WRITING of Christ Jesus' relationship with his disciples, Mrs. Eddy says (Retrospection and Introspection, p. 91), "When he was with them, a fishing-boat became a sanctuary, and the solitude was peopled with holy messages from the All-Father."
This penetrating view of sacred withdrawal, with its transcendent results, prompts the question, How can we find and experience the same Christly solitude? We find our answer when, through the study of Christian Science, we prayerfully begin to desire solitude. Then there must follow an awakening to the vital value and significance of solitude and the inescapable necessity for it. Through spiritual propulsion it is gently unfolded to each student that the very nucleus of progress in divine Science is at-one-ment with God—precious hours of spiritual stillness in which to probe the depths of realism, ponder the nature and essence of the infinite, and imbibe "holy messages from the All-Father."
Solitude, viewed from a human standpoint, usually holds little attraction for mankind. For many, apprehension is associated with being alone; there is excessive yearning of the human affections for companionship and personal attachments. When spiritual quietness descends upon us, self-imposed emotionalism and human discontent, resulting from loneliness, must measurably lessen. In Science we learn that Love encircles the universe and that consequently it is impossible for man, the child of God to stray beyond the infinitude of Love's all-encompassing, satisfying presence.
In the sacred sanctuary of Deity are revealed the beauty, activity, and solemnity of holiness. In this atmosphere our spiritual moorings are strengthened and secured, and planned time to be alone with God is a requisite.
Moses was alone on the mount forty days and forty nights, communing with his heavenly Father. Then he received the tables containing the Ten Commandments, the moral law which has stood through the ages as a code of moral jurisprudence and which has incited and inspired mankind to obey God's will. Jesus frequently withdrew from the multitude to pray, sometimes to a desert place and sometimes to a mountain-top. When he again mingled with the throng, the people pressed him, assured that he would heal them, and he did.
A coveted requirement of every conscientious student of Christian Science is time for systematized study of the Bible and our Leader's writings—time in which to acquaint oneself with God through spiritual unfoldment and development. Thorough, undeviating study of these books is requisite that we may imbibe the spirit which regenerates, purifies, and heals. Then we may joyfully experience the progress that is so lovingly set forth for us in the writings of Mrs. Eddy.
Progress was evidenced to one student who endeavored to heed the many admonitions embodied in Mrs. Eddy's article entitled "Improve Your Time," to be found on page 230 of "Miscellaneous Writings." This student was grateful for: sustained unfoldment during a period when it looked as if a busy schedule would measurably curtail her study. As effort and motivation were thoughtfully channeled into pursuits that were spiritual, the importance and intensity of time-demanding, time-consuming duties faded. From well-guarded moments of consecration to Truth, hours were gained in which to study and contemplate the ever-unfolding facts of spiritual existence.
The Bible contains many admonitions to dissociate oneself from profitless worldly endeavors. For example, let us deliberate upon the words of Christ Jesus spoken to his disciples, "Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while" (Mark 6: 31). Spiritually interpreted, this place apart, in which rest is to be found, is the consciousness of the omnipotence, omnipresence, and omniscience of God, in which the activity of Spirit precludes all worldly restlessness.
Today a restless world yearns for a far-reaching spiritual awakening. It is the demand of the hour. We are momently alerted to the urgency of such an awakening. Divine Science is compelling us to hear spiritually, to see spiritually, and to act spiritually. To meet this demand, we must learn to be spiritually still, even when surrounded by people. Opportunities for the Christian Scientist are infinite, so are his obligations. When we scientifically apply the laws of Truth, human thought becomes enlightened, the mesmerism of fear is broken, and the power and freedom of divine Love are universally demonstrated and keenly apprehended. The Christian Scientist is an adherent of the greatest Cause on earth, and in deepest veneration for this Cause he has solemnly promised to watch and pray that he may have the Mind which was in Christ Jesus.
A poignant lesson is revealed to us as we turn the lens of Science upon our Leader's invitation given in reply to the many invitations she received from Christian Scientists in Chicago, who extended their hospitality to her for the duration of the World's Fair. It reads: "I have a world of wisdom and Love to contemplate, that concerns me, and you, infinitely beyond all earthly expositions or exhibitions. In return for your kindness, I earnestly invite you to its contemplation with me, and to preparation to behold it" (Miscellaneous Writings, pp. 321, 322).
At the time it was written this invitation was extended to a comparatively small group of Christian Scientists. Today, however, it goes forth with the same heart-imploring urgency to every Christian Scientist in the world. Do we hear it? Are we acting upon it? An affirmative reply to these significant questions will be forthcoming as we take this vital invitation to our hearts. Joyously we must exert every effort to see that Mrs. Eddy's great healing and saving gift to the world becomes a universal afflatus. Then may we hope to bring to a much closer view the glory and the inevitability of the approaching millennium in this present century.
