In the book of Exodus is given an account of the angel that appeared to Moses "in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush" (3:2). The account continues: "The bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed. And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt. And when the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. ... Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground."
There is much of significance in this passage. Perhaps Moses realized the imperishable nature of substance, for it appears that he saw fire without destruction. Moses lived so close to God that he could talk with Him. Spiritual ideas come to us as unmistakably as they came to Jesus and to the early Biblical characters; and to the extent that we listen and obey, we too hear and talk with God.
God told Moses that the place whereon he stood was holy ground. Right where one stands in his understanding of God and man is holy ground! The answer to any human problem is always in consciousness, for there and there alone is the kingdom of God. Jesus put it this way (Luke 17:21): "Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you." It would then appear that purging consciousness of all impurities or, in other words, spiritualizing thinking, is the way to have the kingdom of heaven at hand and thus to stand on holy ground.
A woman serving in a Christian Science Reading Room related this experience: shortly after becoming an associate librarian she slipped on the freshly waxed floor in the study room and sprained her ankle. She began to repeat "the scientific statement of being" from page 468 of "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" by Mary Baker Eddy, and the pain soon stopped. She questioned, however, whether she would be able to carry on her duties properly. She then realized that she was in an atmosphere where healing should be instantaneous.
The woman began to go over what she had read in some notes regarding the function of the Reading Room and the duties and privileges of the attendants. She saw clearly that nothing could interfere with the fulfilling of each task as it was presented, for where she stood was truly holy ground. The Reading Room had been provided by the members of the church in gratitude for the many blessings they had received and was for the purpose of giving comfort and enlightenment to all those in need of and receptive to Truth.
She realized that to the extent each member established the right idea of Church in consciousness, seekers for Truth were attracted to the truth, redeemed, and healed and that the Christian Science Reading Room is one avenue for making known the mission of the church. Within a very few minutes she got up from the chair and walked about freely, without the slightest discomfort. Note that in this healing, thought was turned completely away from self, while the atmosphere of Love, as well as the true function of the Reading Room, was maintained.
Mrs. Eddy says (Science and Health, pp. 476, 477): "Jesus beheld in Science the perfect man, who appeared to him where sinning mortal man appears to mortals. In this perfect man the Saviour saw God's own likeness, and this correct view of man healed the sick." Thus is it made apparent that as we correct our own concept of our fellow men, we bless and heal them. Jesus insisted upon the reality of the divine power and made it so apparent even to those who had no understanding of it that he healed instantaneously. This altitude of mind maintained is holy ground and makes our prayerful work effective.
Prayer is the first necessity in our taking a forward step to attain this consciousness of holiness. True prayer is always constructive. It is the declaring of spiritual facts and the denying of mortal beliefs. It is the maintaining of a conscious awareness of the infallibility of God's law and of the reality of divine power and its availability to men. In Isaiah we read (59:19), "When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him." This standard is raised when we pray from the standpoint of the acknowledgment of the omnipotence, omniscience, and omnipresence of God.
Whatever the material need may seem to be, the necessity is always for more consecration. We need to claim the right and power to follow Jesus as our Way-shower. What should our attitude be when we are confronted with error? Mrs. Eddy tells us (Science and Health, p. 403), "You command the situation if you understand that mortal existence is a state of self-deception and not the truth of being."
It is, then, within our power to resist the deception of mortal existence, whether for ourselves or for others. It is our task to claim holy consciousness and to maintain spiritual understanding so that we continue to grow in grace and prove that man has God-bestowed dominion. If we demonstrate the divine presence, or God with us, in our daily affairs, we shall show forth the deliverance which is so essential.
Changing consciousness from sin to holiness, from disease to the certainty of absolute health and peace, brings heaven in that instant no matter where we appear to be humanly. Holy ground is where we know and understand God. As individuals reflect infinite consciousness, they partake of the nature of infinity.
When one stands on holy ground, he looks out from the understanding of spiritual perfection and beholds only beauty, order, and purity as reality. He recognizes Spirit to be true substance and discerns the operation of divine law in every aspect of his experience. He maintains energy, growth, and vitality and knows freedom and harmony and joy. He feels compassion and true understanding and comprehends wisdom and intelligence. Like Moses, he obeys the command, "Put off thy shoes from off thy feet," and realizes that the place whereon he stands is holy ground.
