How very natural it is for those who have experienced the blessings of Christian Science to love and revere Mary Baker Eddy. We are grateful, to say the very least, for her place as Discoverer, Founder, and continuing Leader. The all-important question, however, is, "Do I understand her in her true light, as inseparable from her discovery?" We may think we really appreciate her, but have we the deep dimension that comes with our recognition of the revelation of Christian Science as, in fact, Truth's very appearing?
Mrs. Eddy expressed heartfelt gratitude for pupils who, having seen her in her spiritual light, went on to bless mankind through their good works and healing proofs of Christian Science. She once wrote a pupil: "For the world to understand me in my true light, and life, would do more for our Cause than aught else could. This I learn from the fact that the enemy tries harder to hide these two things from the world than to win any other points." Robert Peel, Mary Baker Eddy: The Years of Authority (New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1977), p. 60.
Let us, then, get the broad picture of our beloved Leader. Since Mary Baker Eddy's revelation of Christian Science is the Science of the Christ, we might first consider how the Christ, in all ages, has reached humanity. In the Old Testament of the Bible, we find the golden thread of God's Word. This Word, or God's self-revealing activity, is expressed in the Christ. It glows in the foresight and promise of the patriarchs and prophets.
