Happily Ever After
“Happily Ever After” is a phrase often synonymous with Disney movies and fairy tales. However, it’s a very tangible outcome for married couples everywhere, and for millions of couples worldwide, it’s a reality through the Marriage Blessing.
Six years ago, on June 27, 2015, the Blessing and Family Ministry (BFM) of Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (FFWPU) USA initiated the Marriage Blessing movement—a national response to FFWPU co-founder Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon’s call to share the grace of the Blessing with more couples and families throughout the U.S.
“The Marriage Blessing should not remain within or end up as a blessing that extends only to your family,” said Dr. Moon at the time. “You must reveal it to your neighbors, your tribe, and your nation.”
She and her late husband, FFWPU co-founder the Rev. Dr. Sun Myung Moon, first began the worldwide tradition of the Marriage Blessing ceremony in the 1960s, where newlywed couples of all backgrounds around the world dedicated their marriages to a greater purpose and God.
After expanding in the 1990s, a renewed spreading of the Marriage Blessing began in America in 2015 to hundreds of thousands of married couples seeking to re-dedicate and revive their marriages. In a beautiful and sacred commitment, the Marriage Blessing movement offers a path to build a world of stronger marriage and healthier families amidst the breakdown of traditional marriage.
“It’s centered on God,” said Unificationists Ilya and Diane Hack, who received the Marriage Blessing in 2020. “You are not just living for your own sake but you’re actually putting God at the center, and also trying to make a difference in the world as a couple or as a family… It’s not just a physical experience, it’s a life-changing experience.”
In recent weeks, this life-changing experience has become accessible through the new Blessing America campaign, aimed at reviving lives, relationships, and the world. Whether single or in a relationship, anyone can take a short quiz to match with a resource that fits their circumstances and goals. Four specially designed free webinars provide the tools to: “Becoming Christ-like,” “Discover Your Authentic Self,” “Level Up Your Relationship,” and “Becoming a Blessing Unto Others.”
“It’s more than just us,” said Unificationists Ryan and Tiffany Labrooy, who received the Marriage Blessing and have four children. “It’s how we can connect to our parents. It’s how we connect to our children. So it’s a much bigger picture than just the two of us.”
A global interfaith movement, the Marriage Blessing transcends barriers such as religion, race, nationality, and ideology. Rev. and Dr. Moon worked beyond such boundaries to unite all people as one global family under God, our Heavenly Parent.
“I consider the Blessing to have been the most precious gift in my life,” said Rev. Moon. “For you also, the greatest gift in human history is the Blessing.”
On this anniversary of further expanding the Marriage Blessing to everyone in America, you can share this transformative journey, which includes learning skills that enhance your life and relationships; developing a personalized growth path; and accessing live online classes to interact with instructors, mentors, and peers.
In the end, “Happily Ever After” is achievable, and amounts to an enduring commitment between you, your partner and God.
You can learn more about the “Blessing America” campaign here.
