, due to the coronavirus, leaders such as I, will not be able to attend from Japan. I will most likely have to attend virtually. In any case, I have heard that Mother will give an important speech on May 8th.
From May 8th to September 4th, which will be the 8th anniversary of Father’s seunghwa, there will be exactly 120 days from May 8th to September 4th. Accordingly, a 120-day special period will be set up and we will embark on a 120-day special dedication course which we begin on May 8th. Please keep this in mind.
Finally, the fifth main point is that we need to center ourselves around True Mother. We need to establish this centeredness and become one with Mother. This will definitely allow us to receive heavenly fortune and it is the greatest key to bringing victory in the whole providence; it is the direct path to victory.
No matter if it’s on an individual basis, or as a family, church, church district, regional district or even as Heavenly Japan as a whole, we need to become one with Mother. We need to establish a centrality that is centered on True Mother and a bond of unification centered on True Mother. By doing so, let us become the Heavenly Japan that can push forward on the direct path to victory.
In order to do so, let me remind you again to please read Mother’s biography. Even if you already have, read it a second time. If you’ve read it a second time, read it a third time, and more. Please read over Mother’s biography carefully and diligently so that you can understand it fully. We also need to practice these words in our daily lives of faith. Let the biography be the greatest tool for us to unite with Mother. Please utilize Mother’s biography to its fullest and become one with her. Please do not give in to this ordeal with the coronavirus and let us come out on top. So, let us begin this month of May with hope and victory. That will be all. Thank you very much.
