"THE time for the reappearing of the divine healing is throughout all time; and whosoever layeth his earthly all on the altar of divine Science, drinketh of Christ's cup now, and is endued with the spirit and power of Christian healing," writes Mrs. Eddy on page 55 of Science and Health. The qualifications for a Christian Science practitioner are here clearly stated. These are exacting conditions, and one who feels that he is divinely impelled to engage in this holiest of all ministries will gladly conform to them. He will reap a reward of spiritual achievement that only the practice of Christian Science can bring.
A practitioner holds an office—a divinely established office—as does a teacher of Christian Science, a Reader, or a lecturer. As he discerns the demands made upon the office by divine Principle and fulfills them to the best of his ability, he is sustained in everything he is called upon to do, and he prospers in the doing of it, healing his patients with the assurance of man's unbroken unity with God.
Recognizing the source of these demands, the practitioner will not place himself above the office or believe that he has to sustain the office. On the contrary, he will find safety and security in relinquishing a limited, personal sense of his work and giving his all to the office to which he has been called. He will find that he is responsible to the office, not for it. He will also find that both office and officer are upheld by the law that maintains harmony and purpose throughout the universe.
