At the darkest hour in the earthly experience of our Lord and Master, Christ Jesus, when his mission was misunderstood and he was facing desertion and the ordeal of the cross, he turned away from earth and found refuge in divine Love. It is recorded in the twenty-second chapter of Luke's Gospel that, as Jesus prayed for divine guidance at this crucial time, "there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him." God supplied his need, for he relied entirely upon spiritual might. Referring to the unity of his true being with divine Principle and to Love's mastery over the seeming forces of evil, the Master said (Matt. 26:53), "Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?"
Jesus was conscious of his true immortal identity as the Son of God, and his spiritual understanding of Life as God enabled him to overcome death and the grave. He thus proved for all time that there is no resistance to spiritually enlightened consciousness.
Jesus companioned with the angels of God even when, according to the evidence of the material senses, dire events were happening. We too can commune with God and entertain His angels, or spiritual ideas, when we are confronted with the aggressive suggestions of mortal mind. Our true selfhood can never be separated from God, and this great truth should inspire us to conquer every material obstacle. On page 581 of "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" Mary Baker Eddy defines "angels" as follows: "God's thoughts passing to man; spiritual intuitions, pure and perfect; the inspiration of goodness, purity, and immortality, counteracting all evil, sensuality, and mortality."
