Thus, even if we have no direct experience of being blessed with miraculous salvation, the fact remains that we are indebted to the path that our predecessors followed. Moreover, we are, in fact, constantly experiencing God the Parent's complete providence, which is taken for granted by those who have yet to know God the Parent's teachings. We are able to be aware of how boundless God the Parent's providence is and how precious it is. We are, therefore, able to live each day with a feeling of gratitude.

Of course, we might encounter trying or painful situations in our lives. Yet, we are taught the stance of the mind we call joyous acceptance, whereby we can accept even those situations as opportunities for further growth, as "knots" from which new buds can sprout. I feel truly thankful that we are, thus, able to maintain joy and gratitude in our minds at all times.

Our predecessors did more than just rejoice in their own salvation. They went on to help others be saved and, consequently, savored the joy of saving others through being shown the wondrous blessings and guidance of God the Parent and Oyasama. No matter what difficulty they encountered, it only served to reinforce their high-spiritedness in striving for single-hearted salvation.

We should not just relate this fact to others in admiration. More important, we should be able to impart to them the sincerity that was behind the fact, and this requires that we personally follow the path in a befitting manner. The point I am making does not apply to church head ministers alone.

Many followers today, incidentally, inherited their faith after it had been handed down through some generations. Even with followers who embraced their faith through their own experience of being blessed with a release from illness or other trouble, their joy at receiving that blessing tends to weaken as time goes by. We should not merely feel glad about being freed from illness and troubles; what is important is to make a sincere effort to grow spiritually to the point where we are able to rejoice in and express gratitude for God the Parent's constant providence, in which we are embraced every day.

Other important things include administering the Sazuke at every opportunity in our daily lives and nurturing and cultivating the mind's loving care and readiness to help people who are troubled by personal problems. These practices will serve to deepen our joy of faith ever further, thus leading to our salvation and bringing a settling to our families.

There are many people around us who are suffering from physical and personal problems. Nonetheless, even when we go out to sprinkle the fragrance of the teachings to them, eagerly maintaining the conviction that this teaching alone is the true way for them to be saved, it is not easy to get them to listen to us. Those of you who have experience in spreading the teachings are well aware of this without me having to say so.

Though today's difficulties in doing missionary work differ in nature from those of the past, we do in fact encounter many difficulties even now. If we are to succeed in opening the minds of these people who refuse to listen to us despite their troubles and sufferings, we shall have to gain their trust by exerting our sincerity, visiting them time and again, and by making every effort to help them.

In addition, if we are to set a convincing example for others, whether as churches or as individuals, we must be careful to lead our daily lives in a manner that is convincing to them. In the Ofudesaki we read:

Though I desire to go forth into the open quickly, I cannot do so because there is no path.

Ofudesaki II:13

This verse hastens us to commit ourselves to laying a path so that God the Parent's teachings may spread throughout the world and so that God the Parent's workings may flow forth anywhere and everywhere.

God the Parent desires that this path of salvation emanating from the Jiba will truly reach every corner of the world. And I believe that our original intention in seeking permission to establish our churches was so that they might serve as steppingstones to fulfill that desire.

At this point in time, our churches have become indispensable to us, not only as footholds from which to spread the teachings throughout the world and as places to conduct salvation activities but also as places to nurture those who will serve the path as Oyasama's instruments. The duties entrusted to our churches are truly immense, especially considering the enormity of the task of laying a path that will reach out to the entire world. In addition, since the truth of a church name is granted for eternity, constant efforts must be made to ensure that each church lives up to the Parent's intention through which it was allowed to be established.

To begin with, church head ministers must take to heart that this path was begun by Oyasama alone. They must recall how their predecessors sowed seeds of sincerity in their communities relying solely on Oyasama's Divine Model. And they must have a deep sense of gratitude for the blessings provided day after day and strive in salvation work with a radiant and spirited mind. To accomplish this will require steady perseverance, but if they concentrate their efforts on this task without giving up, then--even though they might feel that their church is still far from the ideal--the day is sure to come when a path will open up before them and their church will be blessed with greater numbers of people gathering as well as an ever livelier atmosphere.

A church's mission is to spread the teachings of this path and to perform the service. The one who is to be the core in accomplishing this mission is the church's head minister, but it is also the mission of every Yoboku who belongs to the church. Indeed, the enrichment of a church's substance comes into being when the head minister and the followers of a church bring their minds into unison and work together in hand-in-hand unity.

Finally, I should like to ask all of you to maintain a unity of mind with the other members of your churches and to perform your tasks diligently so that all churches may, once again this year, draw even a step closer to being in accord with God the Parent's intention. Having made this request, I should now like to bring today's sermon to a close.

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