Hak Ja Han
March 4, 2015
1.14 Heavenly Calendar at the Cheon Jeong Gung
Celebration for the victorious commemoration of the Second Anniversary of Foundation Day
This is the third year of Cheon Il Guk. Heaven has blessed us; we felt that yesterday when snow suddenly fell. Weren't you happy? However, please be careful in this weather when you go down the road. Yesterday, I spoke about the olive tree. Some of you were there, but I am sure there are some here who have not heard what I said yet.
When we think about olive trees, we tend to think about the Middle East, don't we? The Middle East is a desert area. The Bible describes that the Israelites left Egypt to go to Canaan, expressed as a holy land of milk and honey, but when they got to Canaan, it was actually quite a barren land. When True Father and I went to Israel together in 1969, within four hours we visited the entire country. I compared Israel to our country, Korea, which is a land filled with mountains and lakes, which are beautiful.
Israel is quite barren, and there is not very much to see. Israel seemed to be a land filled with rocks and sand. However, many stories have arisen about Israel in the course of God's providence. There are many stories in the Bible about this place, such as the story of the cultivated olive tree and the wild olive tree.
How is it possible in that barren, harsh environment that the olive tree could sink its roots and survive for more than a thousand years? How is this possible? How much effort do you think this tree had to make in order to survive in that barren environment? Don't you think it made effort?
As this tree grows, its roots continue growing for fifteen years. How many days is that? It takes fifteen years for the roots to grow to the point where they reach a water source. If they do not reach the water in that time, the roots have to grow even deeper. I am talking not about one day but fifteen years. The olive tree is truly an exceptional tree, which is why when it has produced leaves and has borne fruit, that fruit is so precious. We think of olives as healthy food. In the Middle East, people use olive oil and olives in their food. That food is good food and can heal many illnesses that many people suffer from today. I am sure of that, even without telling you the benefits of olive oil.
You know that there are many special trees out there; among them, the olive tree is one of the more exceptional trees. What about us? How do our "roots" look today? Through the True Parents, you received the blessing and established blessed families. Not so long ago, when I was in Hawaii, a couple from the 1,800-couple blessing group came to see me. They told me that it had been forty years since they had received the blessing. Many couples received the blessing thirty, forty or fifty years ago, but how deep and healthy are their roots? I want to ask all blessed members, beginning with those in the thirty-sixand seventy-two-couple blessing groups, Do you have such heathy roots that they can remain forever and are a guarantee of a bright future?
You genuinely need to repent when you think about this. Do you understand? A new era… We live in a new historic era and we need to be different. Think about your name value: Who am I? What did I take responsibility for? What did I do? An unimportant question is, What position am I in? From now on, we need to focus on questions such as: Where should we go? What preparations did we make and what responsibilities did we fulfill on earth in order to reach that destination? What clear foundation did we build for our future descendants?
What did we do for the three generations that will follow ours?
This is very important, isn't it? From this point of view, you need to bring concrete results efficiently and you need to show your results. If you are in a company, each one of you needs to establish a clear system. Do you understand what I am saying? You need to plan; please make effort. I am telling you to make progress.
Thinking that today is adequate and tomorrow will be adequate does not display the right attitude. With that attitude, we cannot be the people who lived with True Parents in the Cheon Il Guk era. Think about what will appear on your report card in the eternal world. What will your descendants think about your legacy? They may think, How is it that they only achieved this much when they lived in the same environment as the True Parents?
Please become people in 2015, the year of the sheep, that experience no remorse and no regrets. If you look in the Bible, you will see that it cites sheep many times. The sheep was used as a sacrificial offering. Humans are very grateful for the sheep. The sheep offers everything, even its wool. Nothing of the sheep is lost or discarded. Lamb meat is one of the best meats. Some people may not eat beef, but lamb meat is healthy food, suitable for anybody.
When a sheep becomes an offering, it does not fight. Even when you are cutting its throat, a sheep does not cry out; it is obedient. Please, you need to learn this from the sheep. Do you understand?
Let us not become people that did not exceed even what an animal does. Among many leaders and those with responsibility, having passion is good, but having too much passion indicates it comes from personal desire and ambition. People ascending to the top need to learn how to come down humbly, but so many people are not capable of doing that. I hope leaders can learn how to come down from their positions like a sheep. Do you understand?
Heaven is blessing you and giving you this beautiful, green, vibrant year of the sheep. The color green is close to nature. Nature is clean and crystal clear, which is how our lives should be. Do you understand?
This is why we can only conclude that this year is to be a very special year. During this special year, I hope you all become special beings, special people with special families. Let's all stand up. Let's all rise from our seats and sing "Our Hope is for Unity."