God’s Will and the Ocean: Episode 95

God’s Will and the Ocean
Excerpts from Published Speeches, page 314-317
1974-1983

Recently, I invited some elder ministers to travel the world and examine Unification Church activities. They were amazed at the tremendous variety of things I am doing around the world and they said, "There is nothing Reverend Moon cannot do, and nothing that he does not do." I was going to go to sea today, but the weather did not permit it. Some people might say I should rest on the Sabbath, but since the Sabbath is still a workday for God, going to sea and catching many fish for needy people is in accord with God's own standard. In our concept, a holy day is not one for just sitting around. It is far better to go out and bring reconciliation to people who are fighting.

The Trust Placed in Us
January 3,1979

How many years will it take for you to win the marathon? Three? Ten? Even for the unbeatable Reverend Moon it took sixty years to cover the course and still I have not finished the race. Last night after graduation at the seminary, I took all the leaders fishing. It was in the midst of a thunderstorm and we were cramped in a little boat. Even though they didn't say this, inside they were probably thinking, "What kind of father are you? Can't you have even one day to rest?"

When a person occupies love, he occupies all other authority and dignity as well. The record-setter is the kind of person God and history are looking at. God is expecting you to become one who sets the record, so this is a one-in-a-million opportunity. I am now investing much energy in the fishing industry and I am determined to make it successful. When you see my desire, you should put your shoulders to the job to be a champion in that arena. I would like to see all the seminarians and church leaders go for sea duty for one and a half years. At this time, there is no master or host who is claiming or leading the American fishing industry because this is one arena God carved out and saved for the heavenly dispensation.

What if I supply sufficient fish and say that Unification Church members will eat nothing else for six months, not even bread? We will give all the good fish to the trade and eat the leftovers ourselves. Will God say we shouldn't eat just the leftovers, or will He be touched? Who do we suffer for? For God and humanity. By doing this, we are covering God with an invisible net, making Him our prisoner. All you have to do then, is pull that net and God will have to follow you.

Record-Setter of History
July 1,1979

Are you the kind of people who can rebound from pressure like a rubber ball, or will you be shattered by it? We need people who are not only elastic, but who are also tough and can endure. American religion is like a ship caught in a hurricane and the government is helpless and has no anchor. When the water is rough and the wind is strong and your ship is pitching and rocking out of control, what will happen? That is the kind of perilous situation we are living in today.

Do we in the Unification Church have an anchor? God is our anchor and I am the rope. That means all you have to do to survive is hold onto the rope; you don't even have to grip the anchor directly. The anchor is always deep in the water, so what you have to do is grab the rope and hang on. Other churches may be offering people a beautiful rope of gold, but there is no anchor at the bottom. The Unification Church rope is plain, but there is an anchor down below. Those people who advertise their beautiful rope criticize ours; even the government boasts how big its rope is and how fishy-smelling the Unification Church is. However, the difference is that we have an anchor and they don't.

Historical View of the Dispensation
September 18,1979

America is surrounded by the sea, but has not conquered it. I initiated our fishing business to revitalize American fishing and seaports. This is certainly our pride. The ocean contains tremendous resources, but no one has received them. We are inheriting it from God and all we have to do is tap it.

To the MFT
January 2,1980

You may think you have been working a great deal, but by my standard you have been relaxing too much. When I was out fishing all day, not for one moment was I relaxing or napping. Every moment my mind was busy. When I watch the vast horizon on the ocean, I see a peaceful new world dawning and the whole responsibility is on my shoulders. How could I spend one idle moment?

I will not be indebted to anyone, not the thirty-six couples or anyone else, so I receive the credit for what has been done. In the fishing industry, for example, I laid a pioneering path for seven years. You know who won our first international tuna tournament; my boat caught the most tuna. I don't want to be second even in catching tuna. In every field and competition I have been second to none.

Every day I go out to the ocean at 2:00 or 3:00 a.m., and come back at midnight. So far, tuna fishing has been a pleasure sport, but when I started fighting, it became a battle. Usually, fishermen go out at 9:00 or 10:00 a.m., but if they want to beat me, they have to go out much earlier. I am already out when they come at 5:00 a.m.! When I started, the price of tuna was ten cents per pound, but now we have pushed it up to $2.50, and eventually it will go up to $5.00 per pound. This is how I will bring prosperity to tuna fishermen, who in the past only made a meager living. Those who have opposed me in the past for no reason are now realizing that I am helping the fishermen and reviving the local economy.

The European leaders really worked hard when they came this time. We are building many boats, not only small ones, but thirty and forty foot boats. Professional tuna boats are 150 ft long and carry a crew of twenty-five people. I will build many of those in the future. Then, I will designate national leaders as captains of those boats, or even just to be fishermen. They will have no time to look left or right, but will just go.

Total Self Re-Evaluation
September 14, 1980