Sometimes, when praying for the healing of a difficult situation, we become so aware of God's comforting love surrounding us that the awareness of divine Love's presence is enough, by itself, to bring about the healing. But there are other times when a lot more is required of us—when we need to face a persistent difficulty with a strong, continuing conviction of spiritual truth and refuse to give up or give in until the healing comes.
John's Gospel tells of Christ Jesus' promise that after his ascension God would send us another Comforter. Mary Baker Eddy understood Divine Science to be that Comforter. The word Comforter points to the reassuring, mothering love of God which we sometimes feel so clearly, and which is always present.
Bible dictionaries tell us that there's also another meaning for the word translated Comforter in the King James Version of the Bible. It may be translated advocate, or counselor. It means the counsel for the defense, or one called to another's side to help.
In Science and Health Mrs. Eddy presents an interesting allegory that shows how Christian Science can be called in as our advocate to help and defend us. See Science and Health, pp. 430-442 The allegory depicts a case of sickness brought to trial in court. Mortal Man is first tried in the Court of Error, convicted of sickness, and sentenced to die. Then Christian Science is called in as the "counsel for the defence," to help Mortal Man. This defense counsel has the case moved to the Supreme Court of Spirit, where counsel successfully argues in defense of Mortal Man and brings about his healing.
Christian Science is also known as the Christ Science. The words comforter and advocate point to two different aspects of the Christ, God's eternal message of good. When we turn to God in times of need, we feel the presence of His tender, supportive love. And at the same time we find His Christ, with divine strength, providing the defense we need against the false claims of mortality.
Angels might be thought of as representing the comforter and advocate aspects of God's care for us. Part of the definition of angels in Science and Health is: "God's thoughts passing to man." Ibid, p. 581 The Bible has personified two types of angels and given them names — Gabriel and Michael. The Bible says that Daniel was visited by an angel named Gabriel, who reassured him with the words "Thou art greatly beloved." Dan. 9:23 Michael is referred to in the book of Daniel as "the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people." Dan. 12:1 And in the twelfth chapter of Revelation, the angel Michael fights against the dragon (evil) and casts him out of heaven.
Writing of these angels, Mrs. Eddy says: "The Old Testament assigns to the angels, God's divine messages, different offices. Michael's characteristic is spiritual strength. He leads the hosts of heaven against the power of sin, Satan, and fights the holy wars. Gabriel has the more quiet task of imparting a sense of the ever-presence of ministering Love. These angels deliver us from the depths. Truth and Love come nearer in the hour of woe, when strong faith or spiritual strength wrestles and prevails through the understanding of God." Science and Health, pp. 566-567
In Christian Science treatment, when we're taking a strong stand for the spiritual truth of God and of man in His likeness, we find that God's angels are at our side, helping us. The strong angel thoughts that come when we need them — that fight the battles against evil in all its forms — are true thoughts, healing thoughts. Truth conquers evil, because evil is forever untrue.
Giving Christian Science treatment is not a matter of a human being trying to summon the mental strength to resist some dragon-sized evil. In Christian Science treatment, God pours His truth, as well as His love, into our receptive thought, giving us the understanding and ability to face down every aggressive suggestion of evil with the truth of spiritual being. Paul describes this well in his Epistle to the Romans when he writes, "The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God." Rom. 8:16
In Christian Science
treatment we see
clearly the nothingness
of anything God
did not create,
anything unlike Him.
Whether the case being treated is one of illness, lack of employment, troubled relationships, or some other situation needing healing, Christian Science treatment includes not only the comforting awareness of divine Love's care for man but strong affirmations of truth as well.
In treatment we affirm the presence and allness of God as unchanging Truth, infinite Spirit, eternal Life. We affirm the perfection of man as the image and likeness of all that God is. Treatment celebrates the unbreakable relationship between God and man, Parent and child, Spirit and its perfect, spiritual expression. Treatment also includes strong denials of evil, giving particular attention to the specific errors that are claiming to be present.
In treatment we see clearly the nothingness of anything God did not create, anything unlike Him. Evil in any form is never a real thing but a false belief. Truth corrects every false belief, and this is how Truth heals. Even when the challenge we face seems to be a physical ailment, it is at base an error of thought that needs correcting. The sword of Truth does not remove physical ills from the body; it removes mental errors from consciousness. Truth's removal of error from thought is what frees the body.
Why does correcting thought free the body? The body is not just animated matter; it expresses our present concept of ourselves. This human concept embraces aspects of our true, spiritual being, but it also includes aspects of materialistic thinking that we haven't, so far, been ready to part with. So, when Christian Science treatment is taking place (whether we're treating ourselves or have asked for help from a Christian Science practitioner), it's important that we be open to Truth—willing to let Truth remove whatever error needs removing. Christian Science treatment brings the facts of spiritual being to bear upon thought. It changes, to some extent, the way we see ourselves. It lifts our concept of ourselves to a higher, more spiritual level, and this heals the body.
Our individual demonstrations of Christian Science healing give evidence that, contrary to popular opinion, religion can be much more to us in times of trouble than just a comfort, as important as comfort is. Our healings illustrate that when religion presents the scientific truth of God and man, it fights for us. It is our counselor and advocate, a powerful defender, showing us the way to victory over every evil.
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