In a sermon about Christ Jesus, Mary Baker Eddy said, “The monument whose finger points upward, commemorates the earthly life of a martyr; but this is not all of the philanthropist, hero, and Christian. The Truth he has taught and spoken lives, and moves in our midst a divine afflatus” (Miscellaneous Writings 1883–1896, p. 166).
In Latin, afflatus means “a breathing on” (dictionary.com). In English, it can signify sudden inspiration communicated by the divine presence. This inspiration occurs when we are moved by the Holy Ghost.
In Retrospection and Introspection, Mrs. Eddy writes of her own afflatus experience in discovering Christian Science: “My heart bent low before the omnipotence of Spirit, and a tint of humility, soft as the heart of a moonbeam, mantled the earth. . . . Frozen fountains were unsealed. Erudite systems of philosophy and religion melted, for Love unveiled the healing promise and potency of a present spiritual afflatus” (p. 31).
