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God teaches you when your spirit is joyful and shining like daylight. That is why you should strive to have a bright spirit. Always be grateful.

Sun Myung Moon

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Always Be Grateful

Topic: Gratitude

God teaches you when your spirit is joyful and shining like daylight. That is why you should strive to have a bright spirit. Always be grateful. Whenever something is troubling you, it is best to resolve it right away.
Why should you make this effort? It is to reduce the gap between God and yourself. Therefore, rather than lamenting over your difficulties by yourself, it is better to have a religion. Report your problems to Heaven: “O God, please take my situation under Thy care. Thou knowest my situation, so deal with the matter as Thou wilt.” With this prayer you can release all your cares. That is the life of a religious person. Try to live this way, and you can have many hours in communion with God. Then, regardless of your present situation, you can always find hope.

Sun Myung Moon

Sun Myung Moon, born on January 6, 1920, was a spiritual leader and luminary hailing from North Korea. He founded the Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity, better known as the Unification Church, in 1954. Drawing upon direct Prophetic revelation, influenced by the major faith traditions—especially Christianity, but also Judaism, Islam, Confucianism, and Buddhism. He also developed a political philosophy to resist the spread of the anti-religious Communist ideology. Reverend Moon's teachings centered on love, unity, and peace. He aimed to spark a global spiritual movement that transcended religious and cultural divisions, and his vision resonated with followers all over the world. Through the Unification Church, Sun Myung Moon also promoted interfaith understanding and collaboration, striving for harmony among diverse religious traditions.

Reverend Moon's teachings went beyond the realm of the spiritual to touch on the universal human themes of love and family. He emphasized the importance of nurturing strong, loving families as the cornerstone for a harmonious and peaceful world. To this end, he conducted mass wedding ceremonies known as the 'Blessing', symbolizing the unity of all people under God, regardless of their cultural or religious backgrounds. Moon also stressed the value of community service and encouraged his followers to actively contribute to their local communities.

Sun Myung Moon's partner in both life and work was his wife, Hak Ja Han Moon. As co-leader of the Unification Church, she is a pivotal figure in spreading their shared vision of a world unified by love and peace. Affectionately known as 'True Mother', she embodies the ideal of nurturing and unconditional love in their teachings. After Reverend Moon's passing in 2012, Hak Ja Han Moon assumed sole leadership of the Unification Church and changed the name to Heavenly Parent's Holy Community. In her leadership role, she has tirelessly carried forward their mission, upholding the church's emphasis on peace, interfaith dialogue, and strong, loving families. Under her guidance, the church has continued to flourish, spreading its message of unity and love to people around the globe.

(1920-2012) Heavenly Parent's Holy Community

Moon, Sun Myung. Wilson, Andrew, editor. World Scripture II. Universal Peace Federation, 2011, p. 764 [Teachings of Sun Myung Moon, 91:272-73, Feb. 27, 1977].

Sun Myung Moon


Theme: Gratefulness

Gratitude

As we recognize God’s grace everywhere, guiding our path and helping us in our weakness, we find more to be grateful for. When we encounter difficult situations, we can take the challenges as opportunities for growth and as God’s gifts intended to push us to higher peaks of love and service. Gratitude is the way to live with God, living in time with his rhythm.

—Andrew Wilson, editor. World Scripture II. Universal Peace Federation, 2011, p. 765 [Teachings of Sun Myung Moon, 91:272-73 (Feb. 27, 1977)].

Related Sun Myung Moon Quotes

“My motto in life is “How can I live today with more gratitude than yesterday?” I have tried to live a life in which I am more grateful today than I was yesterday, and in which I will be even more grateful tomorrow than I am today. It has been my life’s goal to have gratitude in my heart every day. Right before I left for Danbury, I said, “Please never complain. You should be grateful for the position you have been placed in, for when you become completely one through your gratitude, great miracles can take place.”

—Sun Myung Moon [2010.07.08, Cheon Jeong Gung. “May You Blossom My Beloved”] p. 284.

“A wise person thinks like this: “I have only a short time to live. Within this time I must prepare myself for eternity. The way I live in the next two years will be the model for my eternal life.” Then explode your sense of love. Love God, and love another person as God. For an entire day, 24 hours, pour out your entire energy for someone. If you love a person like this, even though you may die early, you will have made the highest accomplishment in all eternity. Then when God gives you more time to live, your response will be immense gratitude. Push yourself to live more fully. The person who expects death and then is given life dwells in the fullest gratitude.”

—Sun Myung Moon [ 1978.11.27, “How to Gain Spiritual Help”].