Q: The word patient appears many times in Science and Health. The basic dictionary meaning is: “someone receiving medical treatment.” Since this is clearly not what Mary Baker Eddy is intending, can you explain why I should be regarded as a “patient” when asking for prayer support from a practitioner? —A reader in Barcelona, Spain
A: Most who seek any type of health care believe they are suffering, and the term patient defines “one who suffers.” Medical treatment regards the patient as a human being whose suffering has a material cause and requires a material cure. Patients may tell a doctor, “I am sick,” and the physician seeks to provide relief. Even though students of Christian Science take a spiritual approach to healing, they respect the good intentions of doctors.
Those who request prayerful support from a practitioner are also called patients, because they, too, seek relief from suffering, but often they yearn for something even more important. They want a deeper understanding of their perfect, original, God-given identity, which cannot be touched by illness.
