Articles

When we hear people speak of influenza, or the flu, "going around" through infection or contagion, we seldom remember that this disease, now traced by modern medicine to a virus, was once thought to result from the "influence" of the stars. But actually, how far advanced over this old superstition is the modern belief of a contagious influence? The fact is that neither the stars, a virus, nor any other so-called material agent can affect an individual adversely if he knows that God, divine Mind, is the only creator or cause.

Many of us have experienced from time to time that bleak feeling of deep loneliness, a sense of isolation from all with whom we would like to identify. We may have felt lonely in the middle of a crowded assembly; within a group of friends; in a cozy family circle, or even within a close-knit husband/wife relationship.

There is no eternal time any more than there is spiritual matter. Like Spirit and matter, eternity and time are opposites.

Religious conflict is as old as history, although it may seem to us to have increased alarmingly in recent years. Bloody revolutions and wars are being fought in efforts to enforce prescribed religions on dissenters.

"I've had a healing!" my friend exclaimed as we walked away from our branch Church of Christ, Scientist, after a Wednesday evening testimony meeting. He said that he'd felt impelled to come to church, even though he was suffering from a painful condition and had found it difficult to drive.

True peace comes when we realize that our real identity is indissolubly linked to God, the only creator. Recognizing this full measure of dependence upon our Father-Mother Love, we find ourselves uplifted to a grand awareness that man can never be separated from divine Mind's control.

Service on the executive board of a branch Church of Christ, Scientist, provides many opportunities for humility. Humility doesn't mean belittling oneself or the post of board member.

Is there someone in your family that you're not speaking to? Perhaps you long to heal the estrangement, but you just really don't know how or where to begin. Centuries ago the Master, Christ Jesus, presented the way for healing any discordant human relationship.

What are we seeking through prayer? What are we striving to demonstrate? These questions require deep soul-searching to be effectively answered. Are we praying for a job, or one that will provide more money? Perhaps we're seeking a buyer for a house that has been on the market for some time? A happier marriage? Better health? Relief from a personal relationship problem? Whatever our desires, whatever we may be wrestling with, wouldn't it be wise and downright practical for us to put our main effort on demonstrating the goodness of God in our lives and love for one another? With such a priority we would be conforming to Christ Jesus' loving counsel "Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

Christian Science restores health to the sick, satisfies the lonely, and answers the human need. But spiritual healing is not just a matter of improved material circumstances.