2. Repentance for National Sins

World Scripture

If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
2 Chronicles 7.14

Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, three days’ journey in breadth. Jonah began to go into the city, going a day’s journey. And he cried, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” And the people of Nineveh proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least of them. Then tidings reached the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, removed his robe, and covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. And he made proclamation and published through Nineveh, “By the decree of the king and his nobles: Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything; let them not feed, or drink water, but let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and let them cry mightily to God; yea, let every one turn from his evil way and from the violence which is in his hands. Who knows, God may yet repent and turn from his fierce anger, so that we perish not?” When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God repented of the evil which he had said he would do to them; and he did not do it.¹¹
Jonah 3.3-10

Teachings of Sun Myung Moon

Religions, especially Christianity, have focused on repentance for personal sins, but not for social and national sins. Look, however, at Jesus and the saints and prophets; they did not focus on repenting their own personal sins but rather on social and national sins.
(99:75, September 1, 1978)

Have you repented? Are you shedding tears to repent for your own sins? Are you repenting for your ancestors’ sins? Beyond that, are you shedding tears to save the nation and the world? There are two kinds of tears. The first kind of tears we shed for our own forgiveness; the second kind of tears we shed to save others and bring them to repentance. You should shed both kinds of tears. Only then can there be complete repentance.
(99:75, September 1, 1978)

As God proceeded with the providence, in what did He inspire people to believe? What was the first thing He caused people to experience? It was not joy.

First, He caused us to grieve for ourselves. Next, he inspired in us a heart to mourn over the situation of our family, society, tribe, nation and world, and then over how distant we were from Him. God set up this basic attitude to open the way by which we could stand before Him.
(4:51, March 2, 1958)