Christian Science: Its Answer for Today’s Demands
Martin Broones, C.S.B., of
Member of the Board of Lectureship of The
The lecture was given April 2 at First Church of Christ,
Scientist,
The lecturer spoke substantially
as follows:
We are going to consider, in this
lecture, the answer which Christian Science offers to the demands which
confront us all in the very interesting age in which we live.
To the many demands of personal
life today there has been added the demand to learn how to live within vastly
enlarged boundaries. In the past few years, new concepts of physical power have
brought into close proximity people of diverse backgrounds and ideologies.
A man said to me the other day,
"It's hard enough to meet the problems of my business, without having to
worry about what they are doing in the
It really is the year of our Lord
in a very wonderful and practical sense for those who are students of Christian
Science, for they are learning how to apply the laws which were operating in
the healing works of Jesus to the demands of their everyday life.
The Bible a Guide to Life
The first demand, today, is that
we live - and this is both a personal and a national concern. The answer
of Christian Science to this demand is summed up in the first Tenet of The
Mother Church, The First Church of Christ, Scientist, in
The King James Version of the
Bible is used in Churches of Christ, Scientist, in the English-speaking
countries. The inspired Word of the Bible is the guide that is accepted by the
Christian Scientist as sufficient in meeting the demands of his daily life.
"Well," one may say,
"isn't it true that all Christian faiths take the Bible as a guide to
life? Why do you make a special point of this in discussing your
religion?" The answer is, "Because it is a special point to be
considered in understanding Christian Science, and the effect which it has upon
the lives of its followers."
The Christian Scientist accepts
the Bible as a presentation of metaphysical truth. The historical portions are understood as
illustrating the metaphysics it sets forth. A cardinal point in the
practicality of the Bible as a guide to life is the way in which its opening
chapter is regarded.
Although it has satisfied many religionists
to take the first chapter of Genesis as a literal account of the creation of
the material universe, this interpretation has been known to lead serious
thinkers down the unhappy path of atheism. Taken, as it is in Christian
Science, as a metaphysical presentation of the nature of spiritual creation,
it has served to uplift thousands of lives above the burdens and tragedies of
human experience.
Let us see how it serves to do
this. The first verse of the first chapter of Genesis reads (Genesis 1:1):
"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth."
This verse has been explained by
Mrs. Eddy as follows in "Science and Health with Key to the
Scriptures," the textbook of Christian Science (pp. 502, 503): "The
infinite has no beginning. This word beginning is employed to signify the only,
- that is, the eternal verity and unity of God and man, including
the universe. The creative Principle - Life, Truth, and Love - is God. The
universe reflects God. There is but one creator and one creation. This creation
consists of the unfolding of spiritual ideas and their identities, which are
embraced in the infinite Mind and forever reflected."
This is a purely metaphysical statement
of cause and effect, showing the indestructible relationship which exists
between God and His spiritual creation. Mrs. Eddy arrived at this conclusion
as the result of a revelation as to the nature of existence, which came to her
through her own turning to the inspired Word of the Bible.
Discovery of Christian Science
She had suffered what was
considered a fatal injury from a fall. In pursuance of a life-long practice,
she turned to her Bible as her "sufficient guide to eternal Life."
We can imagine her exaltation on
finding that this guide led to an immediate renewal of life. On reading the
ninth chapter of Matthew which records the Master's healing of the palsied man,
she found herself not only completely recovered from the accident for which she
was condemned to die, but also in better health than she had enjoyed for many
years.
It was after this healing that she
entered upon the stupendous task of discovering the spiritual laws employed by
Jesus in his healing works; the elucidation of these laws in a textbook which
could educate others in their use; and the founding of a Church which was to be
the custodian of her discovery and the agency through which it could be made
available throughout the world.
Recently at a luncheon with some
friends a young man whom I had never met before, and who is about to receive
his college degree, asked me, "Is there any connection between The Christian
Science Monitor and the Christian Science religion?" and before I could
answer, he said: "That sure is a wonderful newspaper."
I told him that the Monitor is
published by The Christian Science Publishing Society, within the organization
of The Mother Church, The First Church of Christ, Scientist, which was founded
by Mary Baker Eddy. He then asked me if there were any other Christian Science
publications, or if the Monitor was the only one. And I explained that Mrs.
Eddy also founded a monthly magazine called The Christian Science Journal, and
a weekly magazine called the Sentinel, which contain articles, editorials, and
testimonies of spiritual healing; and that she established The Herald of
Christian Science which is now printed in several languages. Then, at the age
of eighty-eight, Mrs. Eddy founded The Christian Science Monitor which is upholding
the ideal of the brotherhood of man which Jesus taught, by presenting the news
of the day impartially, accurately, and with good will to all. Today, it is
printed simultaneously six days of the week in
I told the young man that some
years ago I had the privilege of knowing a newspaper publisher, who at times
when he felt very satisfied with himself would say that he had accomplished his
life purpose in the successful publication of his own daily newspaper. This
was what he considered the fulfillment of a life purpose.
At an age when most people would
have considered her life work to be fully accomplished, Mrs. Eddy established a
great international daily newspaper, the Monitor. She had already founded a
religious movement which has restored to the world the spiritual healing of
Christ Jesus and his disciples. Her newspaper has not only survived all of its
many years of publication but is vigorously pressing forward when many other
newspapers have dropped by the wayside during the same period. And the monthly,
weekly, and quarterly periodicals which she established are increasing in
world-wide acceptance and influence for good.
These and many other activities
for the good of mankind are embraced within the framework of The Mother Church,
which has branches throughout the world.
In Science and Health Mrs. Eddy
states, as we have quoted, "The infinite has no beginning. This word beginning
is employed to signify the only,
- that is, the eternal verity and unity of God and man, including the universe."
Having no beginning, the eternal verity and unity of God and man also have no
ending. According to Mrs. Eddy, the universe is included in this eternal
verity and unity.
The Light of the Christ
The endlessness of all that is
real is especially important to us today. Unless we accept and in a measure
understand it, we may be tempted to succumb to the suggestions embodied in that
seductive little sentence, "What's the use?" and dig ourselves into a
mental fallout shelter through fear of the threats of destruction that are
resounding around the world. We may be tempted to ask: "If things are as
they seem to be, what hope is there for lasting peace on earth today?" In
answer to this question, let us look back at the period in history preceding
the breakup of the
But right in the midst of it all,
there was a group of Christians, sometimes hiding in caves to escape
persecution for their faith. They had a new teaching of God as wholly a God of
Love, and of man as the child of this all-loving Father.
These people held the torch of
Christ Jesus' teaching, which was later to light the way for mankind out of the
darkness of the Middle Ages. Christianity had come to the world and was
functioning as a power of deliverance for humanity. Can we not expect this
power to function in the crisis in the world today?
The Christian Scientist not only
believes this power to be at work, he identifies it as the power of God acting
in the human consciousness as a divine influence for good. This divine
influence is understood in Christian Science as the Christ, or Truth, which
was manifested by the man Jesus. It is referred to in the Bible (John 1:9) as
"the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the
world." When cherished and reflected, this Christ-light illumines the atmosphere
around it.
It was his expression of the
Christ-light throughout his human life which won for Jesus the title of Christ
Jesus, or Jesus the Christ. Christ, Truth, has always been and ever will be
present, in the power and grace which redeems mankind from sickness, sin, and
death. Jesus brought to humanity the demonstration of this power and grace
through his individual reflection of God's nature. Mrs. Eddy writes in Science
and Health (p. 333): "Christ expresses God's spiritual, eternal nature.
The name is synonymous with Messiah, and alludes to the spirituality which is taught,
illustrated, and demonstrated in the life of which Christ Jesus was the
embodiment."
Shining in the consciousness of
the early Christians, the light of the Christ, Truth, saved mankind from total
submergence in barbarism. Later, it brought the Reformation and more enlightened
modes of government, under which the individual could demonstrate his God-given
qualities.
Jesus Elucidated Law
And so the world was prepared for
the elucidation of the teaching of Jesus which we have in the revelation of Christian
Science. The power of the Christ at work in the consciousness of mankind has
brought to light the spiritual laws by which the healing works of Jesus can be
done, today.
According to John, the Master said
(John
When Mrs. Eddy was led to the
discovery of the spiritual laws underlying the healing work of Jesus, she
perceived that these laws expressed a divine Principle which is Love. Every
aspect of the life and teaching of Christ Jesus which were the data from which
she arrived at her conclusions, testifies to Love as its motivating force.
The universal and impartial nature
of divine Love is expressed in the term Principle. This term for Deity sums up
the different phases of God's nature, which are portrayed in the Bible, and have
been expressed by Mrs. Eddy in the following synonymous terms (they are given
in this order in the chapter "Recapitulation" in Science and Health):
Mind, Spirit, Soul, Principle, Life, Truth, Love (p. 465).
From these synonyms are derived
the attributes that determine the nature of man as the effect of God as cause.
The universe, as well as man, expresses the nature of God. Thus, the sum-total
of creation is seen to be included in the eternal verity of divine Love.
With this truth established in his
consciousness, the Christian Scientist is in a position to meet the demands of
his religion which, in turn, enable him to meet the demands of his daily life.
Discussing the demands of the Science of Soul, Mrs. Eddy says in Science and
Health (p. 467): "The first demand of this Science is, 'Thou shalt have
no other gods before me.' This me is Spirit. Therefore the command means this:
Thou shalt have no intelligence, no life, no substance, no truth, no love, but
that which is spiritual. The second is like unto it, 'Thou shalt love thy
neighbor as thyself.' It should be thoroughly understood that all men have one
Mind, one God and Father, one Life, Truth, and Love. Mankind will become perfect
in proportion as this fact becomes apparent, war will cease and the true
brotherhood of man will be established."
The demands of the Science of Soul
are of course an amplification of the two great commandments stated by Christ
Jesus (Mark 12:30, 31): "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy
heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy
strength" and, "Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself."
Law and Daily Life
And now, let us look at some of
the demands of daily life and see how they are met through conformity to the
law of divine Love, stated by Jesus in the two great commandments and elucidated
by Mrs. Eddy in the demands of the Science of Soul.
I shall illustrate the operation
of this law by telling you of the experience of a man who holds a position of
high regard today. He utilized the law of divine Love in a very effective
manner in meeting the demands of life in the midst of the depression of the
1930's. He had just completed several years of graduate study at a leading
institute of technology in which he had prepared himself as an aeronautical
engineer, and he sought employment in the airplane industry. But no openings
were available in his highly specialized field.
Having a wife and two young
children, he needed to become established in business. In addition to his
technical training, this young man had the equipment gained by attendance from
an early age in the Christian Science Sunday School. He now turned to what he
had learned in this school for a solution of his problem of unemployment.
As a Sunday School student he had
been given a very interesting method of applying one of Mrs. Eddy's most
profound and practical statements. This statement from Science and Health is
to be found on the walls of many Christian Science churches, and has often
brought healing to persons who have read it when attending our church
services for the first time. It reads (Science and Health, p. 494),
"Divine Love always has met and always will meet every human need."
This man had been told as a boy
always to see himself "on the divine Love side of this equation." While
he knew that no need exists in God's spiritual universe, yet there obviously
are human needs to be reckoned with in daily life. Understanding, the eternal
verity and unity of God and man, in which man is God's reflection, he could see
that he could be the instrument of divine Love in meeting the needs of others,
and thus find his own need met.
By keeping this clearly in mind,
while looking to God for guidance, the young engineer soon found an excellent
opening with a firm in an entirely different line of business from the one for
which he had been trained, but where his engineering skills were greatly
needed. By the outbreak of World War II he had become a junior partner in this
firm. Then came
another opportunity to apply the law of divine Love which he had learned in
Sunday School. A call came from the university where he had been trained, to
take charge of a bureau in
The business in which he had been
engaged offered prospects of greater material rewards, and again, the law of
divine Love which he had learned in Sunday School had to be applied. Seeing
himself once more "on the divine Love side of the equation," he
answered the call of his university. .
In the years that have intervened,
this man has had the opportunity to serve in the meeting of what has been one
of the greatest needs of our nation, the development of its institutes of
science and technology. Truly, "Divine Love always has met and always will
meet every human need." All we have to do is to trust it and obey its demands.
We need to know this truth, today, not only for ourselves, but also for our
nation and our world!
Reflection of Divine Love
Being "on the divine Love
side of the equation" meant to the young engineer a recognition of man's
nature as reflection. Identifying
himself as the reflection of divine Love, he found himself continuously engaged
in useful and meaningful employment.
If one is faced with the necessity
of making an important decision or carrying out a business project, he may
identify himself as the reflection of Mind, and find instant recourse to the
resources of divine intelligence. If faced with illness, accident, or loss of
vigor, he may identify himself with the incorruptible substance of Spirit and
experience its recuperative action.
One need not accept the suggestions
of unattractiveness, deformity, or decrepitude, if one will recognize man as
the reflection of Soul, which expresses the beauty and grace of fadeless
being. Suggestions of disorderliness, lack of punctuality, or dishonesty go
down, as one identifies himself with God, divine Principle. The ever-active
ageless nature of existence is expressed as one identifies himself with God,
eternal Life.
And don't we all need to know
today that God is good, and right is might? Then let us identify ourselves and
others as the sons and daughters of God, who is infinite Truth.
All of the wonderful qualities and
attributes of God belong to man as His reflection, and a Christian Scientist is
learning how to bring them out in his human character through staying on the
side of the equation which identifies him with the nature of God as expressed
in the synonyms.
And now let us see how this
relates to the subject of physical healing as it is brought about by Christian
Science treatment. Foremost among the demands upon mankind are those which are
made by the human body. To many, the body seems to be a tyrant, holding over
them the whip of diseased conditions, or declining strength, and slowed-up
action.
The demand of Christian Science with
which we can meet such a situation is phrased in the following quotation from
the chapter entitled, "Christian Science Practice" in Science and
Health (p. 393); "Take possession of your body, and govern its feeling
and action." If one has read the pages leading up to this statement he
knows that he must take possession of his thinking, for it has been made plain
that mortal mind and body are one, as understood in Christian Science.
I should like to give you a very
simple illustration of the way an understanding of this truth works out in
human experience.
A little boy with whom I am
acquainted had been troubled for several days with an incessant cough. His
mother had tried to get him to stay in bed while she applied Christian Science
treatment as she had done successfully at other times for her two children.
But you know how boys are about staying in bed! And how mothers sometimes are
about applying discipline, even when they are Christian Scientists! So the
little boy didn't go to bed. Neither did he stop coughing. Friction was
apparent between him and his slightly older sister, and his mother finally
decided that it was time to call grandmother in on the situation. She was told
to bring the child over to grandmother's house for the day.
So the little boy came - and
brought his cough with him. For one hour, two hours, three hours, he kept on
coughing. All this time his grandmother was quietly affirming the truth of
God's presence and power, and of man's unbreakable unity with God, trusting
divine Love to meet the little boy's need, whatever that might be. Suddenly he
stopped coughing, ran over and put his arms around her neck, and said,
"Grandma, I'm sleepy! I want to go home and go to bed." His mother
was called and drove him home, tucked him into bed, and heard not a sound from
him until the next morning, when he came down to breakfast smiling and free.
When his father made some remark about his healing the little boy said, "I
got comfortable in my mind!"
And that, my friends, is where
healing occurs in every instance. The sufferer gets "comfortable in his
mind"!
Incentive for Healing
The comfort which Christian
Science brings to the human mind, and which is translated into terms of bodily
comfort as illustrated in the healing of the little boy, is the effect of
prayer. It may be brought about either by one's own prayers, or those of
others. Such prayer conforms in every particular to the teaching of Jesus,
including the signs following, which he promised to those who believe on his
word.
The chapter entitled
"Prayer" with which the textbook opens, lifts prayer from the level
of liturgy and places it firmly on the basis of spiritually scientific
research. We read (p. 2): "Prayer cannot change the Science of being, but
it tends to bring us into harmony with it. Goodness attains the demonstration
of Truth."
And, again, in "No and
Yes," Mrs. Eddy writes (p. 39), "Prayer begets an awakened desire to
be and do good. It makes new and scientific discoveries of God, of His goodness
and power."
In the chapter "Christian Science
Practice" in Science and Health, we are given explicit instruction as to
how this is done. The first six pages of this chapter, which describes the
healing method of Christian Science, point out the spiritual preparation which
is required in order to pray the prayer that heals. Over forty God-derived
qualities, including patience, meekness, purity, and love are enumerated as
necessary in the healing work of Christian Science.
A consistent cultivation of the
spiritual qualities which identify man with the nature of God, places one in a
position to pray the prayer of affirmation and denial, which is taught in Christian
Science and results in physical and moral healing. To develop and express
these qualities, the Christian Scientist must strive daily and hourly to keep
his thought in harmony with God, so that he is always ready to affirm the truth
and deny whatever is unlike God's perfect creation.
The love of God for His creation
is the basic truth which underlies every Christian Science healing. Every
Christian Science treatment is prompted by the sincere desire to serve both God
and man, thus fulfilling the demands of the Science of Soul, and the two great
commandments cited by Christ Jesus. The impelling force in Christian Science
healing is this love for God and man.
We put off resentment, criticism,
self-justification, and pride, as we put on spirituality, demonstrating man's
original scientific sonship with God. Establishing through prayer our true
relationship to divine Love, we are able to reflect it in the love that heals.
Denying Reality of Evil
We have spoken of the prayer of
affirmation and denial which is taught in Christian Science, and have seen the
importance of maintaining the truth of God's spiritual creation. Before we
leave this subject, something should be said about the part that denial plays
in the Christian Scientist's prayer. What is it that he denies? And how does he
deny it?
In Christian Science we deny the
reality of anything unlike God and His spiritual creation. We may do this
either silently or audibly in giving a Christian Science treatment. We do it
most effectively when our daily living is a denial of all that is unlike God.
The Apostle James perceived this truth when he wrote in his Epistle (James
We see that healing comes about
not just because one prays. It is one's righteousness or right-mindedness
expressed in right action that brings the answer to prayer.
Denying the reality of all that is
unlike God, we are attesting the unreality of evil, and this is fundamental to
the understanding and demonstration of Christian Science. It is of the
greatest assistance in meeting the demands of human relationships, in which close
association serves to highlight human frailties.
We learn in Christian Science, not
only to make nothing of evil by not indulging it ourselves; but also through
seeing it as unreal when someone else is manifesting it. This applies equally
to the man who is storming at the bus driver for being late at his street
corner, and making him late to his office, and for the heads of government who
hurl threats around the world.
Let me tell you a little story
that will illustrate this:
Some time ago, Mrs. Broones and I
spent many years in
We had a driver who knew what we
wanted in these quiet Sunday drives. The front part of our car was open to the
skies, and I used to sit there with him to get the sun - that is, whenever it
was shining. One particular Sunday, driving along at his usual steady pace, I
gradually became aware of another automobile that evidently was trying to pass
us.
Finally, it succeeded in doing so,
and stopped suddenly just ahead of us. Naturally, we had to come to an abrupt
halt. The driver of the other car jumped out and ran over to our car with fire
in his eyes, which very shortly crept over into his cheeks and neck.
He fairly screamed to our driver
something to this effect:
"Where's your manners? You
ought to be ashamed of yourself, blocking the road, and not letting me pass
you. Your driving license should be taken away from you. You ought to be - you
should be -." And, as he went on with this tirade, his eyes seemed to be
fairly popping out of his head.
All this time our driver just
looked calmly straight ahead, and never opened his mouth. Finally, when the
other man was completely spent, and had to stop from sheer exhaustion, our
driver turned slowly towards him, and in a quiet, pleasant voice, just said,
"Piffle! Piffle!"
The other driver gasped; started
to talk back, thought better of it; returned to his car; and we all went
quietly on our way back to
The lesson learned from this
experience was that our driver did not meet personal attack with anger or
resentment. His "piffle" had reduced it to its native nothingness.
There is an old saying that a match cannot strike unless you present a rough
surface.
This happened a long time ago, but
even now, if I ever show signs of disturbance, Mrs. Broones looks at me with a
smile, and says, "Piffle!" - and I always calm right down!
Meeting Hatred with Love
One of the most important demands
of the Science of Soul is to meet hatred, which often parades as criticism or
resentment, with love. In Mrs. Eddy's spiritual interpretation of the
Lord's Prayer, given in Science and Health, she writes (p. 17): "And
forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And Love is reflected in love." Love is reflected in
love as we realize the unreality of evil and the allness of God, divine Love.
Jesus understood the unreality of
evil so completely that he could meet the threat of Pilate without fear. When
asked by Pilate (John
The Master was to prove in his
resurrection and ascension that all materialism is an unreal concept of the
human mind, and need not be feared (either as sin, disease, or death) by one
who knows the glorious fact that God is All, and God is Love, and obeys the
demands which this knowledge implies.
As understood in Christian
Science, the ascension of Christ Jesus was the natural and inevitable
experience of one who reflected completely the qualities of God. All of God's
qualities were reflected by the Master. Taken together, they are the measure
of man in the image and likeness of God.
One who reflects these qualities
which Jesus expressed with steadfastness and undeviating continuity will be in
a position to reflect upon the human scene the Love that heals. He will be
contributing not only to those with whom he comes in contact, but to all
mankind whom he embraces in his healing thought.
During the past year, I have often
listened on the radio to the deliberations of the United Nations. In listening
to the people of the world one can hear the overtones of love and the undertones
of hate. The ferment in the world which is bringing to the surface the
smoldering fires of hate, makes it imperative that we understand this
aberration of the human mind.
We find that one who thinks he
hates, almost always thinks that someone else has made him hate or hates him.
Something done to him, as it would seem, has brought about this state of mind.
This is an impossibility, as Christian Science shows. Persons cannot make other
persons hate, for each individual is responsible for his own thinking.
It is impersonal evil, named in
Christian Science "animal magnetism," that seems to make persons
hate. And it is God, divine Love, that makes them love Him, and all of His
creation. The activity of the Christ in human consciousness has brought this
truth to the world in the teaching of Christian Science.
If we know this, and apply it, can
anybody make us hate? Can anybody make us feel hurt? Can anybody make us want
to hurt back? No! The understanding of divine Love, and the acceptance of
divine Love as the ruling influence in one's thought and life, places one
above the reach of hate, or any of its little brothers and sisters.
Not one of them can climb into our
consciousness and be coddled there by self-pity or self-love. The great
releasing fact that the nature of God is Love - therefore, the nature of man and the universe must be love - protects
us from the evil influence of animal magnetism, which claims that it can cause
us to hate.
How can animal magnetism cause
anything, when God, divine Love, is the only cause and creator? Has animal
magnetism ever caused anything? No! The very worst that hatred could attempt
was proved unreal when Christ Jesus rose from the grave, then rose out
of mortal sight in the ascension, through the power of Love. When he left the
human scene in this way rather than through death, Jesus proved the real man to
be inseparable from Life which is God, This perfect relationship, of Principle
and its idea, man, is immune to every claim of causation apart from God.
Animal magnetism never caused
anything, and it never caused anyone to remember any grievances! It is
important for us, today, to watch what we hold in memory. Paul, who understood
Christ Jesus' teaching, told us what we should remember. In his Epistle to the
Philippians, he wrote (Phil. 4:8): "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things
are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever
things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good
report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these
things."
The things to which Paul referred
are the expressions of the true selfhood of man, which we are learning to bring
forth in human experience, through the teaching of Christian Science.
We need to take hold of the
question of memory for ourselves and for the world, today; if we are to cope
with the destructive forces which have been evolved by material science. The
measure of the hydrogen bomb is the measure of the pent-up hates and fears of
many people. There is only as much danger of destruction in the atomic or
hydrogen bomb as there is belief in evil in the human mind.
The Comforter, Divine Science
The lessons of the Bible were
never more pertinent than they are right now. Both the Old Testament and the
New hold the analysis and the remedy for the problems of the world today. The
story of Joseph in the book of Genesis is of special significance in the light
that it throws on the expression of love as a factor in human progress.
Joseph's refusal to indulge in
resentment when left in a pit by his brothers helped open the way for the
stream of thought that was bearing
There is only one answer to
injustice, for the individual and for society. The answer is to forgive and to
forget. We cannot hold on to real or imaginary wrongs, and find a remedy for
these wrongs. The remedy is to turn away from them, drop them, and listen to
the divine message of the Christ, that God is All and God is Love; that God
made all and made it good!
In the record of the true creation
given in the first chapter of Genesis, we read (Genesis
A Christian Science healing will
show a practical method of dealing with resentment, and its destructive
effects. A practitioner was called to help a woman apparently fatally ill. She
was a student of this Science, and though she had had much Christian Science
treatment, her difficulty had failed to yield. This woman was a schoolteacher,
who for twenty years had cared for an invalid mother while carrying on her
profession. Others in the family had shirked their responsibility, and she
believed that this had worn her out. She said that although her mother was now
gone, she just couldn't forget those twenty years.
The practitioner told her if she
couldn't forget, to try remembering - to remember back of the twenty years to
how things were before they started, and then back some more and some more,
until she got back to what she was before she was born. When she got back
there, she was to pray the prayer of Jesus, recorded in the book of John (17:5):
"And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory
which I had with thee before the world was."
This woman undertook the mental
discipline involved in turning her thought away from the years of injustice
which she had come to resent, and began to reach out for a realization of the
selfhood God had given her, and to claim the glory of this selfhood. And she
was completely healed, stopping treatment after a short time.
Conclusion
The world consciousness is a
composite consciousness. Each one of us contributes to its content. Moreover,
its content contributes to us. Are we going to resent with those who resent,
fear with those who fear, and hate with those who hate? Or are we going to be
in the company of those who are rejoicing in the divine nature of Love,
listening to the divine message of Love, bringing forth the divine manifestation
of Love, and thus taking part in the second coming of the Christ, the Comforter
of all the world's ills, which has come to the world in Christian Science?
Mrs. Eddy writes in "The
First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany" (p. 131:30-2):
"There is with us at this hour this great, great blessing; and may I say
with the consciousness of Mind that the fulfillment of divine Love in our lives
is the demand of this hour - the special demand."
Also printed in the Gulfport Tribune & The Citizen,