The World Peace Blessing Holy Wedding Marriage Rededication World Peace through Ideal Families

1. The Meaning of the Blessing

1) The Three Great Blessings “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.” Genesis 1: 28

Take dominion over the creation Be fruitful To grow to maturity as an individual Multiply Marry, have children and raise a loving family Take dominion over the creation Exercise a loving stewardship over the material world

Forces for existence, development and reproduction. (a) The Pair System and Give and Take Action Mind Husband Elder Parent Teacher Leader giving receiving Body Wife Younger Child Student Follower Subject Object receiving giving Forces for existence, development and reproduction. Nothing exists independently. Everything is created to exist through reciprocal relationships as part of a pair system. The subject and object each exist for the sake of the other.

God (b) The Four Position Foundation Origin Division Union Subject Object Union

God (c) The Three Great Blessings i. Be Fruitful Mind Body True Self Subject Mind Body Subject Object True Self Object - Partner of love for God God dwells in the individual whose mind and body unite in a life of love for God and others.

God ii. Multiply Subject Subject Husband Wife Object Children Object - God dwells in the family where husband and wife live for God, each other and their children and where the family lives for the society, nation and world. Family Society Nation World

God iii. Take Dominion over the Creation Human Beings Environ-ment Subject Object Ideal World Object - partner for God to love

2) The Four Great Realms of Heart (a) Heart The emotional impulse to strive for joy by finding and loving an object = = The essence of God‘s nature Subject Object Joy Love must have an object partner – we are God‘s partners To love is to live for the sake of others, sacrifice and take responsibility for love.

(b) The Four Great Realms of Heart God Parent realm of heart Conjungal realm of heart Husband Wife Sister Daughter Brother Son Brother and Sister realm of heart Children Children’s realm of heart

3) The Five Life Roles 5. True Owner 4. True Teacher 3. True Parent 2. True Husband and Wife 1. True Man and Woman

A Family-Centred Message The Family Federation for World Peace and Unification 1…… 2…… 3……

4) The Definition of the Family i. The Family should be thought of as having at least three generations Grand Parents 1. 2. 3. Father Parents Mother Children

Current society tends to ignore the elderly

God ii. The Family is the starting point of Love, Life and Lineage True Love Husband Wife True Life Children True Lineage

iii. The Family is the basic unit of the Heavenly Kingdom The Family is the foundation of the Kingdom of Heaven. Building the Kingdom of Heaven in this physical world through true families.

“I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” Matthew 16: 18-20

Summary One absolute God Two beings: man and woman Three Great Blessings Four Great Realms of Heart Five Life Roles

2. What went wrong?

The Reality of our World Conflict Race, religion, nationality, resources Starvation Disease Ignorance

Births Outside Marriage Sweden – 50% France – 35% U.S. – 30%

Ideal and Fall God Man Perfect Person Goal is to be perfect, “You must be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Mt. Due to fall came under the dominion of Satan. Instead of God as parent worshipped other gods. Rejected God’s way of life – purity, honesty, goodness and embraced Satan’s way of life – impurity, selfishness, dishonesty, murder, violence. Resemble Satan more than resemble God. “You are of your father the devil and your will is to do your father’s desires.” Perfect Person

Ideal and Fall God God Man Man Fallen Person Perfect Person Goal is to be perfect, “You must be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Mt. Due to fall came under the dominion of Satan. Instead of God as parent worshipped other gods. Rejected God’s way of life – purity, honesty, goodness and embraced Satan’s way of life – impurity, selfishness, dishonesty, murder, violence. Resemble Satan more than resemble God. “You are of your father the devil and your will is to do your father’s desires.” Fallen Person Perfect Person

Ideal and Fall God God God Man Man Satan Man Fallen Person Goal is to be perfect, “You must be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Mt. Due to fall came under the dominion of Satan. Instead of God as parent worshipped other gods. Rejected God’s way of life – purity, honesty, goodness and embraced Satan’s way of life – impurity, selfishness, dishonesty, murder, violence. Resemble Satan more than resemble God. “You are of your father the devil and your will is to do your father’s desires.” Fallen Person Perfect Person

The Human Fall loss of Love, Life and Lineage Satan God God Satan Satan God Mind Body Husband Wife Person Creation Person Children World Responsible mastery and dominion of the natural world Spiritually mature, a person of true love Love in the Family extended to the world “I set before you this day a blessing and a curse” (Deut 11:26)

Expulsion from paradise Masaccio Fresco 1427 Florenz - Santa Maria del Carmine

The Content of the Fall God Illicit love starting from the false parents, Adam and Eve God False Father False Mother Adam Illicit Love Eve False Family

“You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” John 8: 44

The Fall is the cause of Human Misery Fallen human beings have: A contradictory nature A tendency to indulge their physical desires A selfish desire to misuse nature and material things Ignorance of God and spiritual existence

Salvation God I am the way , and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by me John 14:6 For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men; the man Jesus Christ 1 Timothy 2:6 Christ Have to cut off from Satan – at the risk of life deny Satan’s way of life and follow the Messiah. Leave the dead to bury the dead. Complete, unconditional self denial and sacrifice. Cut off all ties to Satan. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil I John 3:8 Satan Man

Jesus sets the pattern of the First Blessing – being like God “You must be perfect as your Heavenly Father is perfect.” Matt 5:48 “I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.” John 14:12

Jesus, as a ‘Second Adam’ God God God Mind Body Husband Wife Person Creation Person Children World Spiritually perfect, a person of true love in whom God dwells Inheriting the true love of God and extending it to the world - a pure lineage A world where human beings and nature are in harmony Jesus’ rejection meant God’s providence of restoration would be prolonged. No new, purified lineage would spring from the ‘Second Adam’ By the glorious victory of The Resurrection, spiritual salvation is open to all who believe When the way of the Cross became inevitable Jesus began to talk of the need for the Son of Man to come again Jesus provided the model of the ideal individual but was prevented from fulfilling 2nd & 3rd Blessings

We must fulfil our responsibility Towards God follow God’s word = fulfil the 3 Great Blessings Towards our spouse absolute love and purity Towards our children spiritual and physical care, education and sacrificial love

the True Family Movement 3. The Blessing and the True Family Movement

1) Rev. Moon and the Blessing Providence Adam, Jesus, Christ when He returns: all three come to fulfil the Three Blessings God’s unchanging Will, based on a True Family Rev. Moon’s mission and meeting Jesus Christ Receiving the Blessing from God Sharing the Blessing with all Humanity

Rev. Dr. Sun Myung Moon and Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon

2) Origins of the World Peace Blessing The World Peace Blessing movement started amongst Rev and Mrs. Moon’s own religious followers 1960 – 36 Couples Blessing

The Family Federation for World Peace and Unification Expanded to become Inter-Religious through FFWPU 1992 - 30,000 Couples in Seoul Olympic Stadium

The Universal Peace Federation Reached opinion leaders and appointed Ambassadors for Peace 2001 – 210 Couples, United Nations, New York

The conditions to receive the Blessing Determination to respect one’s spouse and keep one’s love pure Determination of husband and wife to be faithful to each other A heart to become a true parent A heart of living for the sake of others

4. The Blessing Ceremony

The Components of the Blessing Holy Wine (Nectar) Ceremony (Symbolizing a change of lineage) 43

The Components of the Blessing Indemnity Ceremony (Symbolically healing past resentments between men and women) 44

The Components of the Blessing Blessing Ceremony (A solemn yet joyous wedding) 45

The Blessing Ceremony Sprinkling with Holy Water Recitation of Wedding Vows Exchange of Rings Blessing Prayer

The World Peace Blessing Vows To resemble the nature and love of God in marriage ~ To be faithful to each other ~ To raise children to maintain purity before marriage ~ To help other families do the same, beyond racial, national and religious boundaries 47

The Components of the Blessing Separation Period (Spiritual renewal and purification) 40 Days Separation A time of sacrifice (making holy) and purification As in the great religious traditions of fasting, Lent, Ramadan or Passover (Pesach) By ‘giving up’ their sexual relationship for forty days, the will to have the physical serve the spiritual is demonstrated The couple can prepare to enjoy intimacy as husband and wife on a more profound and higher level 48

The Components of the Blessing Three-Day Ceremony (The rebirth of the couple’s relationship in holiness – spiritually and physically) At the end of the 40 Days Separation A time to experience spiritual and physical joy together – love reborn and purified Symbolically ‘restoring’ the way in which love itself was tainted and become self-centred You are invited to attend a time of special education to explain this area more fully 49

The Components of the Blessing (recap) Holy Wine (nectar) Ceremony (Symbolizing a change of lineage) Indemnity Ceremony (Symbolically healing past resentments between men and women) Blessing Ceremony (A solemn yet joyous wedding) Separation Period (Spiritual renewal and purification) Three-Day Ceremony (The rebirth of the couple’s relationship in holiness – spiritually and physically) 50

Blessed Family Tradition Faith in the home Blessed Family Associations Marriage preparation Workshops for children Support for couples and family life Contribute to public life, beyond the family

The World Peace Blessing