Chambumo Gyeong - 228. The origin and meaning of The holy songs
The holy songs depict the entire history of True Parents' suffering and victory. True Father wrote the lyrics while in meditation and deep prayer, in order that the members could sing songs that return praise and glory to God. True Father was imprisoned in Daedong Detention Center in Pyongyang on August 11, 1946, and after suffering there for 100 days he was released on November 21, on the verge of death. It was at a meeting with his members after that, early in 1947, that he wrote "Song of the Victors," the first holy song. Early in November 1950, about three weeks after his October 14 release from Heungnam Prison made him a free man, he wrote the lyrics of "New Song of Inspiration" and "Blessing of Glory." In "New Song of Inspiration," the word "new" appears no fewer than 13 times, exhibiting Father's overflowing resolution for a new beginning. "Blessing of Glory" stirs enthusiasm and hope for building a new world and beginning a new history.
True Father wrote "Suffering Heart" in the mud hut in Beomnaetgol, Busan, in 1951, while he was living as a refugee, and he wrote the words to "Garden of Restoration" and "Grace of the Holy Garden" at his third house, in Sujeong-dong, in 1953. He next wrote "Song of the Divine Principle Warriors" for the participants in the first Korean Missionaries Workshop, held on February 17, 1959, and he went on to write "Unified Soldiers" to encourage the members sent out to all parts of Korea for 40 days of witnessing in 196 In particular, through "Suffering Heart" he expressed how Satan's forces challenged and hunted him during his refugee life in Busan. This song also expresses the heart of followers who have escaped sin and are on the path of salvation. "Garden of Restoration" depicts True Father's determination and resolution for the course of restoration at the time of the Sujeong-dong Church in Busan, and how he could not step away from it despite the hardships he had to undergo. "Grace of the Holy Garden" displays his resolution to praise and return glory to God with a heart of gladness at all times, and to repay Him for the wondrous grace He bestows.
The holy song collection also includes songs written by members and songs from other sources that the members enjoyed singing. The songs written and composed by the members are "My Promise," "Suffering and New Life," "Song of the Young People," "My Cross," "Pledge," "Song of the Banquet," "Day of Glory," "Song of the Heavenly Soldiers," "My Offering," "Shining Fatherland," "Heart of the Father," "The Principle Youth March," "Song of Sunday School Children," "March of the New Age," "Light in the East," "Call to Sacrifice," "Unite Into One," "Song of Unification Warriors," "The Father's Dwelling Place," "The Lord Has Come," "Song of the Farm" and "The Lord is My Everything." The songs from other sources are "Song of the Garden," "He Has Called Me," "O My Little Lambs," "Song of the Spring Breeze," "The Lonely Valley," "Restored Flock," "A Desire of My Heart," and "Spring Song of Eden." On October 4, 1956 the songs composed by True Father and the members were compiled and published as the first collection of our holy songs.
1 "Unified Soldiers," which is one of the holy songs of the Unification Church, speaks first of the heart. The song begins with "strong bond of heart is the force bringing the world into life." It is not the strong bond of truth that brings the world into life. Whether a person lives or dies depends on God's love, the source of life. Truth is only a guide. It is like the bridge to a relationship with substance, and it is the mediator that transmits heart. In the phrase, "strong bond of heart is the force bringing the world into life," the heart referred to is the heart of God. It is not God's heart of resentment which He has harbored in His bosom until now over having to restore this fallen world through indemnity; instead, it is a heart of bitter sorrow that needs to be resolved. To resolve His sorrow, we first need to know the nature of that sorrow, which lies in the fact that He has been unable to find an individual whom He could truly love, or find such a family, tribe, people, nation, world or cosmos. (014-181, 1964/10/03) 2 What would be God's first wish? Since individuals whom God is trying to find are bound under conditions of bitter sorrow, they need to be liberated. They need to say, "I will resolve the bitter sorrow that I have caused, so please accept me." In the same way, a family can be liberated, and furthermore, a tribe, people, nation and world can be liberated. This is God's desire.
However, we cannot unite without going through the heart of God, which brings us together as one. Human power alone is not enough to achieve this. From the viewpoint of God's heart, this world is one. As the lyric says, "joined in a kinship of love, all shall live as one." God's heart is our original connection. Our connections are not the connections of this fallen world. Our original connection is this heart, through which we join together as one. The next line of the song is, "here in the home of our hearts we'll share evermore." By joining as one through the connection of our original nature, we can give and receive forevermore. At the place where we eternally give and receive, centering on the heart of original nature, our homeland comes into being for the first time. Only after that does the word "happiness" appear. (014-182, 1964/10/03) 3 The Korean people have to go forward with the heart of restoration. When a light shines on the entire world, everyone in the world can become brothers and sisters, attend the parents of goodness eternally, and realize a united world. The first verse of "Unified Soldiers" is about heart. Everyone will dwell in our original homeland, where we can give and receive eternally through the connection of heart. What is good about one's homeland is that one's parents and family members are there. The important thing here is the heart. The path to every kind of happiness, that is, the foundation of happiness, has been laid down in our original homeland.
The second verse is about character. We should be "true people of boundless domain (who) magnify their light." Fallen people have lost this. What it means is that when a person's character shines forth, their light is magnified boundlessly. By being true people of boundless domain who magnify their light, we become glorious beacons of truth over all things of creation. By doing so, we assume our original form, bursting with life. Such a person becomes a subjective being of value. That person, in their very own self, flourishes as the hope for all ages and generations. In short, he or she thrives in the context of the universe, as the hope for all ages and generations.
The third verse speaks of the world of truth. In the line, "based on the order of God we'll build truthfulness," "order" refers to the world of truth. We need to build truthfulness based on the order of God; that establishes the truthfulness humanity needs. Truthfulness is eternal. Next come the lines, "One constant value that gives pledge of eternity. The highest standard of truth which is raised above." A person who has raised such a standard possesses unchanging value. This standard will "decorate far distant days of radiant goodness." In other words, it will decorate each and every day with goodness, days that last forever and ever.
Verse 4 says, "New culture dawns in the East glorious beyond our dreams; Mankind transformed in its light shall be one family. Ever to serve and attend our True Parent's own. Without a doubt the world shall be one world of victory." In light of this, heart makes character, and truth is also necessary. Only after that can there be glory in a world of oneness. To win this glory, you need to march forward. (026-203, 1969/10/25) 4 I wrote the lyrics to "Song of the Victors." The 4th verse speaks of the goodness of everything God has created. The words were written when I first started working for God's Will. I was truly moved when I heard it being sung at this gathering. On this first morning of the first year, in this plaza of Cheon II Guk, the new kingdom of heaven, the past history is flowering. The dream I had was not a fabrication. I dreamed it on behalf of God. Because of that, it will be realized without fail. (364-096, 2002/01/01) 5 In "Blessing of Glory," the story of suffering comes before the words of glory. This is because I know that suffering serves as the basis that supports everything. In order to unite the physical world and the heavenly world, I repeated the words, "I will attend Him." A person who has lived such a life cannot hear this song without tears. I wrote it after being released from prison. I had gone east all alone, and now I was heading back west, back to Pyongyang, thinking that Blessings would be waiting. Yet instead I was opposed. I tried to accomplish everything I desired and longed to do. It was all futile. I needed to go on by myself. Because I need to walk a path of salvation for the United States and the United Nations, I came here, and I am busy as I labor to conclude that work. (547-251, 2006/12/03) 6 I wrote "Blessing of Glory" with devotion. It was after I was released from Heungnam Prison and was trying to take care of members in Pyongyang. This song clearly describes my situation and position at the time. Only when you have passed through such a process can that song become yours. That is the way you should live. It is not someone else's song. It is your song, and at the same time, it is your family's song. But it is more your clan's song than your family's song, and more your country's song, and even more your world's song. Only by passing through such a process can you become liberated princes and princesses who can go to the eternal world, attend True Parents and live together in joy and happiness. You need to go through such a process. (579-145, 2007/10/29) 7 Many are the times that I miss the days when I became enraptured while singing "Song of the Garden" and wept tears, saying, "Even this piece of furniture is my friend." "Song of the Garden" refers to a garden, or some such environment, where a couple, a husband and wife, live together. It describes the way you should live. Each one should become the Lord and the object partner of the Lord; everyone's favorite flowers are in fragrant blossom, and butterflies and bees come together in harmony. Thousands of beings come together in harmony. If you live in a neighborhood as a married couple and no one there remembers you, you owe a debt to that neighborhood. (569-221, 2007/07/25) 8 Members of the Unification Church, no matter where they are, are delighted when they hear "Song of the Garden." They long to go to the place where the song is being sung. When they go to that place and join in the singing, they experience all at once feelings of joy, anger, sorrow and pleasure. We should be grateful for the lyrics and even more grateful for the song. (332-208, 2000/09/22) |