On June 25, 1983, 45 students of Unification Theological Seminary gathered at Barrytown, with their teachers, friends, and parents, to participate in the Class of’ 83 graduation ceremony. Most importantly, True Parents themselves attended the event, giving it a special, historical significance. To the surprise of many, Father left immediately afterward to continue fishing with Ocean Church members.
Among the speakers was Mr. David Kim, president and “papa” of UTS. His last words to the graduating class included the following: ”When you go out into the field, you will be working on the front line between good and evil, harmony and conflict, and diplomacy.
”I hope that out there you will bring many more successes and achievements in order to become congratulated not only by me but by the nation and the world.”
Ladies and Gentlemen:
I am truly grateful to you, the parents and families of the graduating students, friends, professors, and distinguished guests, for your attendance at this seventh graduation ceremony of the Unification Theological Seminary.
The Unification Church has recently emerged as a unique group, without precedent in history. Parents of our members, the larger society, nations, and the world recognize our uniqueness but they generally fail to understand the nature of it.
People in the world tend to see things primarily from a self-centered perspective. However, members of the Unification Church learn to view everything from a higher and larger dimension. For example: money, power, knowledge – even salvation – are regarded from a worldly viewpoint as benefitting the individual, or at most the family. How rare it is to find a person who puts even the welfare of the nation above that of the family! But for us the entire cosmos, both spiritual and physical, takes priority over the individual, the family, and even the nation.
Life Goals
Goals such as liberation, freedom, and happiness are generally sought for the sake of a few people rather than the human family as a whole. But unlike the rest of the world, we strive toward liberation, freedom and happiness not only for all mankind, but even for God. Anyone who overlooks this difference fails to understand our true nature.
Because our perspective is different and our goal is different, the direction and contents of our lives are different. This difference is analogous to that between a sprinter and a marathon runner. Like the marathon runner, we need not only long-range thinking, but also more training. Our task demands more perseverance, longer periods of self-sacrifice, and more pain.
Coming from a narrower perspective, many parents, families, and even nations have failed to understand this, and have opposed us. In spite of this opposition, we have tried to embrace everyone; and fortunately, more and more people are now reflecting on their previous attitude and beginning to understand us.
Holy Sons and Daughters
From the point of view of the family, sons and daughters who love and serve their parents for the benefit of the entire family are called children of filial piety. From the point of view of a nation, citizens who love and serve their country are called loyal patriots. From a global point of view, people who love and serve all of mankind are called saints. And from a cosmic point of view, those who love and serve heaven as well as mankind are called holy sons and daughters of God. In the Unification Church, our goal is to become holy sons and daughters of God.
What does history need most? Does it need people with a narrow, worldly perspective, or does it need the Unification Church? If the conscientious people of the world really understood the Unification Church they would agree that history needs us more than anything else. And if we were to ask God, the answer would be the same.
As sons and daughters of God, we can be proud of our historical mission. When our generation passes away, we must leave behind a worthy history, a secure mankind, and a satisfied God. Such a mission enjoys the protection of history, mankind, and God. For this, we can be grateful in our daily work.
Those of you who are graduating from the Seminary today are part of this historical mission. Reverend Moon and the members of the Unification Church have devoted considerable effort to your education, and have high hopes that in your future careers you will become true leaders of tomorrow. We are praying that you establish a royal pattern which will liberate mankind and God, and will defeat Satan and communism. We are also praying that you will establish a new and higher tradition for future history, mankind and God.
I would like to close by congratulating the graduates on their achievement; and by thanking once again the parents of these historically important young people, the professors who have instructed these people whom history needs, and the distinguished guests who will watch them with new hope./
Father’s Closing Prayer
Loving Father!
Before Thy noblest and highest Will, all human beings cannot even hide their miserable faces, because in the past, we failed to set up an acceptable standard of human dignity and prestige for Thee. Throughout the ages of history, thou hast been following the path of human sorrows and miseries, working hard with these suffering human beings and sacrificing numerous people in the course of Restoration Providence, with the sole hope of fulfilling Thy Original Will. Our human ancestors failed to cooperate with Thy Will and failed in their heavenly responsibilities, Jar which we ask Thy sympathy.
In order to fulfill the noble task of Thy Will, thou hast established many conscientious religions on earth; amongst them, Judaism and Christianity assumed special missions as central and leading forces to do Thy Will. However, up to the present, they failed to accomplish their noble responsibilities, for which we also humbly beseech Thee for Thy sympathy and forgiveness.
To totally indemnify all the failures of the past and present in the course of the Restoration Providence, thou established the Unification Church, and Thou hast been the guiding force in overcoming severe suffering, hardships and unbearable persecution. The work of the Unification Church began out of the small and distant nation of Korea, now reaching out to the highest levels of the contemporary world. This development and these accomplishments, derived from Thy guidance, protection and love, now await the final confrontation and challenge to the whole world, for which I am deeply grateful to Thee.
To accelerate such a noble Will, the Unification Church inaugurated the Unification Theological Seminary nine years ago to train and produce important leaders. We are now celebrating the seventh graduation ceremony today; we pray that Thou be in this ceremony with these new graduates. They studied here for two or three years and worked very hard to become respectable, proud and victorious leaders-to-be in the course of God’s Dispensation on behalf of all mankind, to influence the past, present and future of all mankind.
These new graduates will stand firmly in the front line centering on this land of America, the leader of the world; protecting free nations; controlling the rapid spread of Communism to conquer the entire globe; and establishing the Kingdom of Heaven on earth, the noblest task to be accomplished. We pray that Thou bless, protect and guide these 45 new graduates who will challenge this troubled world of reality. Thy divine protection, infinite care and intervention be with them throughout their entire life. I humbly place all these new graduates in Thy hands and Thy direct guidance. I again beseech Thee that they will not fail Thee, since they did already pledge their life to Thee a long time ago.
In expressing gratitude to all those who are attending this graduation – distinguished guests, faculty, staff, parents, relatives and friends -may Thy blessing today be upon them forever.
In the name of True Parents
Amen. Amen. Amen.