World Mission Center
Good morning. This is a great opportunity to gather for this most meaningful celebration. I know that you already know most of the facts concerning Father's incarceration in Danbury. But this is our great tradition; we must remind ourselves of the meaning of this day.
What does Danbury represent?
Danbury represents a victory over gross injustice. Father responded to this injustice not with revenge or retaliation, but with true love. Danbury is our symbolic cross, and upon that cross, resurrection took place all over the world.
Allow me to elaborate on how the United States government worked its injustice upon Father. Foremost, Father was indicted on very dubious, fabricated charges. Father's indictment came on October 15, 1981.
At that time, Father was in Korea. Our lawyers' unanimous recommendation was that Father should not have to come back to subject himself to humiliation by the United States government. He is a Korean citizen legally, and there is no extradition treaty between the United States and the Republic of Korea.
After all, they were trying to keep Father off United States soil. But when I conveyed this message to Father, he immediately said, “I did not go to the United States for my comfort. I went there at the order of Heavenly Father, and I have a mission in America.
Whatever the cross I must bear, my mission comes first.” Father volunteered to come to America immediately, knowing his path was going to be arduous and painful.
01Father Kept His Dignity
On October 22, 1981, Father was arraigned in Foley Square in Manhattan by the District Court of New York. I was there, translating for Father when Father stood before the judge.
Father kept his dignity and only spoke one sentence:
“Your Honor, I am not guilty.”
Then the trial began on April 1, 1982, and lasted for 48 days. This trial was not just. It was almost like the communists' style of court. Using the public's biased opinion, the United States government was determined to send Father to jail.
Finally, the judge asked Father if he wanted to speak to the jury in his defense.
Father declined, saying, “I am not here to defend myself. I am here for a mission.” That was Father's stand.
During that whole time, during the break hours at the trial, Father was sitting in a back room with a few staff members making plans for The Washington Times building. He did this while the United States of America was trying to destroy his reputation and the honor that he had built over his entire life.
Father entered Danbury on July 20, 1984. That day, the members were all sobbing. Father was the only one who was not sobbing, and he scolded the members, saying,
"I am now leaving for Danbury full of hope. God has prepared something extraordinary for me there. I am looking forward to discovering the miracle of Danbury."
Senator Orrin G. Hatch, Senate Constitution Committee chairman, conducted a special investigation into Father's case. He came up with this conclusion:
"I do feel strongly, after my subcommittee has carefully and objectively reviewed Rev. Moon's case from both sides, that injustice rather than justice has been done."
I will give a few simple facts that Senator Hatch found. First, consider the following: Three Justice Department attorneys, who each undertook a review of a possible criminal action against Father, agreed unanimously and independently of each other that there was no case for a trial.
This was the Justice Department's own conclusion, by three different levels of government attorneys. Yet even though they came to this conclusion, Father was still indicted.
Second, the Justice Department's own guidelines state that criminal tax cases will not be tried if the alleged tax deficiency is less than $2,500 a year. $2,500 times three years equals $7,500.
According to the Justice Department's review, Father's tax liability, even if the government's case could be proven, was only $7,300 for three years.
So who broke the law?
The Justice Department broke the law to indict Father.
02No Evidence of Any Kind
Third, despite the government attorneys' recommendation not to prosecute, and even though there was no evidence of any kind to establish that even a single cent of the money in dispute was spent by Father personally and not for the sake of the church, the Justice Department was persuaded to seek an indictment by government attorneys in New York, who built the case entirely on supposition and innuendo.
Fourth, Father wisely asked for a non-jury trial, knowing already that the government was trying to destroy him through public opinion.
Normally, the Justice Department welcomes this because it's a much cheaper, much easier trial. However, the prosecutor refused, insisting that Father be tried by a jury.
This is the bare truth about the injustice that the United States government inflicted upon Father. That's why the lawyers recommended that Father not come to America, saying to him,
“They are after blood! Why should you subject yourself to such a bloodthirsty Justice Department?”
But Father came because he loves America. He loves his mission, and he loves Heavenly Father. Even though he knew he might end up in jail, he came.
When Father entered Danbury, he got a very cool reception. Because of the work of the American media, even the inmates thought,
“Oh, no! That monster Rev. Moon is coming here!”
But Father did not even bother with that; he didn't lose a bit of his composure. He just began to love all the inmates from day one.
Father was not allowed to preach at all in Danbury, but Rev. Graham, the chaplain of Danbury prison, agreed to let him pray in the chapel for two hours every Sunday. Rev. Graham asked Father, “What time would you like to have?” Father simply said, “Three a.m.”
Rev. Graham looked at Father, puzzled. “What do you do at three a.m.?”
Father said, “That is my prayer hour. I pray at three a.m. every day, whether in a chapel or not. I love to pray at three a.m., because at that hour, the hotline between God and the earth is open. Furthermore, I can monopolize it!”
The first inmate who joined Father to go to pray in the chapel at three a.m. was Bill Sheppard. Father had told him,
“You don't have to come, because I pray in Korean.”
But Bill said,
"The reason why I want to come with you is because of the spiritual atmosphere. I want to be with you."
So Father became known as a man of prayer in prison.
03A Father Figure to Everyone
He also became known as a father figure. Within a couple of weeks, Father began to be respected, even without preaching one word. That is why I say he is the personification of the Principle.
Father doesn't have to preach to convey the Principle, because his entire life is the Principle. His twinkling eyes are the Principle; his laughter is the Principle; every action, every step he takes, is the Principle. People feel it to the bone.
Father was given the job to scrub the floor of the kitchen, clean the toilets, and feed the inmates. Father did it with joy and gratitude to Heavenly Father.
Father thought,
"This is my greatest honor. I am cleaning up America. I am cleaning up the fallen world. I'm feeding these children of God who are, in a way, the most unfortunate children of God on the face of the earth."
Soon, respect among the inmates of Danbury prison toward Father was not only growing but also became unquestionable.
Once, a young man approached Father and said to him,
"Rev. Moon, I have a personal request. You know, I never had a father. He died before I was born. I've always wanted to have a father. Rev. Moon, you are that father to me. From this time on, can I call you Father?"
This occurred without his even hearing one word of the Principle! Father embraced this young man, patting him on his back, saying, “Son, I'm honored to be your father.”
Father had one deep regret in prison. One morning, a young inmate hanged himself from a tree. Father was stricken. He said,
"If only I had met that young man three days earlier, I could probably have saved his life."
He did not complain about the food; he did not complain about the bunk or the hard work. His only regret was that one precious young man had killed himself.
I want you to know that the spirit Father kept in Danbury was proclaimed in the United States Congress. When Senator Orrin Hatch invited Father to the United States Senate on June 26, 1984, to give his testimony, Father said,
I am honored to dedicate myself today to the preservation of religious freedom in this country.
If I can raise a beacon warning Americans of the danger that lies ahead, then my sacrifice will serve a great purpose.
The issue today is the very survival of America and the free world. To assure this survival, I'm willing to suffer any indignity, to go any distance, to do any labor, and to bear any cross. I'm even willing to give my life if that will ensure that the nation and world survive and do God's will…
I have no hostility toward the United States government. Instead, I pray for this country. I thank God that He is using me as His instrument to lead the fight for religious freedom and ignite the spiritual awakening of America in this most crucial hour of human history.
Yes, a miracle came in Danbury. Public opinion changed. The attitude of established Christianity has now changed. When Father's court case was brought to the attention of the Supreme Court.
In court, 40 prominent organizations and individuals petitioned on behalf of Father.
These individuals and groups represent over 160 million American people. Thus, in this sense, through Father's court case, Father won 160 million American people to his side.
04Many Other Victories
On this day, I would also like to note that this was the period of growth for everybody, including the True Family. Hyo Jin Nim just mentioned that a tremendous transformation took place in him during Father's incarceration.
The True Family joined side by side together with Father in his suffering. While Father was in prison, Hyo Jin Nim initiated a 40-day prayer vigil during the cold nights of winter.
But then, after 40 days, Hyo Jin Nim thought it was not enough, and he initiated another 40-day condition, and then another—120 days in all.
Hyo Jin Nim's courageous example was willingly followed by all the True Family and the East Garden staff. We are celebrating this and many other victories today.
Two thousand years ago, when Jesus was crucified, he was all by himself. But 2,000 years later, when True Father was crucified in Danbury, he was not alone. It should be a source of pride to us that during that time, our movement sprang into action and spread out.
Many of our greatest projects were conceived by Father in Danbury: The Washington Times, Insight magazine, The World and I, the ICC program, and dozens of others. Our movement prospered more than ever during Father's incarceration.
Furthermore, Father was not alone even in Danbury. He was with a most trusted disciple, Mr. Kamiyama, who bore the cross together with Father. Two thousand years ago, even Peter denied Jesus three times.
If the 12 disciples had rallied around Jesus and hung together with Jesus on the cross, an entirely different Christianity would have been born.
But instead of denying Father during his incarceration, we united and worked together and created an even greater victory. This is your pride and my pride and True Family's pride.
Mr. Kamiyama has been a faithful follower of True Parents for a long, long time.
He was the one to walk alongside Father in Danbury. He was Father's secretary, chief of staff, bodyguard, errand boy, liaison, everything in one person.
I'm so glad God's dispensation worked in such a way that Mr. Kamiyama could stay with Father. And after Mr. Kamiyama's release, men like Bill Sheppard and Larry Evola followed Mr. Kamiyama's pattern exactly, and so a tradition of serving Father in prison was established. God prepared people everywhere.
At the halfway house, there was a most dedicated man with whom Father shared a room. All night, this man stayed awake in front of a small television with the sound level turned down, sitting in a chair placed against the door to prevent anyone from coming into that room while Father was sleeping.
How can you say God does not work in mysterious ways?
END OF SERMON