Articles

“ ‘What went ye out for to see?’ A person, or a Principle?” (Mary Baker Eddy, The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany, p. 117 ).

Have you ever had a moment when words you’ve been used to using interchangeably suddenly took on very distinct and powerful meanings? It can feel like traveling to a different country that had been only a name on a map, and suddenly its sights, sounds, and smells are real and unforgettable. This happened to me when discovering how I had undervalued two biblical terms: disciple and apostle.

A wonder—a real joy in life—is to discover that there’s more to our world, each other, and ourselves than what we see when we look around—to learn that the deepest and truest sense of reality is actually exclusively spiritual.   An honest desire to understand this better opens up a world of healing, transformation, comfort, and uplifted character.

As a young woman Mary Baker Eddy faced many difficult trials, including a forced separation from her only child. The Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science writes briefly about this tragic period in her life in her autobiographical book Retrospection and Introspection, in the chapter “Marriage and Parentage.

American writer and humorist Mark Twain once wrote, “The difference between the almost-right word and the right word is really a large matter—it’s the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning. ” What a profound observation! It strikes me that the sincere Christian thought I was brought up with, and the more metaphysical view of Christian theology and practice I’ve since learned through the teachings of Christian Science, hold a similar relation.

At this time of year, much of the world is ablaze with color and lights and decoration in anticipation of Christmas. Amid all the dazzle it’s sometimes hard to find the simple signs that mark this as a holy day.

The following is an edited summary of the 2017 Annual Meeting workshop “ The Christian Science Monitor:  uplifting the spirit of humanity,” held on June 3 in the Extension of The Mother Church and broadcast live online. To watch the complete replay, visit christianscience.

My friend had a healing that took her by surprise. She wasn’t amazed that she’d been healed; she had expected that.

While vast numbers of people find comfort and healing in the Bible’s spiritual meaning, many pages of the Bible are filled with violence. To interpret the Scriptures in an authentic way—and to find inspiration even in those passages depicting violence and death—we need to deal with and confront that violent record truthfully and openly, and with deep prayer.

Many realize that we can’t demonstrate, or prove, what we don’t understand, neither do we understand what we don’t demonstrate. Understanding and demonstration go hand in hand and are essential to each other.