"Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God." This gentle entreaty of John is still echoing down the centuries, never in human history finding a greater need for attention and obedience thereto than at the present moment. The world in its dream of sin and penalty, oppression and depression, fear and distrust, misplaced hopes and groping despair, is blindly crying out for balm. Many are heeding the call, and the lack is not for compassionate hearts and willing hands. The great need is for intelligent, selfless response born of an understanding of the Science of divine Love, that life-giving religion preached and practiced by humanity's greatest lover of God and man, Christ Jesus, and now fully revealed in Christian Science. No benefactor of mankind since the humble Nazarene has so consistently and persistently stressed the great necessity for love as has the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science, Mary Baker Eddy. Her writings abound in admonitions to her followers to be loving, compassionate, and forgiving—to live love—for she says in "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" (p. 113), "The vital part, the heart and soul of Christian Science, is Love."
Now the love of which our Leader's life was such a glorious exemplification is not emotionalism, based upon personal sense. It is not a misplaced or miscalled affection which pinnacles persons, thereby limiting good and ignoring evil. In an article entitled "Love" in "Miscellaneous Writings" Mrs. Eddy, after boldly denouncing the mistaken "so-called affection" which makes unhappy victims of its objects, goes on to say (p. 250): "I make strong demands on love, call for active witnesses to prove it, and noble sacrifices and grand achievements as its results. Unless these appear, I cast aside the word as a sham and counterfeit, having no ring of the true metal. Love cannot be a mere abstraction, or goodness without activity and power."
The sincere, honest Christian Scientist—and no other has any claim to the name—humbly searches his inmost thoughts and life to make sure that he is meeting these reasonable demands of his Leader. He is hourly endeavoring to express this "activity and power" which is an earnest of true love. He strives to be more loving and kind, possibly feels poignant grief at times because of his admitted failure, and honestly resolves to reflect more of the Christ-spirit. But the adoption of even the best of intentions, though admittedly a most important step in the right direction, is not enough for the Christian Scientist. He is learning the Science of Love, and this Science teaches him how, with the strong cords of scientific realization and demonstration, to whip out of the temple of his thinking those evil tendencies and selfish traits that are so devastating and destructive to all who indulge them. It teaches him how to entertain, instead, constructive, life-giving, peace-bestowing thoughts and desires. Consciousness imbued with this active, healing love is an effectual barrier against fear, envy, lust, resentment, selfish ambition, self-centered sensitiveness, personal pride, self-assertiveness.
