Victory for Vision 2027 and the Successful Dedication of Cheon Won Gung and the Cheon Il Sanctum Special Meeting for Heavenly Korea FFWPU Church Leaders Hosted by the True Parents of Heaven, Earth and Humankind at Heaven and Earth Cheonbo Training Center, on November 17, 2022
True Mother’s Message
With your devoted effort and diligent work you have striven to bear beautiful fruit over the last two days. Seeing your faces, I feel very grateful to you.
It has brought back thoughts of that day, six months after True Father’s ascension, on which I proclaimed the first year of Cheon Il Guk and Foundation Day, a day for which I had to prepare alone.
The establishment of Cheon Il Guk for the first time in history and the construction of Heavenly Parent’s substantial temple where Heavenly Parent’s dreams can be realized on earth ushers in a new era for the Korean Peninsula, the birthplace of the True Parents. In passing through truly difficult living circumstances, it is shocking that we did not have the time to prepare for such a historic day.
Yet in order to keep my promise to Heaven, the truth is that I could not sleep at night. When it comes to Cheon Il Guk, it is important to build a country as its pillar, a nation that can represent it. The national bird and the national flower have been established; however when it comes to the country and the national flag… I am not sure how it was for all of you, but for me, however, when I reflect on the past ten years, in my heart I felt like I had to find one tiny needle in the midst of a desert sandstorm without being able to open my eyes. When a country was established in history, there were central people and there were those who participated in that. But I cannot say I had such people around me. I endured everything by myself and then proclaimed the first year of Cheon Il Guk.
However, a proclamation alone is not enough. Though this never really happened in the past…. I know many of you have made personal effort and offered devotion to bring results and contribute toward church development. From that time and for some years, I have been speaking about a revolution of the culture of the heart. Standing in the position of going beyond the Old Testament Age, the New Testament Age, and the Completed Testament Age and proclaiming the first year of Cheon Il Guk was about creating an environment in which people can attend and live with Heavenly Parent. With regard to songs of praise sang in church services, many beautiful hymns were composed in the New Testament Age as people waited for Jesus to return as he had promised. “Shall We Gather at the River” is a hymn of faith that was composed during a time of oppression and expresses Christians’ resolve even to die as they looked forward to the day they could once again meet the Messiah.
Two thousand years ago, back then, I believe the Jordan River must have been a big river. I visited it in the 70s, even in 1968. During those visits, the Jordan River was more like a brook. That’s how much it has changed. So looking at such historical facts, I envisioned what life would be like in the future as we attend Heavenly Parent in the kingdom of heaven on earth.
It was with this in mind that I called David Eaton to come to Korea. He was deeply involved in cultural activities at the time we were conducting the work of God’s global providence, based in the United States. When I encounter the most beautiful masterpieces around the world, many songs express through their lyrics and melodies the feelings or sensations experienced in a particular place. There are, for instance, beautiful songs written about Naples in Italy[1]. These songs express the environment and atmosphere of those times as well. Germany is another example, I think…?
[Mother sings]
A bodhi tree stands by the well in front of the castle gate
Under the shade of that tree I had a sweet dream
I engraved words of hope on its branches
Tis’ under the tree that I go to in times of happiness and sadness
Tis’ under the tree that I go.
You can all feel the atmosphere through the lyrics of this song, can’t you? In this era of Cheon Il Guk when we are attending Heavenly Parent and living with True Parents, our songs of praise should also change accordingly. That is why I brought David Eaton here ten years ago and said to him, “Please write lyrics and melodies reflecting the atmosphere you are experiencing here.” Yet this is not an easy task, it seems.
There is another song I have sung since I was a young girl. But though I am actually a soprano, nowadays my voice is not so good. [Mother laughs] I must sing this song to you for the sake of America.
[Mother sings]
The sun shines bright on my old Kentucky home,
‘Tis summer, the people are gay;
The corn-top’s ripe and the meadow’s in the bloom
While the birds make music all the day.
The young folks roll on the little cabin floor
All merry, all happy and bright;
By’n by hard times come a knocking at the door
Then my old Kentucky home, Good night!
Weep no more my lady.
Oh! Weep no more today!
We will sing one song for my old Kentucky home
For my old Kentucky home, far away.
Though it was short, did I sing all right? [Applause] When do you think this song was composed? This song was composed for the independence of the United States, before the Civil War between the north and the south. Christianity began to evangelize the world centered on Europe, yet its fundamental essence is “love your neighbor as yourself.” It was to do with love.
In spite of this, people did numerous things that contradicted this fundamental essence. Some went to Africa and sold people as slaves around the world. This song about Kentucky is inspired by a scenic farm in the South. There was a black man working on that farm. Although he lived happily surrounded by nature that he loved, I think it was in this situation that he had to fight for the Confederate Army in the Civil War. This song expresses his longing for the hometown he has left behind. Can you imagine this scene? [Yes.]
And so the United States was born as a new Christian nation, a liberal democracy, and moreover emerged as a representative liberal democratic nation during World War II.
So, if the United States had known the heavenly providence correctly back then, the division between North and South Korea would not have occurred. But now, on the Korean Peninsula, through True Parents, we will have a temple wherein we can attend Heavenly Parent substantially on this earth. This is a miracle of history. It’s a miracle I had never once dreamed of. Do you feel it? [Yes.]
This people, which has to fulfill the mission and responsibility of Heavenly Parent’s homeland, must unite. In order to do that, it is urgent that all of you who received the Blessing first become one and realize a heavenly unified Korea.
But we can’t do this alone. The environment around us has to unite around us and help us. The United States is positioned to have the greatest influence. But Christianity in America… Especially those in positions of political power have a Christian background. But there is a problem of white supremacism. This is not Jesus’ original nature. He told people to love their neighbors as themselves. However, the forces on the side of Satan have been striving for a very long time to occupy Africa. America is sleeping, however. Yet the Africans came as slaves and many lived in the United States, and they suffered a lot under various types of white supremacism.
To put it another way, in order for the democratic world to win over the communist world, the United States must become one with Africa. America must become one with Asia. From this standpoint, the presidents who will lead the United States in the future must know for sure. What is America’s mission? America cannot be just for Americans. True Parents are the ones that that can educate them about that. There is only one set of True Parents. The True Parents.
You must teach so that the United States can become one with the Mother of Peace so that America can embrace Africa, Asia and the rest of the world.
To that end, there are many beautiful concepts in these songs of praise, in the hymns of the New Testament era. As well as marching songs, there are many famous songs, which is the reason for creating a cultural center in this era of Cheon Il Guk. Since we have to create the culture of Cheon Il Guk, even if you do not have any professional knowledge, you are all waiting for the day when you will be able to dedicate your life to the present moment, in oneness with True Parents—and moreover, the temple where you can directly attend Heavenly Parent. I hope that through your devotion and effort many treasures will emerge that can be praised in song in front of God.
In the beginning, I was alone, but now that you are here, I will try to advance in hope.
[1] Mother likes the song Santa Lucia, which is about a beautiful part of Naples.