Way to Repentance.
Father's Words
World Conference (2/25/80)
What is repentance? The best way to repent is to be scolded by Father. I give you a hard time, and tears trickle from your eyes; you want to cry out in prayer, asking God to forgive you. Isn't that the best? I am sorry I have to speak to you like this, but the historical reality must be exposed. What a blessing it is that your shortcomings, your misbehavior, and your irresponsibilities are all forgiven.
What have you been doing? Have you been doing exactly the same as me? Have you been kicked and persecuted by people? Have you been so hardened in the work of servanthood? Have you been serving people?
Look back at your own life and accomplishments. What do you think of your own past? Those of you who have been hungry know that all the members of your church are hungry. When there is no place to lie down and sleep and everybody is suffering, you may still want to be in a big room and lie down comfortably. If at that moment you don't care about the rest of the members, woe to you, you hypocrite.
If you committed such a crime, then you need to repent. Go ahead and repent from the bottom of your heart. If you don't, you cannot receive the inheritance from the Messiah. You cannot inherit the Kingdom of God from the True Parents. That kind of noble tradition of sacrifice is beautiful. In following such a tradition, we can swallow the satanic world.
True Parents and I (6/15/86)
Most of you have been a part of the life of the Unification Church for many years, and most of you have received the Blessing. But you have been living according to something less than the real Unification Church direction. There is far more distance to be covered. We have to be shedding tears -- kneeling on the floor and repenting. Repentance must be the first thing on our agenda.
The Future of the Religious Person (9/1/86)
Nobody really understands God's will. But the American people must return to God. It is like Jesus' time, when John the Baptist stood out in the desert and shouted, "Repent, and return to God!" Otherwise America has no hope. Someone is standing out in the wilderness now, just as in the time of the Israelites, proclaiming loudly, "Repent!" That person is Rev. Moon. I am telling you Moonies first of all, "Repent!" You have to repent!
Learning Tradition -- Europeans in America (6/13/83)
Please realize we must always keep repenting and trying to understand our errors. This is our way of removing ourselves from the midway position, and this is our way of survival.
We must show the existence of God and the spirit world to all people, down to the last man, before they can be converted. It is not enough merely to understand. What you are trying to explain to your members, you must show to them.
The directions Father gives to the Japanese leaders are so high that the Japanese have never heard the like of them before. But Japanese members, even if they think the directions are difficult, always try to repent. And they complain, but not to God. They complain to themselves that they have so little ability and goodness.
They search themselves to discover why they are not so Abel. They torment themselves and try to repent for their fallen condition. They pray sincerely to God, "I am so weak, and I should do so much more, so please, God, help me." They do that before they go into action. This is not a concept but is a practical technique that works.
In spite of having worked so hard and prayed so much, and in spite of knowing that God must accomplish everything through you, you may have wondered why nothing happens in your church. You may have wondered, "Why didn't God help me? Why didn't spirit world help me?' Now you know the secret.
True Parents and Ourselves (5/7/72)
In order to subjugate Satan, you cannot be forgiven by just asking, "Heavenly Father, please forgive me." You have to shed tears in order to return to God. You have to feel the pain of your face swollen from crying. You have to shed tears in repentance for your sins. That is very important for each one of you. We have to go this way not just for the sake of ourselves but for the sake of our country and for the sake of the world.
You have committed your sins in the past and the present and you might weep because of that, but you haven't felt repentance deeply enough. After repentance you should cry tears of deepest gratitude because you are going back to God to be restored. Without such tears, you cannot enter the Kingdom of God.
Myself (1/13/80)
Repent and then forget about the past. Don't let it drag you down, but pray to heaven to help you do away with it. Then look for the difficult thing and tackle it. That will be your best and fastest training.
Let Us Know Ourselves (9/30/79)
There is always room for mercy in a righteous legal system, but in order to be entitled to receive it, a person must show his sincere repentance. Repentance is the key word. This is why Jesus' pronouncement was, "'Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand." What should we repent for? Very simply, we must repent for all those actions which violated the rule that says we should live in sacrifice and service for others. This was Jesus' first teaching.
The essence of Christianity is to seek repentance for the sin of greediness and selfishness. Sin can be defined as violation of the universal law of service to others. Stealing a dress from even a big department store chain is wrong. That dress has value which comes from the person who prepared it. If it is stolen, its public value is nullified by the thief. That is the sin. Another person might realize that he tells lies all the time, but his conscience doesn't hurt him. The motivation for lying always involves hiding something to take advantage of others; otherwise, there would be no reason to lie.
Leaders Conference (6/6/86)
I am desperate to the utmost degree. I have been waiting for you to spur yourselves onward. Have you changed? No! So, are you going to just wipe your hands and give up? We have to climb all the way up, because we have already come this far. How little you know about me! So many complaints, so much ungodly criticism!
If you fail this time, your generation will be put in the category of 'failed mission.'
Fortunately, time remains. First, we must repent. This alone can bring us hope. We must develop absolute conviction. We can make a last- minute commitment now. We are the front-line soldiers indemnifying the failure of those who did not accept Father in 1945. We, 40 years later, are giving America a second chance.
You should just go and bear the cross willingly and eagerly. You should not say or even think, "Please let this cup pass from me." Just bear the cross with no questions asked.
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