Mrs. Moon Introduces her Husband
Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon
Distinguished guests, respected scholars, ladies and gentlemen. It is my great joy to welcome all of you to this Opening Plenary of the World Culture and Sports Festival and We began the New Millennium with great hopes that the violence and suffering of the past were behind us and that we could look forward to building a world of peace and prosperity for all through the power of modern technology. Sadly, the events of September 11, 2001 have shown clearly that, while we may be mastering the challenges of the material world, we still have not resolved the conflicts within the hearts of men and women.
Many of you know something of Reverend Moon because of the many projects and activities he has organized, today I would like to tell you about the Reverend Moon that only I know. After 42 years of marriage, I am sure that only God knows him better than I. What do the absolutes that he teaches have to do with his life? In the forty-two years that we have been married, I have seen from early morning until late night his unwavering example of living for the sake of others and seeking to break down all barriers in all spheres of human activity, for the ultimate purpose of uniting God and man. When I first met him, the world was still dangerously divided into two armed camps, and this nation of Korea had been tragically torn in two. Almost everything had been destroyed by years of war. The first church my husband built was made of discarded cardboard boxes, with a dirt floor. Still, he never doubted God’s promise to bring peace and prosperity to this land. When he was thrown into prison, first by the North Koreans and beaten almost to death, and later, here, in South Korea, through the false accusations of jealous leaders of other religions, he never doubted God. In the face of many difficulties—when we did not have enough food to eat, when it seemed like the churches, the media, sometimes even the government were conspiring to silence him, he kept on teaching. Like God’s prophets throughout history, he did not soften his message in the midst of opposition-he intensified it. It seemed like the whole world was against him, but he was still sure he was right. Some people might have thought he was crazy, but I know it was because he is a man of absolute faith. When he was sixteen years old he had a revelation from God that he was chosen for a mission to lead humankind back to life as God originally intended— a life of purity, freedom and joy. |
To do this, he had to pioneer that way of life, as an individual and family, and then extend the pattern to the world. For him, God’s calling meant a life of total sacrifice filled with incredible suffering and difficulties. Perhaps most painful were the ridicule and false accusations from the very people he was working to save. Nevertheless, he has never hesitated or wavered in his commitment to fulfill his responsibility. By his own example, he teaches absolute obedience to God. But I think it is his third absolute, “absolute love,” that makes him so very different from other religious leaders. Many great leaders and scholars of religion have devoted themselves to spreading their teachings and building up their own religious organizations. Some have done great charitable and humanitarian works. But from the earliest days, he was different. Even when the Unification Movement was small and beset by financial difficulties, he always taught that we should devote two thirds of our resources to the service of others, before taking care of ourselves. He has spent far more on interfaith work than on the Unification Movement.
 leaves no room for infidelity or divorce and is the only real protection from the tragic plague of sexually transmitted diseases that afflict so many throughout the world.
Sometimes he has been misunderstood because of his unwavering and uncompromising devotion to these ideals. I have had to share my time with him with others on almost all occasions. We never even took day for a honeymoon in the traditional sense. But I can honestly say that I have received greater love from my husband that any wife has ever known. His love for our family and his devotion to teaching them to become absolute in their dedication to God and universal in their love to humanity, as he has been, has brought amazing results. With our 14 children and well over 20 grandchildren, we have experienced the closest bond of any family in the world—because we are bound together in the love of God. When we first moved to New York and lived in a church facility with several hundred other church members, he was the first one who wanted to learn how to operate the lawnmower, and he was the one who taught himself how to install the carpets. He cut every blade of grass with the heart of how to make the lawn beautiful in the eyes of God and therefore before man. Every nail in the carpet was placed with the same heart. Our life has not been like that of others, but as I see the result of his lifelong sacrifice—the millions of families have begun to follow in the same tradition, and their children and grandchildren, I know that God is truly proud of his dedicated son, my husband, the Reverend Sun Myung Moon. It is my joy to have the opportunity to introduce him to you this morning so that I may express my overwhelming love and gratitude to him in public for the first time. Ladies and gentlemen, please join me in welcoming the founder of this World Culture and Sports Festival—a true son of God, a true husband, and true father, and a true teacher– my husband, the Reverend Sun Myung Moon. |
the IIFWP Assembly 2002, in my homeland of Korea.
I have seen changes here in Korea in my lifetime that can only be described as miraculous. I sincerely hope those of you who are visiting for the first time will have an opportunity to spend some time experiencing the Korean culture and seeing the great progress occurring here.
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