AT the Wednesday evening testimony meetings of the Christian Science churches one hears, over and over again, expressions of great gratitude for many things. Christian Scientists everywhere express gratitude in their conversations with others for the mental peace they enjoy, for the health they experience, for the opportunities afforded them whereby they may bless and be blessed, for everything that is good and pure and beautiful in the world. They express gratitude in their generous support of the building programs of their churches and of all other worthy requests. They express gratitude in the untiring service they give to all the activities of their church and to all proper movements or interests of their communities or states. Such gratitude do they express that one who is not a student of this great truth is prone to look upon Christian Scientists as individuals buoyed up by some sort of inflated optimism, instead of supported and sustained by something truly substantial.
Gratitude means more than its common passing acceptation, to us who have studied its effects on our lives. Ordinarily, it means thankfulness for some favor shown, for some help offered or gift received. As a general rule, one feels that he has discharged his duty when he goes to the donor and expresses in some formal, stereotyped sort of way his thankfulness; and then he considers the incident closed.
Gratitude, which is really not a mere sentiment, is an indispensable element of every true Christian's faith. It is an essential in the experience of everyone who would demonstrate the Christ, Truth, according to the teaching of Christian Science, in working out his own problems and in healing the sick and sinful.
