The Glory of Children
“We should realize fully that receiving Children’s Day is of great significance in cosmic history,” said True Father. “We are truly grateful and commemorate the fact that such holidays as Children’s Day have come to be for the first time since the onset of history.”
On October 19, 1960, True Father established Children’s Day at Cheongpa-dong Church in Seoul. Children’s Day signifies the restoration of God’s direct lineage and opened the way for humanity to be engrafted into that lineage as God’s sons and daughters.
“This day and age can be liberated through the establishment of Children’s Day,” said True Father.
“There are so many religious believers on this earth walking the path of righteousness and offering devotions; let them find their desired places and attain the glory of children.”
Children’s Day was the second major holy day True Father created following Parents’ Day on March 1, 1960. The holiday continues to be celebrated annually by the lunar calendar, with the word “True” added in 1994 before the names of the four major holy days: True God’s Day, True Parents’ Day, True Children’s Day, and True Day of All Things.
True Father called True Children’s Day a time to remember God’s loving heart and show gratitude for God’s unwavering commitment toward the providence of restoration. “Let us feel even deeper in our hearts our given mission as God’s pioneers of tomorrow, and make resolutions anew to prepare the foundation for the restoration of our people and the world,” said True Father.
As we celebrate the 61st year of True Children’s Day, let us remember our role as God’s sons and daughters while working together to build the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth. Below is an excerpt from True Father’s autobiography, As a Peace-Loving Global Citizen (2009), sharing the importance of familial love and attendance to God, our Heavenly Parent.
Excerpt:
The family is the school where love for humanity is taught and learned. When children who are raised in the warm love of their parents go out into the world, they will care for people in difficulty in the manner they learned in their home. People raised in loving relationships with their own brothers and sisters will go into society and share their caring hearts with their neighbors. People raised in love will look upon each person they meet in the world as a member of their own family. The starting point toward a true family is the heart of love that treats strangers as family and shares with them.
Another reason the family is important is that it expands to become the world. A true family is the basis for forming a true society, true nation, and true world. It is the starting point toward a world of peace that is God’s Kingdom. Parents will work for their children until their bones melt away. They are not working just to feed their own children, however. A person whose heart overflows with love is capable of working for the sake of others and God. The family is where we receive so much love that it overflows from our hearts. The family protects its members in its embrace, but its function is not to prevent love from getting out. In fact, the love in the family should overflow into the surrounding community. No matter how much love may overflow, the love in the family will never go dry. This is because it is received from God. The love we receive from God is such that we can continue to dig it out but never see the bottom. In fact, the more we dig, the more love wells up like pure spring water. Anyone who has been raised in this love can lead a true life.
You can learn more about True Father’s life and mission in his autobiography here.
