"LOVE," Mary Baker Eddy penetratingly remarks in "Miscellaneous Writings" (p. 250), "cannot be a mere abstraction, or goodness without activity and power," and she continues by indicating many quiet and selfless ways in which divine Love may be humanly expressed. Our Leader saw only too clearly the tendency of mankind to divorce Love from its human expression; that while men may love Love in the abstract, they do not always love to love. Yet the unity of divine Love and its reflection, man, must find human expression if it is to be of practical value to humanity; and to bring this to pass men must cease to think of themselves as human beings needing to receive love, and identify themselves with the divine idea, which is the expression of Love itself. This identification can only be gained by our being the idea of Love in so far as we understand it. Love and its idea, or reflection, can never be separated. They are one in being. Love is not Love unless it has expression; just as the sun would not be the sun without sunshine. Neither has entity without the other.
"God," as John reiterates in his epistles, "is love," and mankind has vaguely accepted this statement and turned to divine Love for help as if Love were a power apart from man which had to be implored to take part in human affairs, and which, if willing to do so, acted in some mysteriously beneficent way apart from man. This conjecture, separating Love from man, and leaving man with no part to play in the operation of divine power, has never yielded certain results. Christian Science teaches that divine Love scientifically and certainly meets all human need in the exact proportion that one identifies himself with the idea of Love and expresses this idea in his every activity. Christian Science teaches that man, absolutely speaking, is the full and perfect expression of divine Love, now and always, but that from the human standpoint one must learn to express Love; and to the extent that each individual does so is he able to utilize the divine power in healing and helping humanity. No mere abstraction here, but a vital and unremitting work to be undertaken with consecration and self-abnegation, with unceasing prayer and joyous practice.
We need, first, to understand the nature of divine Love, and then to express this understanding in our daily lives. This is our individual duty, and only as each individual undertakes this duty, and demonstrates Love in his or her own niche, will "the beauty of holiness," peace and happiness, be found on earth. Love does not act independently of man. Love acts through and is expressed by man. Then to understand Love is of little value if this understanding is not actively lived, while our human existence lacks direction and vitality if we do not understand the nature of Love.
