When my father arrived at one of his first jobs in Rio de Janeiro, he found a copy of The Herald of Christian Science hidden at the bottom of an old drawer in his work desk. From then on, he began studying Christian Science and taking my siblings and me downtown to a Church of Christ, Scientist, on Sundays. I was nine years old at the time of my first Sunday School class, but as I look back on the experience now, I think of what a wonderful find my father had made.
Several years ago, when news about the pandemic broke out, I was working as an administrative agent at a very large federal hospital in Rio. Because of its location serving many favelas, our hospital became a focal point for the treatment of Covid-19. I was in administration dealing with paperwork, and I had no mask, face shield, or gloves, which were in short supply and were reserved for medical professionals treating patients.
I was afraid, so I opened my Christian Science textbook, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, to page 66, where Mrs. Eddy says, “Trials teach mortals not to lean on a material staff,—a broken reed, which pierces the heart.” Rather than relying on things that might be considered “a broken reed,” I realized I could rely on God, and I felt the fear recede. Near the end of my 24-hour shift of helping many Covid patients to their appointments, however, I began to have a very high fever. It was so high that I became unconscious.
When I awoke, I found myself in the ICU. The hospital staff had placed me in total isolation, and I didn’t have my Science and Health or my Bible—only my cellphone. Faced with concerning symptoms and the corresponding fear in the eyes of my colleagues—all of them dressed in gowns and masks and face shields—I wasn’t able to calm my thoughts; I wasn’t able to pray. I would start a prayer, but I couldn’t finish it. I felt trapped and unable to rise above the fear. But I remembered a passage from Science and Health on page 232, where Mrs. Eddy says, “In the sacred sanctuary of Truth are voices of solemn import. . . .”
Then I remembered my childhood walks to Sunday School and “the scientific statement of being” on page 468 of Science and Health, which always closed our Sunday School sessions. I could only remember the first line of it, however, and I couldn’t go any further. I kept returning to that same sentence—“There is no life, truth, intelligence, nor substance in matter”—so I began to declare each word very slowly, and I clung to these spiritual truths. I realized that I had firmly made a choice: to keep my thought on God, Love, and to know the truth about myself as the loved idea of God.
While I was surrounded by nurses who were fearful of being contaminated by attending to me, I felt inspired to think about the type of care that a Christian Science nurse provides; I knew that a Christian Science nurse always keeps their thought elevated, looking to Truth, looking to the Christ, in order to perform necessary and proper work in a sickroom. I knew that I wanted to be elevated by Truth, too, so I immediately called a Christian Science nurse. We talked briefly about divine Love and care and God’s providence. As the Christian Science nurse spoke to me of God’s loving care for all of us, I became less fearful.
I had been hooked up to a machine to help me breathe on that first day in the ICU. After my conversation with the Christian Science nurse, my breathing and oxygen levels had normalized and my fever had broken. Because of this quick turnaround, the hospital released me on the third day.
I don’t believe I could have had this turnaround without communicating with the Christian Science nurse. It gave me an awareness of God’s tender care for me. Although I was sent home with a list of medications to take, and the test results I received while at home confirmed that I had contracted Covid, I made the choice to rely wholly on Christian Science for help; I didn’t take the medication. I was grateful I had chosen to go with Christian Science treatment, because it elevated my thinking and it made all the difference. All of the Covid symptoms I had been experiencing had disappeared the next day, as a result.
Due to labor laws, I wasn’t allowed to go back to my job for 14 days, but this gave me the opportunity to participate remotely in Bible Lesson study and church services that were held over Zoom. These activities helped me to once again feel as though I was in the house, the consciousness, of the Lord, in harmony and safety—a place I had never truly left.
During this time, I felt led by God as this passage from the book of Exodus describes: “The Lord went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night” (13:21). Page 200 of Science and Health explains that “Moses advanced a nation to the worship of God in Spirit instead of matter, and illustrated the grand human capacities of being bestowed by immortal Mind.” Each day I felt that light and advancement. I had already been healed of Covid and felt that God was ahead of me as I crossed the desert of fear of the pandemic. After my two weeks away from work, I tested negative for Covid and resumed my activities without any problems or side effects.
I am very grateful that I was led to Christian Science, and I know that everything I learn on this journey—studying and practicing this Science and participating in church—aids me in my progress.
My joyous gratitude acknowledges that what I have learned in recent years has sustained me in every situation, with harmony and peace, which are already established and maintained by God.
Elizabeth Moreira Queiroz
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
