THOSE WORDS WERE SPOKEN by a head usher at The Mother Church, after each usher's meeting twice weekly. There were healings at The Mother Church services, of course, but as a new member of the usher staff, I had not seen any, and muttered about it too often.
The 1966 Annual Meeting at The First Church of Christ, Scientist, was the 100th anniversary of the discovery of Christian Science. Due to the crowds, tickets were given out at Horticultural Hall on Saturday, prior to the meeting. About two hours into the distribution, a couple arrived in a taxi. The husband was on crutches, and his feet were badly swollen over cut-out bedroom slippers. He was obviously in pain, and moved to a chair just inside the door to the Hall.
As ushers, we were encouraged in such cases to pray for "man" as Christian Science defines the term. I reasoned: "Man is not matter; he is not made up of brain, blood, bones, and other material elements" (Science and Health, p. 475); therefore, no individual creation of God could be used or pained by matter. I held that metaphysical position, praying, as I'm sure the other ushers were doing also.
