THE WORD ACCESS MEANS "freedom to enter or obtain," and often implies the need to remove obstacles. People across the world want access to so many of the same things—to clean water, sufficient food, good schools, honest information, reliable healthcare, and an overall secure life.
The demand for access also hints at a spiritual reality—the right to know what St. Paul called "the things that are freely given to us of God" (I Cor. 2:12). Because we're creations of divine Spirit, we're entitled to spiritual consciousness—the awareness that God is supreme at every moment and in every situation. Access to this consciousness can't be denied by governments, disasters, or any human circumstances.
As otherworldly as spiritual consciousness may sound, a glimmer of it can have very practical effects. Take the story of Doris Cuxun, who grew up poor in Guatemala. Despite her mother's repeated counsel to give up her dreams, Ms. Cuxun found a new religious faith that taught her she had God-given talents and helped her start her own business. Explaining her rise out of poverty, she said, "God made me feel that I was worth something" (The Christian Science Monitor, December 17, 2007, "Wealth gospel propels poor Guatemalans").
