It is a great joy to read The Christian Science Monitor. We need to make the necessary effort to make time for this reading. One feels that even in just reading it he is responding to its God-given mission. Supporting the Monitor in this way is serving the universal Cause of Christian Science.
Suggestions may present themselves to make us believe we don't have the desire or the opportunity to read the Monitor. These should be exposed as impositions and then seen as challenges to deepen our perception of the important role and useful possibilities of our newspaper. Whether the suggestions take the form of differences of opinion between the editorial writers and ourselves, lack of time to read the paper, or if English is not our native tongue-these and many others might well represent mortal thought's opposition to our individual ability to practice Christian Science in its universal dimension. Systematic reading of the Monitor is extremely enriching.
We also need to yield humbly to the divine Mind's guidance on how to deal with national and world problems through prayer. The inspired thought is expressed in the Bible: "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: so shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it." 1
The real world is spiritual. It is no more geographic than it is temporal. To believe that either difficulties or joys localize themselves at any point on the globe is to admit another suggestion of animal magnetism—that distance relieves us of responsibility to think correctly about specific situations. This would result in putting to sleep our alertness to world problems and thus limit our capacity to love and heal. Let us not accept this dwarfing of our consciousness!
All news offers information. What do we do with this information? Our thought colors what we call "the facts" themselves, for everything is mentally perceived. Because the world for us is identical with the consciousness we entertain of it, we must base our thoughts of the world on what is true of it—the oneness, the unity, of God and man.
The Christ-idea acts in leading individual consciousness into this oneness—to the understanding that there are not two consciousnesses, ours and God's, but only one: God, Mind.
Christian Scientists read the Monitor, in a sense, with a professional eye. They know that the Christ is the guardian of perfection. The perspicacity they naturally develop—thanks in part to their familiarity with the Monitor—helps create a widespread desire to obtain and read this newspaper. As our Leader, Mrs. Eddy, writes: "Millions of unprejudiced minds—simple seekers for Truth,weary wanderers, athirst in the desert—are waiting and watching for rest and drink. Give them a cup of cold water in Christ's name, and never fear the consequences." 2
As long as we wait for something good to happen, we cannot be aware of the good that has already come—the good news proclaimed in the Bible and preached by Jesus that the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Spiritual perfection is reality to which we must yeald. The coming of such a recognition is the awakerning from the dream of mortal history—the dream that humanity suffers.
We should read the Monitor from the standpoint of the allness of God—allowing ourselves to be guided by the Christ-idea. So we will fulfill this prophecy: "Behold, thou shalt call a nation that thou knowest not, and nations that knew not thee shall run unto thee because of the Lord thy God, and for the Holy One of Israel; for he hath glorified thee." 3
