Cheon Seong Gyeong: Episode 337
Cheon Seong Gyeong Book 11: Ceremonies and Holy Days
Chapter 1: The Etiquette of Attendance
Section 3: Attending True Parents in Daily Life, 08-16
Human morality and filial piety
(8) Ethical and moral teachings have always held that parents have to love their children, that children have to be filial to their parents, and that there must be a distinction between husband and wife. These virtues, transmitted down to the present day, are the cornerstone of the Three Principles and the Five Moral Disciplines of human relationships as viewed in Confucianism. These days, however, such traditional customs and norms are changing. When we see the changes that are penetrating daily life and the social environment, we know that we are in the Last Days. The Messiah, a global leader, must appear to deal with these problems.
(9) According to Korean etiquette, you have to receive something from someone older than you with both hands. This signifies that Heaven's love is received only when both parties, symbolized by the two hands, have a perfectly balanced relationship. There is an expression, "A person's mind is Heaven's mind." The purpose of all the rules in human societies is to form relationships based on the way of the conscience. These rules serve to bring balance in relationships. They place man and woman on the same plane, with love as their axis. Therefore, we should always balance our relationships with the heart of saints who love the world and the heart of divine sons and daughters who love God. This calls us to be humble before others.
(10) According to the eastern way of thinking, the older person, should walk in front of the younger. This is because the older person was born earlier. This is how we create an orderly environment. The person born later should stand behind. Right or left, front or back, above or below; each should take their appropriate position. These views on keeping the proper order in relationships are eternal and do not change.
(11) In a Korean family, when the parents rise in the morning, their daughter-in-law, who is already awake, goes to them and pays her respects. Then she folds up their bedding, cleans their room, and prepares their meal. This is a norm in Korea. In order to indemnify fallen history, we must establish the law of filial piety as the highest among all laws. In the nation, filial piety should be the highest of all laws.
(12) In certain cultures of the world, people observe a three-year mourning period after a parent has passed away. The children offer meals to the spirit of their departed parent every morning and evening. Whenever they leave or return home, they pause before the altar set up for their departed parent and greet them. This is a law. You have to do even more than that. From the viewpoint of the Will, your behavior does not meet the standard of Heaven's expectations for propriety. Far from it! A husband and wife should report their daily schedule to God together before they go out to work. Upon returning home from work, they should again report to God together. Only then should they eat dinner. You need to understand this God-centered standard of life. It regulates all these things very strictly. There are distinct rules of family life for women and for men. You should systematize these incredibly important heavenly norms and live by them. They outline the path you must walk.
(13) The more difficult your life is, the more valuable your achievements. Younger people naturally look up to the oldest family members as if they were God, so you must demonstrate something different when you get older. The difference should be a deep heart that penetrates the bone marrow. So too, blessed couples should inspire adoration, such that people can't help but think, "How happy the wife of that kind of husband must be! How happy the husband of such a wife must be!"
(14) You have heard about human moral norms, but not about heavenly moral norms. What is the origin of human moral norms? If you dig into their origin, you will find that they are based on the conscience. Most laws have their basis in Roman law, which may be considered the foundation for the current world civilization. However, moral norms arise from the conscience, not from laws. The foundation of the conscience is goodness itself, so the standard of goodness is the standard of the conscience. When we do something wrong, we are deviating from goodness, and our conscience tries to correct us. Of course, we cannot form a universal social system that is in accord with the pure conscience without laws and regulations. But, in the end, human norms are fundamentally rooted in heavenly principles.
(15) In order to establish human norms for relationships, we need the original principled way. In order to establish the original principled way, we need the heavenly norms of relationships. Centering on what do they emerge? They emerge centering on absolute love. Centering on what does the original principled way emerge? it emerges centering on the authority of life. Today, loyalty is the representative norm of human relationships. Centering on what does it emerge? It must emerge centering on eternal fidelity. Today, do you have a heart to relate with others according to the norms of heavenly relationships? If you have such a desire, you should have friends whom you can trust from the bottom of your heart, just as you would trust God. One step further, you should have at least one sibling, parent, or spouse whom you can trust as you would trust God. With this in place, you need to transcend the family and expand your relationships to the society, nation, and world. This has always been God’s hope.
(16) We are told that there is no greater love than loving your neighbor as yourself. That is the greatest love. If you are pierced by bitter sorrow because you were unable to love your parents, then love your neighbors instead with greater love. If you do, a situation will arise when you will be able to demonstrate filial piety to your neighbors as if they were your parents. Even if you are unable to serve your parents with filial piety, Heaven will recognize your investment of filial piety toward your neighbors as having greater value than filial piety to your parents.
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