About a week before we left Korea, True Mother called the touring team. She told us not to worry about the situation, that everything would be okay. She said we should share this reassurance with the members as well: that it’s all going to be okay, and there is no need to worry. She also emphasized that we must express our gratitude to the members and especially to the missionaries who remain in their missions, protecting their mission field, because they are the pillars upholding things where we are now.
At the end of her message, Mother said something I did not expect. She told us that we should also go out and talk about protecting the environment. This felt sudden to me. In a time when there are so many other urgent issues, she still said that we should tell the members that we need to protect the Earth and protect the environment. This really made me reflect deeply. On the nine-hour plane ride here, I could hardly sleep. I normally look kind of tired, but today I probably look even more tired because I slept only two hours – as I kept reflecting upon that last part.
“Why, at this time, is True Mother emphasizing the environment?” Of course, we all know it is important. But when I thought back on what True Mother has spoken about since Father’s Seonghwa, I realized something. She has spoken often about the Only Begotten Daughter, about the position that represents the motherly side of Heavenly Parent. But she also speaks a lot about the present time, and about the physical world. “We must witness. We must protect the environment.”
I could have just taken these words as they were, thinking, “Yes, this is our mission.” But I wanted to think more deeply about why she said this. I came to the conclusion that it is because she loves us, her children. Even though True Mother’s remaining time on Earth is shorter than the years she has already lived, she is thinking about her children and what will happen after she passes into the spirit world.
Until now, I have never really thought much about heaven. In our faith, heaven is not the final goal. We talk about building heaven on Earth. I simply believed that if I lived a good life, I would go to heaven after I die and be happy. But now I see it differently. Heaven is not simply a place. It is not about entering through some heaven’s gates. Rather, heaven is something within our hearts, something we build here in the physical world.
This led me to think about what we truly value on this earth. Society tells us a $3,000 Chanel bag is valuable. But would owning that bag make me happy? Maybe for a moment. But what would make me really happy? And I come to realize that the most important things come from the emotions we feel through our connections with people who are important to us. Any parent knows that a drawing or a letter from a young child, something as simple as a picture of clasped hands or “I love you,” brings them much more joy than a $3,000 Chanel bag. That is why “One Family Under God” is the key to heaven.
Happiness is found in love, in even the smallest actions of those we care about. If we can extend that heart to all our brothers and sisters, to everyone in this world—then no matter where we are, what we wear, or what we eat, we can feel joy. Heaven begins in our hearts. It begins with gratitude for what we already have. This made me reflect: Am I really living like this? Am I treating people around me with this kind of love and understanding? And does our movement reflect this? Sometimes, yes. But are we really striving for it? When we speak of heaven on earth, do we have a clear image of what that means and how to build it?
I believe it starts with small changes in our hearts. If I can feel grateful to the cleaning lady, not just because it is her paid job, but simply grateful that she cleans, then I change. True Mother knows how difficult it is to transform society, especially in a capitalistic world where everything has a price. But this is why she is urgent. This is why she says we must witness, why we must protect the Earth, why we must build the foundation now, while she is still here. She wants to help us reach that goal while she can.
History shows us how Christians have fought over even the smallest things. True Mother knows this, and this is why she clings to life with such determination. It is not because living longer is easy or joyful for her. Her health is not as it once was. If I were in her position, would I want to live sixteen more years on a strict diet and schedule? Probably not. But she endures because of us. True Mother chooses to live another day not for herself, but for us, because she loves us and wants to be with us as we walk this path. That is the heart I hope can be conveyed to all members of Oceania, even those far away who may not see her closely.
This is really my message: to reflect on why True Mother continues to live for us, to reflect on why we chose this path in the Unification Movement, and to strive to grow together, so that while True Mother is here we can build the foundation not only for her, but for ourselves and for the generations to come.
Even though it might not have been perfectly organized, I hope I conveyed at least a small part of what I feel is True Mother’s heart for us.
Thank you very much.
This message was delivered to the members at the New Zealand Headquarters Church in Auckland by Inheritor of Heaven’s Love and Blessing Moon Shin-chul during the recent Heavenly Asia-Pacific Tour.
