From Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, by Mary Baker Eddy
It is a joy to know that they who are faithful over foundational trusts, such as the Christian education of the dear children, will reap the reward of rightness, rise in the scale of being, and realize at last their Master’s promise, “And they shall be all taught of God.”
from Miscellany, by Mary Baker Eddy, page 230
The Next Generation
May 2016
from Divinity Course and General Collectanea, (the “blue book”), by Mary Baker Eddy, page 80
Children, you are a perfect thought of God, made in His image and likeness, surrounded by His love as by a strong fortress through which no evil can reach you. God is your Mind, your Life, your strength, and you are governed by Truth and Love. You have no material conception or birth, no father and mother in the flesh. You were not born of the flesh (mortal mind) and you are not the reflection of beliefs.
Belief is not reflection. You are not weak or easily led astray. You cannot desire to rule and lead others. You are not rebellious or obstinate. You have no human will. God’s will is all and you are its reflection. Therefore you will only do right, for you reflect and inherit divine wisdom and understanding. You are spiritual and Spirit knows all things.
Sensuality has no power over you, for you are not conscious of the lusts of the flesh, but you are the pure conception of divine Truth and Love and co-eternal with your Father-Mother God. Your every thought and action are love, goodness, tenderness, gentleness, beauty, holiness, joy and peace; that peace which passeth all human understanding. In God we live, move, and have being; therefore we are in Life, health, strength, forever. To be conscious of this is to be in the presence of God — with the Father who is Life, Truth and Love. Amen.
Psalm 78: 1, 4: “Give ear, O my people, to my law: incline your ears to the words of my mouth. … We will not hide them from their children, shewing to the generation to come the praises of the Lord, and his strength, and his wonderful works that he hath done.”
Interpretation from Barnes Notes on the Bible:
“We of this generation will be faithful in handing down these truths to future times. We stand between past generations and the generations to come. We are entrusted by those who have gone before us with great and important truths; truths to be preserved and transmitted in their purity to future ages. That trust committed to us we will faithfully discharge. These truths shall not suffer in passing from us to them. They shall not be stayed in their progress; they shall not be corrupted or impaired.”
“I am much afraid that schools will prove to be the great gates of hell unless they diligently labor in explaining the Holy Scriptures, engraving them in the hearts of youth.”
from Christian Science, Its “Clear, Correct Teaching” by Herbert W. Eustace, page 334
Education is not teaching something to ignorance. It is bringing to light the intelligence that is omnipresent. It is the sun unfolding the flower in loveliness and beauty.
It is the constant joy of anticipation.
“Inferiority complex” is the lie that God, as the one infinite Mind, or intelligence, is not infinite. Could this be? Is there a single spot where there is less than all intelligence?
Ignorance can never be enlightened. The ignorance that says that two times two makes five always remains the same ignorance.
Enlightenment, otherwise called education, leaves ignorance to itself, and goes forward with what is, thus “swallowing up” what is not.
The teacher imbued with this understanding of education reaches the end of his teaching year rested, not wearied, by his work.
from Mary Baker Eddy, Her Spiritual Precepts, by Gilbert Carpenter, page 62-63
Mrs. Eddy had proved in her own experience that it is only the error of mesmerism that blinds mortals to the recognition of truth. When she handled this mesmerism in her own classes, infants in Science were able to understand the deep things of God. In the class that began on November 12, 1888, there was present a mother and son, a boy of twelve, who had heard of Christian Science, but had never studied a word of it, nor had they ever seen a demonstration. There was present a Methodist minister who had never read a word of Science and Health. One has but to read the profound teachings given in this class to discover the extent of Mrs. Eddy’s demonstration in opening their understanding.
Mrs. Eddy not only taught young students in her classes, but she also made the demonstration so that her pupils could understand her teachings. Has not man as God’s reflection an infinite capacity to understand the truth? If so, then it is possible to destroy the mesmerism, so that this native ability to understand may be released. When this is done, the youngest pupils in a class find no difficulty in comprehending the deepest spiritual teachings.
Teachers in our Sunday Schools should remember this vital point. They should make a demonstration, so that they will not consider that they are talking to ignorant children, but that in reality they are addressing ideas of God, who possess a native capacity to understand and love the things of God. Under such a demonstration a teacher will have no trouble in teaching and in being understood.
by Mary Baker Eddy
The entire education of children should be such as to form habits of obedience to the moral and spiritual law, with which the child can meet and master the belief in so-called physical laws, a belief which breeds disease.
Children should be allowed to remain children in knowledge, and should become men and women only through growth in the understanding of man’s higher nature. (S&H 62)
The entire purpose of true education is to make one not only know the truth but live it—to make one enjoy doing right, make one not work in the sunshine and run away in the storm, but work midst clouds of wrong, injustice, envy, hate; and wait on God, the strong deliverer, who will reward righteousness and punish iniquity. “As thy days, so shall thy strength be.” (My. 252)
by Benjamin Ndukwe
“Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” (Prov. 22:6) Nobody knows the importance of training up a child in the way of God more than King David himself and his son Solomon, who followed in his father’s footsteps. Their memoirs are filled with instructions on the importance of training up a child to understand the principles of life, the truth.
Do your children know the story of King David — not just as a great warrior and king, but also as a little child shepherd who took care of his father’s sheep, who possesses incredible wisdom that was passed down to his son Solomon? Does your child know that God chose David while he was still a child to rule over Israel? Have you read the story to them yet? Have you painted the picture in their heart so that they will not forget? Does your child know that during the reign over Israel of King David and King Solomon, no country on earth was able to stand before them as they stood with Principle, and Principle, which is God, stood with them? Have you told them this incredible story of father and son? If your answer to these question is yes, you are training up your child in the “way he should go,” the way of God.
This country can be proud of you, for you are training up a great citizen of tomorrow, a citizen that will bear the light of truth and stand for the principles that founded this great nation, a citizen of God. But if your answer is no, do not point fingers somewhere else when you start to see the end result. When you train up a child in the way of God, there is no goliath that can stand in his way.
When I was a little child, hardly able to grasp what the future holds, mother would send me to Sunday School and the Boys Brigade to gain Bible knowledge. As a child, I did not enjoy all of it. Like every child, I wanted to play and kick the ball around with my peers, run around the neighborhood. Mother knew all of that, but she chose what she believed was the best for me. I was not her only child, but her divine inspiration and vision compelled her to persuade me in that direction.
Despite the other attractions, the Sunday School and the Boys Brigade days were the best times I had as a child. It not only kept me from trouble, it provided me with the opportunity to have inspiration in life, to be the best person I could be. I started to love and enjoy the things of God very early in life. I think it would be correct to say if I had not listened to mother and follow her intuition, I would not be here today, doing what I love. But God, who knows better than man and who guides our every step, knew that this day was coming when, like David, He called me; and, even as a little child, I listened.
God loves our children and God loves this nation and all nations, and the need for future warriors is greater now than ever before. Every parent must start from home if they feel the need for change. It may not happen overnight, but it will happen if we prepare for it. The evidence we see on the news, day in and day out, tells us that this need is urgent. God’s time is now. But we must start from home, by keeping our house in order, teaching our children the principles of life, the Truth. Children must start learning the principles of life now, not when they are old.
In our schools, these principles are missing. It’s not printed in textbooks anymore and has been omitted from the curriculum, and the evidence can be seen everywhere, and it’s horrendous. God is not even allowed to be spoken in front of the classroom anymore. Then what shall we do? Stand cold? God forbid! The truth is, when children grow up without these principles, they respond accordingly. It leaves a big vacuum in their lives, and the future of the nation suffers. It is my greatest desire to see the churches filled up again with families. Church is not a place of retirement, as some perceive it to be. Church is a place for families that truly love God, and the Sunday school is a place where Christ’s soldiers and warriors of tomorrow are made; where the future of this great nation is inspired.
Now, the truth of it all is this: if the church weakens on its responsibilities, the nation weakens and suffers. We must not let it happen.
from Mary Baker Eddy, Her Spiritual Precepts, by Gilbert Carpenter, page 122
Children learn to love good readily when it is presented to them honestly and correctly. They are also keen to detect insincerity, and are easily prejudiced on that account. Hence everything in connection with their spiritual education must be handled with great care. They must not be driven so hard to go to Sunday School, that they make up their minds that as soon as they are old enough, they are going to drop religion with relief. It is possible for parents to treat their children with love and kindness, tact and firmness, so that they foster in them a desire for Christian Science; but parents cannot do this unless they themselves feel a genuine love for the things of God.
Mrs. Eddy devised a service that would form a bridge, so that children would learn to love to go to church. She found, however, that this can be done by a wise teacher. He or she can prepare the class for church attendance by showing it to be a continuation of the Sunday School on a larger scale. The children can be shown that, having received much good from the Sunday School, they are now ready to give to the church.
When the Church of Christ, Scientist, fulfils the divine plan so perfectly that the Sunday School children of today become the church members of tomorrow, then the organization is functioning as it should. Out of the Sunday School come those who will support the church mentally, those who have been trained regarding their obligations, so that they become a band of mental workers that can be relied upon.
It is especially wise to train children to approach the thought of church attendance from the standpoint of giving rather than receiving. Advanced students know how their interest in the church services increases when they attend to give, rather than to receive. If a distraction looms up, the thought of attending church as a receiver may have little power; whereas if one feels that he represents an important contribution to the demonstration of the church, and that if he neglects this work, he is not fulfilling his obligation to God and his brother-man, he will disregard the distraction and attend.
All education should contribute to moral and physical strength and freedom.
from Miscellaneous Writings, by Mary Baker Eddy, page 240
from Christian Science Sentinel, March 3, 1906, by Lewis C. Strang
Dear Brother: — At the request of our beloved Leader, I am writing you in reply to your letter of Feb. 18. The gift of two hundred dollars to the Building Fund of The Mother Church by the children of Fifth Church of Christ, Scientist, Chicago, is a splendid indication of their loving interest in the Cause of Truth. You say in your letter: —
“We recently organized our work into four groups of classes, one for the study of the Commandments, one for the Lord’s Prayer and its Spiritual Interpretation, one for the Beatitudes, and one for the Lesson work.”
Our Leader bids me ask you this question: Would you feed a babe on milk or on meat? Of course you will answer milk. Our Leader would have the Sunday School officials and teachers in all fields keep this necessity constantly before them in their work with the children. She would have them wise, for wisdom is essential in every line of Christian Science endeavor.
When our Leader gave the By-law on “Subjects for Lessons” in the Sunday School, it was not her intention to limit Sunday School instruction to the routine of memorizing the letter of the designated portions of the Scripture. She meant that the children should be taught the meaning of the Ten Commandments, the Lord’s Prayer and its Spiritual Interpretation, and the Beatitudes. These spiritual fundamentals should be so set forth by means of practical illustrations and every-day examples of love, obedience, and good, that the child will catch their spirit, understand them, and as a result be interested in them.
This work, you will readily perceive, requires consecrated and intelligent effort on the part of all connected with the Sunday School. It means the demonstration of that love which does things. To teach a child the words, “Thou shalt have no other gods before me,” is a comparatively easy task. To teach a child the meaning of that commandment so thoroughly that he can and will prove in his living that he actually has no other gods before good, is the grand privilege of the Christian Science Sunday School teacher.
from Lessons of the Seventh Day, by Mary Baker Eddy, page 158
Articles for children are usually written from the point of view that Truth must be simplified to be understood by them—by their limited and undeveloped minds. It should be realized that infancy is a belief of animal magnetism, and when you destroy this belief about the child he will be able to understand Truth in its entirety. So, simplifying the Truth for the child only shows that you accept as a real state of being, the appearance of the lack of maturity. If you handle this error, the child will be elevated to where he will be able to comprehend.
Give children the truth at home, and then let them go. Home is a power. “Going home” is being right. Our one Father-Mother is caring for His children everywhere.
Do you love your neighbors’ children as your own? If you desire other children to have what you want for your own, your own children will be more apt to have all that is good.
The education of the future will be instruction, in spiritual Science, against the material symbolic counterfeit sciences. All the knowledge and vain strivings of mortal mind, that lead to death, — even when aping the wisdom and magnitude of immortal Mind, — will be swallowed up by the reality and omnipotence of Truth over error, and of Life over death.
from Miscellaneous Writings, by Mary Baker Eddy, page 61
This is a photo of a high school soccer team at their quarter final game. Before every game, the boys kneel and say a prayer. (This is a public school.)
What we have really enjoyed this season is watching the team play — all the boys support each other and play very unselfishly (no one hogs the ball to try to get a goal). Each has a special talent that helps the team. Just before they lost in the state semifinals, the team was ranked No. 1 in our state and in the US for high schools that play spring soccer.
It always touches me to see them do this before each game.
anonymous
by Louise Knight Wheatley
There was a time when in my daily prayer
I asked for all the things I deemed most fair,
And necessary to my life, success,
Riches, of course, and ease, and happiness;
A host of friends, a home without alloy;
A primrose path of luxury and joy,
Social distinction, and enough of fame
To leave behind a well-remembered name.
Ambition ruled my life. I longed to do
Great things, that all my little world might view
And whisper, “Wonderful!”
Ah, patient God,
How blind we are, until Thy shepherd’s rod
Of tender chastening, gently leads us on
To better things! Today I have but one
Petition. Lord, teach me to love. Indeed,
It is my greatest and my only need,
Teach me to love, not those who first love me,
But all the world, with that rare purity
Of broad, outreaching thought which bears no trace
Of earthly taint, but holds in its embrace
Humanity, and only seems to see
The good in all, reflected, Lord, from Thee.
And teach me, Father, how to love the most
Those who most stand in need of love, that host
Of people who are sick and poor and bad,
Whose tired faces show their lives are sad,
Who toil along the road with footsteps slow,
And hearts more heavy than the world can know,
People whom others pass discreetly by,
Or fail to hear the pleading of that cry
For help, amid the tumult of the crowd;
Whose very anguish makes them cold and proud,
Resentful, stubborn, bitter in their grief,
I want to bring them comfort and relief,
To put my hand in theirs, and at their side
Walk softly on, a faithful, fearless guide.
O Saviour, thou the Christ, Truth, ever near,
Help me to feel these sad ones doubly dear
Because they need so much! Help me to seek
And find that which they thought was lost; to speak
Such words of cheer that as we pass along
The wilderness shall blossom into song.
Ah, Love divine, how empty was that prayer
Of other days! That which was once so fair,
Those flimsy baubles which the world calls joys
Are nothing to me now but broken toys,
Outlived, outgrown. I thank Thee that I know
Those much-desired dreams of long ago,
Like butterflies, have had their summer’s day
Of brief enchantment, and have gone. I pray
For better things.
Thou knowest, God above,
My one desire now, Teach me to love.
This Lesson teaches that the following qualities if allowed in any degree as true about man, can damn us and make us do what we would not otherwise do. Obviously NOT from God and NOT part of our true being which is holiness, harmony, immortality, completeness and contentment if we know it!!
It is clear that Cain’s pride was hurt when his offering is not deemed the more spiritual — jealousy and envy follow, leading him to murder! Something he would not have done if he was content with the knowledge of his own completeness. Hence our caution to WATCH.
Jealous: 1. Suspicious; apprehensive of rivalship; uneasy through fear that another has withdrawn or may withdraw from one the affections of a person he loves, or enjoy some good which he desires to obtain; 2. Suspicious that we do not enjoy the affection or respect of others, or that another is more loved and respected than ourselves. Full of competition.
Pride: 1. Inordinate self-esteem; an unreasonable conceit of one’s own superiority in talents, beauty, wealth, accomplishments, rank or elevation in office, which manifests itself in lofty airs, distance, reserve, and often in contempt of others. “Pride goeth before destruction.” Proverbs 16:18.
Envy: [Latin, to see against, that is, to look with enmity.] 1. To feel uneasiness, mortification or discontent, at the sight of superior excellence, reputation or happiness enjoyed by another; to repine at another’s prosperity; to fret or grieve one’s self at the real or supposed superiority of another, and to hate him on that account.
In contrast, Mrs. Eddy provides us with a definition of Abel, which is a state of thought that is approved of God.
“Watchfulness” — Ever watching for those selfish, mortal thoughts. Not letting them take root in thought.
“Self-offering” — Offering himself in service to God, as divine Principle directs. Putting his service to God and mankind above his own needs.
“Surrendering to the creator the early fruits of experience” — This is a state of gratitude to God for what he has and being content with it. It is a surrender of the false beliefs that man creates or man accomplishes what God has created and what divine Love has accomplished. This state of thought gives to mankind without thought of receiving anything in return. It tithes willingly without fear of not having enough.
by Peter V. Ross
Once I have heard, indeed twice, someone say something about getting old, and it just makes me indignant. It is the most stupendous lie anybody can utter, and the lie the devil best likes to tell.
Refuse to accept its symptoms, and above all, refuse that anyone else could see them or accept them. How in the world could anyone see age, when looking at an exhibition of imperishable life?
Age is not a necessity, an inevitable, or an honorable thing. It’s a surrender to the siren call of ease, where there is not ease.
Sometimes, you’ll notice, people lie down and take refuge in age. Tiring of work and responsibility, they step aside to make way for the children, or younger members of the firm. They used to do it at two score years. But no more. Today they’re on their toes at four score. Will the advancing race stop there? Certainly not! Age is doomed.
Every morning brings a new day to every individual, and a new life. These new mornings, fresh from the highlands of eternity, never cease to arrive. Individual life is continuous. It can’t hesitate or grow old.
So today we can go forward with as much vitality as the most favored individual in the land, if we’ll cultivate the habit of identifying ourselves every hour with omniscience, omnipotence, and omnipresence. Then we learn something of the power of everlasting Life, its freedoms, and satisfactions, and its joys.
by Mildred LeBlond
Being cannot be invaded now or at any time, because all Being is God. God cannot, and does not, invade Himself. Nothing can come to any nation but God, and God constitutes all Being. Being which is “I and my Father are one.” “Principle and its idea is one,” is all there is, and there is no other being. This understanding is the “all-out” to ourselves and to the people of all nations. This knowing is what we all want and what we must supply by knowing everyone already has all.
The “all-out” to any nation is the understanding which goes forth from Mind, that all Being is whole and complete within itself. Where is this being of activity taking place? Is it over there? Are we working to objectify something in other countries? If so, we are working incorrectly. The demonstration is to be made here in your consciousness and not anywhere else.
Evil cannot invade good. Evil cannot invade God. The divine Mind needs no defense. As we see that God is the Mind of man, we can understand our position at this time. Wherever man is, there is Mind. And wherever Mind is, there is God. Mind which is infinitely good, recognizes no power unlike itself, recognizes no sinning evil man, no war. This determination of Mind to be Mind is an offensive to the belief in evil.
Say many times a day to yourself, “Where God is, I Am, and where I Am is the power of God.” Where the power of God is, there is no other power, no war, bombing, hatred or invasion. There is the freedom of infinite Being — valiant in its own strength, goodness and power.
by John Doorly
One of the most dangerous beliefs is a false sense of motherhood, which is induced by personal sense. It operates in the world and in families, through making people think, first of all, that they own a child, and that that child has got to do certain things. Quite frankly, in the practice of Christian Science you see so often that the effect on children of a false human sense of motherhood is very detrimental.
If you have a true sense of motherhood, you will let a child develop naturally according to its own spiritual identity. You will uphold for it a standard in your own life and in every detail. If you have a true sense of motherhood, you will uplift the divine motherhood for it, and that will always guide both you and the child as to what to say and do in the human, because divine motherhood is universal, impartial Love.
Parents would have a lovely influence and a right influence over their children if, instead of trying to influence them through their own human will and desire, or their own standard of many years ago, they would lift up the standard of divine motherhood in their own thought and let that, and that alone, govern their words and actions. If they have the standard of faith in divine Love and its ability to take care of every one of its ideas, and if they will give the child a chance to develop according to the divine plan in its own individual way, then we shan’t lose that sweet relationship that we should have, the natural, spontaneous, lovely relationship which should exist between children and their parents.
This growing up in a family of a lovely relationship which is based on a recognition of the divine motherhood is all-important, and we should be able to build up lovely homes. But there’ll be no lovely homes without Love in them.
A true sense of motherhood recognizes that there is a divine plan for every idea, and that every idea has divine individuality. It recognizes that Love is forever fulfilling that divine plan, and so every individuality in that plan must be fulfilled.
Now, we must work these questions out through Science, through divine Love; we certainly can’t work them out otherwise. The highest aspect of Science is divine motherhood. So it must be worked out the scientific way.
If we are parents, to impress our children with a right idealism is important, but it is essential for every one of us that we should have a true sense of motherhood. Every man, woman, and child needs to culture a true sense of motherhood, and that true sense of motherhood in the acceptance of what is divinely good, the bringing forth of it, the conception of it. The highest sense of God is Love, or motherhood, and it means “conception unconfined” (Science and Health, p. 323:11-12), not the conception which binds, but the conception which realizes that Divine Love is universal and impartial.
Let Divine Love govern with its impartial and universal plan, then we shall lose a burdened sense of things, and we shall rejoice in the irresistible operation of Love’s divine design.
by Florence Roberts
I am grateful for the understanding through Christian Science, that it is always important to uncover error as a lie, the opposite of what is true about me.
Unless I uncover any error as a lie, it means I have not really uncovered it. This understanding has been very important to me. As an example, to uncover resentment, depression, revengefulness and say that I have always had these negative emotions, and then work to rid my thoughts of them, makes my efforts more of an uphill battle.
I realize this mistake was part of my delayed healings. God never withholds any good from us. He created all perfect, as His image and likeness. During the times when healings seemed delayed, I could ask God what was required of me. Those supposed delayed periods helped me to gain more understanding of God’s nature, to become more convinced of His presence, His love and power, to feel His comfort and to learn to exercise patience.
As I patiently worked to realize the unreality of whatever any claim might be, I could trust that salvation was already present. This proved that the apparent delays were often due to how long it took me to attain a deeper trust in God, accept the perfection of my spiritual being, and see the NOTHINGNESS of all evil.
by Michael Pupko
For a great part of my life I neither understood, nor tried to understand, the Bible.
When first introduced to the study of the Bible in Christian Science, I fell in love with the New Testament, but couldn’t warm up to the Old Testament aside from Genesis 1:1 to 2:4, Psalms, and a limited number of other stories.
After the closing of my Christian Science Society and wandering in the wilderness, I found some articles by Frank Mason in some early Christian Science Journals explaining Bible stories. I was fascinated by how much he got out of each Bible story, knowing he had the benefit of Mary Baker Eddy to teach him. How I longed for that level of understanding!
Since coming to Plainfield and participating in the Bible Studies and Roundtables, I now love the whole Bible, and can now see the underlying spiritual nature of it better, which is continuously expanded through Plainfield’s weekly sessions. Mrs. Eddy speaks of this in The Message for 1900: “Many of our best and most scholarly men and women, distinguished members of the bar and bench, press and pulpit, and those in all the walks of life, will tell you they never loved the Bible and appreciated its worth as they did after reading ‘Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures.’”
The years of work that Mrs. Eddy committed herself to Christian Science has given us the correct image of God and the Bible that Christ Jesus taught and demonstrated.
by Sharon Welsh
In a Roundtable discussion, it was pointed out by a practitioner that we should let go of any resentments. I thought, “I don’t have any resentment.” But this statement kept coming back to me, so I looked up “resentment” in the dictionary. It said, “a feeling of anger or displeasure about someone or something unfair.”
After thinking about it, I realized that I had been resenting! I was feeling “anger or displeasure” toward someone. I realized, sometimes I don’t get a parking space in the lot at my apartment complex and I get angry because someone else has taken two or three spaces, leaving me without one. This is a form of resentment! I needed to clear my thought with God and be grateful that I have a home, and that “Divine Love always has met and always will meet every human need.” (S&H) If I pray before coming home, a parking space will be available.
There is only one place in Science and Health where Mrs. Eddy addresses resentment: “Judas had the world’s weapons. Jesus had not one of them, and chose not the world’s means of defence. ‘He opened not his mouth.’ The great demonstrator of Truth and Love was silent before envy and hate. Peter would have smitten the enemies of his Master, but Jesus forbade him, thus rebuking resentment or animal courage. He said: ‘Put up thy sword.’”
Error often comes in subtle ways, and I need to be alert to its suggestions and make sure my thoughts are always loving and God-filled.
I am so grateful for the Roundtable discussions and what I am learning of Christian Science as lived in Plainfield.
by Heidi Gwinn
I was moved by the Bible story of Jesus’ visit to Nain, where he meets up with a crowded funeral procession. It seems that a woman, who is a widow, is mourning the death of her only son. Jesus, seeing her need and sorrow, tells her not to weep. Then we read that Jesus is moved with “compassion.” He touches the bier where the body lies, which stops the procession. Then, he commands the boy to “Arise.” The boy sits up, alive and well. Then, Jesus lovingly brings him to his mother. What a beautiful story
In reading the story, the word “compassion” jumped out at me. I thought about how the Bible often uses the word “compassion” when referring to Jesus’ healings and teachings. It seems to be a key trait in the character of Jesus. His compassion is always followed by action. According to dictionary definitions of compassion, compassion is an emotion which causes one to feel another’s pain or sorrow; but, unlike sympathy or empathy, with compassion comes the desire to “do” something to help. In many instances you can read of this unique character trait of Jesus. The following comes to mind:
When Jesus looks upon the multitudes of people coming to be healed by him, Jesus says to his disciples, “they are like sheep without a Shepherd.” In another instance, before he feeds the multitudes, he says to his disciples, (I paraphrase), “I have compassion for these people. They have been with me for three days with nothing to eat. I don’t want to send them away hungry, or they may faint.”
In Matthew 20:34 Jesus heals two blind men. The verse reads, “Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes.” In Mark 1:40 Jesus has compassion on a leper. The leper falls in front of Jesus and begs to be healed. He says to Jesus, “If you are willing you can make me clean.” The Bible goes on to say that Jesus, filled with compassion, reaches out and touches the leper’s hand. He says, “I am willing, be clean!” It was probably a very long time since the leprous man had felt a loving touch.
It seems clear that there must be compassion if one is to heal. There must be a great love which is compelled to reach out to whomever is in need. We must follow the example of Jesus, and walk with him. If we are to call ourselves Christians, and make a difference in this world, practice “compassion.”
by Jeremy Palmer
I am very grateful for all the wonderful teachings that Mrs. Eddy and the early workers have left us. On a recent Sunday, we needed to use previously recorded music for the church service. In those instances, whomever is broadcasting, cues each piece at the appropriate time.
That Saturday, when I found out that this would be happening, I started praying about it. In the past, this has been quite a stressful situation, and I knew that was only because there was something I didn’t understand yet about Christian Science. Sunday morning, when I was sitting at the mix board getting ready, two quotes came back to me:
The first, from Watches, Prayers, and Arguments, given by Mary Baker Eddy: “Tomorrow you have no business with. … It is God’s.”
The second, from Teaching and Addresses on Christian Science, by Edward Kimball: “There is no future in the eternal now of infinite Mind.”
It struck me then that God has given me all I need. I won’t concern myself with the next thing, only what I have to do right now. And, by keeping this thought, I had the most wonderful day, with no stress at all. Everything during the service went smoothly, and it continued right through that afternoon as I drove my children to Connecticut, and came back to New Jersey.
Since then, if I catch myself with any worry or fear, I step back and realize that in this moment of the “eternal now,” God has blessed me with all I need. There is no concern for supply, no past or future to trip me up, nothing but God and His good plan for all of us.
Occasionally there is some insight that comes because of Christian Science that makes me wonder if I did anything worthwhile before coming here. I am so grateful to be here, working and learning. I am grateful for all this church offers and for daily practitioner support.
by Dale Wallis
Christian Science is so practical, and a wonderful help when problems come up.
One morning recently, I could hardly walk because one of my knees was so very painful. I studied the Bible Lesson and prayed, but after a few hours, because I wasn’t in very good shape, I called a practitioner in this church for help. I was given the Bible quote, “strengthen ye the weak…knees,” and was asked to work with pages 390-393 in Science and Health — and to “rise in rebellion”!
I spent the next couple of days pondering these truths in Science and Health. There’s one statement on page 390 that really struck me and that I worked with diligently: “It is our ignorance of God, the divine Principle, which produces apparent discord, and the right understanding of Him restores harmony.” I wondered, do I have the right understanding of God? And how do I get that right understanding?
Mary Baker Eddy has given us seven synonyms for God: Principle, Mind, Soul, Spirit, Life, Truth, Love. The more I thought about all that God is, and the attributes of these synonyms being all that I could know about, and be, the more uplifted I felt. I felt a closeness to God, His love, His care, and His Allness. It got my thought out of the whole material picture, and I realized there was nothing going on in matter.
By the second day I could walk much more easily, and by the third day the knee was perfect. There was no swelling or stiffness, no sign of anything wrong, and I was out in high-heeled boots! That was the end of the problem.
As the practitioner said, there was never anything going on in matter, but only in thought. I’m so grateful for this opportunity to get closer to “the right understanding” of God!
by Lynda Spencer
The Bible says, “Pride goeth before destruction and an haughty spirit before a fall.” (Prov. 16) I had an illustration of that recently.
I had been disturbed about something and decided to go out for a walk. Halfway along the walk, I tripped and fell. At first I was upset at myself and felt foolish. As I hobbled back to my house, I held my thought to the Ninety-first Psalm.
When I got home, I picked up the Lesson for that week, and that quote from Proverbs was in the Lesson! I realized this was a wake-up call.
I looked up “haughty,” and it said, “easily ignited.” I also came across the word “contempt,” which is “harsh criticism, judgment, feeling lack of respect, disapproval.” I realized I had been harboring these feelings, and holding a negative attitude toward someone. It was a subtle habit that I had permitted to go on unchallenged.
I also came across this quote in Kimball’s Teaching and Addresses: “The one important thing for me to do is to know this: that you are entitled to my compassionate consideration; you are entitled to my respect; you are entitled to my applause for all that you do that is in the right direction; you are entitled to my kindest wishes, to my deepest encouragement; and you are entitled to nothing from me but that which means love, charity, loving-kindness, and you must not get anything else from me.”
The next morning I called a Plainfield practitioner for help, since I was still in pain. I also confessed my attitude of contempt and my desire to be free of it. The practitioner reminded me that it’s the one who hates that suffers. It also was not in line with my desire to serve God with my whole heart, mind, and soul.
The pain lessened, so that I was able to perform all my duties; and by the third day, it was completely gone and I was healed.
What a wonderful healing, and a wonderful lesson — to make sure I’m always expressing Christly love. Mrs. Eddy says, “Remember, thou canst be brought into no condition, be it ever so severe, where Love has not been before thee and where its tender lesson is not awaiting thee.” (My. 149)
by Mary Beth Singleterry
At one time I felt like I was in a situation in which there was no way out. There was a feeling almost of desolation. I picked up my Bible and came upon these verses in Isaiah chapter 43: “I am the Lord, your Holy One, the creator of Israel, your King. Thus saith the Lord, which maketh a way in the sea, and a path in the mighty waters; …remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.”
I found these verses very helpful; and as I studied them, I realized this is a promise from God. It does not matter how dire your situation may seem or how trapped you might feel, turn to these verses and know that God will provide a way — that He can make a way in the wilderness, rivers in the desert, a path in the mighty waters.
It also says to forget the former things. Stop going back to your past, and stop outlining how you want things to turn out. Just drop all of that. God will create a new thing. It also says, “Behold, I will do a new thing.” Let Him work it out — don’t try to work it out on your own, or even worse, work it out for God, because that will never work anyway. Let God do it and get self out of the way.
I did not have a long time to work this out, so I took these verses and prayed earnestly with them for a day or two. Then, lo and behold, a way did open up for me! Something I had never thought of, something I never expected; but it was a way out of that situation. I felt free. Of course, I had always been free, but I had to have the eyes to see it, the eyes to see what God is doing, and was doing, and always will do in my life.
So those verses are very precious to me, and it is the truth. They worked for me, and they can work for you, too. Mrs. Eddy says, “Remember, thou canst be brought into no condition, be it ever so severe, where Love has not been before thee and where its tender lesson is not awaiting thee. Therefore, despair not nor murmur, for that which seeketh to save, to heal, and to deliver, will guide thee, if thou seekest this guidance.” (My.) God is always with us.
I grew up in Christian Science. I have struggled so hard to put all the pieces together and get the point. Until Plainfield, I just haven’t been able to connect with the concepts.
The Plainfield Church teaches things that I’ve never heard before — perceptions that I’ve never explored because it was almost as if you were breaking some sort of rule if you thought outside of the box, so to speak. Before finding Plainfield Church, I have had healings, but for some reason no one ever really dealt with the root cause of the disease, because it has returned in some other way. You call a practitioner, but often there was no healing; and then you rack up a huge bill, and still no healing.
I don’t want to paint the picture like it’s been a nightmare, because it has not. But here in Plainfield, I really can feel the presence of what Mrs. Eddy had in mind — freedom to grow and to learn, to heal and to love each other, to encourage each other’s endeavors to be the best Christian Scientists we can be.
I really enjoy the service and the freedom felt at Plainfield, and I cannot wait to become totally involved.
E-mailI am a member of a branch church here in the Philippines. Honestly, it is my first time to discover your website and your church. Reading your history, the history “from sense to Soul” (Hymn 64), moved me so deeply. I know for sure God led me to your website, as I am battling with error in the form of “discouragement” this week.
Upon reading the history of your church, I am inspired with your demonstration and your firmness to Principle and for not giving up. Now you are doing a lot of lovely works to bless mankind and for the Cause of Christian Science.
The Unity watches are very, very powerful and I know it has brought a healing effect to your community (and it definitely reached and fed my thirst for enlightenment). Reading your church magazine and listening to some audio found on your website has brought a lot of awakening and inspiration to go on and “fight the good fight with all thy might” (Hymn 59) to whatever mortal mind seems to present to the material senses, and claim the victory over matter.
I am so deeply grateful for your wonderful demonstration and openly sharing your experiences with the world. The spiritual connection will continue to grow, since I have something new to share with my co-members as we really need to be awake and to “rouse our dormant thoughts.”
Thank you all. Isaiah 55:11 states. “So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.”
A grateful heart,
PhilippinesSo grateful for our weekly Bible Study sessions, and the lessons that are applicable to our lives today. What a rich source of history to benefit from, from the unwise actions of selfish and prideful people, to the very successful reigns of kings who made a covenant with, and were devoted to, God!
Some points made in the February 13, 2016 session: Everything you do right, goes into the bank of God, then when you have a need, you can draw on it. As you grow and have challenges, you will have what you need to meet them. When confronted by ruthlessness or hate, only Love can heal it.
The Sunday Roundtable is so full of ideas to find joy and happiness in Soul, you just have to listen to it! Thank you all!!
VirginiaI am so grateful for the love, support and dedication of all of the workers in Plainfield, New Jersey. Without you Mrs. Eddy’s pure Christian Science would not have reached me or the world. I am forever grateful. Thank you so very much.
GeorgiaI just received the July issue of “Love is the Liberator.” It is magnificent! Such spiritual growth and love come through it. Thank you to all who contribute and make this possible.
FloridaThanks, Plainfield, for the Roundtable discussions. Your definition of Plainfield was terrific. I had been thinking about the symbolism of Plainfield and this is what came to me:
Plain: unencumbered, without obstruction, i.e., no ecclesiastic obstruction, a type of humbleness, humility. Field: a foundation to bear fruit, an openness of thought, receptive to blessing.
AustraliaI listened to a Wednesday testimony service this morning, while feeling a bit overwhelmed by the seeming evil and hopelessness of this world, and the hymns lifted me up again.
I am so grateful for our Plainfield Christian Science Church. I can feel the love, warmth, humility and sincerity, and deep commitment of its members. With the official organization I always felt coldness and distance.
Costa RicaMany times over the last few years, I have visited the church website and found the answer for my day.
A few days ago I went to work, and all of our timing settings for the lights in our building had been deleted. Although I was able to manually override the “off,” I did not know how to reset the settings, and really dreaded this chore.
The next morning on the church website carousel was the article “Business,” by Mary Baker Eddy. The highlighted portion was, “Today divine Mind adjusts me to my work, and adjusts my work to me.” Here was my answer! No problem could come to me where the answer was no already available. When I got to work, I was able to easily reset all the settings.
Thanks to all of you for your dedication to every aspect of our church.
WisconsinA great big “thank you” for making the website smart phone friendly! It is so easy to read the pages and find things on the website. Like having the Plainfield Church wherever you go. Just fantastic!
>New YorkI am very grateful to have found the Plainfield Christian Science Church, Independent. This church changed my life and brought healing and growth.
This morning I am very grateful for the Bible Studies and Roundtable discussions, as well as the new website. I can now listen on my phone or tablet. Amazing!
Love to all.
CaliforniaI am so grateful for the readings of the weekly Lesson that Joseph faithfully submits each week. Whenever I feel I am not fully understanding the Lesson, I listen to his reading and then I get it. What a blessing this is! Thank you.
New JerseyPlease find enclosed a check that represents our gratitude for the wonderful ministry provided by this church of Mary Baker Eddy’s pure Christian Science to a waiting world. The free availability of Mrs. Eddy’s writings as well as all of the other features of our website is a precious gift to all humanity. We are grateful to be able to help support this outreach.
VermontI discovered your website about three weeks ago, and since that time, I have listened to the Roundtables, Bible Studies, Wednesday testimony meetings, and the Sunday services, both present and past. I also have started printing out the watches and using them during my day. I appreciate the information provided, as my experience in a branch church is that the actual everyday “practice” is not readily available, thus, hard to grow spiritually.
After praying, it struck me very strongly to become a member of the Plainfield Church and become involved with the studies, in addition to working with a practitioner.
Please accept the attached application as my request for membership in the Plainfield Church.
CaliforniaWhen I think of my life, I think about how I didn’t have much of a childhood growing up. I had to figure out a lot of things on my own.
During these challenging times in my life, I was in the wilderness, so to speak. It wasn’t easy overcoming despair, depression, and many other challenges that I needed to grow from, such as learning about humility, forgiveness, and many other things.
Somehow, someway, even if it was a mustard seed grain of rejoicing, I knew I had to rejoice. For anyone who’s out there dismayed, alone, or depressed, I can tell you from experience to rejoice, no matter how difficult it might seem to be — rejoice, rejoice!
I realize now that, even though I was alone and on my own, God was always with me, holding me, loving me. God loves all of us. God’s love is amazing, it blows my mind how much God loves us.
So, hang in there! God’s got your back; He always has and always will, no matter what.
from L. D. in FloridaI would like to share something I am grateful for that is an outgrowth of the prayerful support of my Plainfield practitioner.
We have been working together on many things in my life. I am grateful for her tireless teaching which is bringing me into a newness of life and an understanding that God controls every function of the body.
The other day I realized that I am no longer experiencing the intense pain and discomfort of menstrual cramps that I used to have. For years I would dread that time of the month. The problems I had would interfere with normal activity. Now I am experiencing a painless freedom and energy during this time. For a long time one of my favorite quotes from psalms was, “The king’s daughter is all glorious within.” Being here has helped me gain a new appreciation for the meaning of this verse and helped me feel the truth of it rather than just hopeful words. I am beginning to understand who I am as the daughter of God.
from L. S. in PennsylvaniaLast Sunday I began to experience flu symptoms and, although I was able to continue my normal activities, I knew that I needed help and e‑mailed my practitioner. We didn’t have to talk, because I knew that her prayers would be sufficient.
While praying, I remembered what a testifier had said about being healed one night when he reached for his Bible and, only by the light from his clock radio, he found these words from Isaiah: “Fear thou not; for I am with you, be not dismayed for I am thy God. I will strengthen thee, yea I will help thee…”
During the night the fever didn’t break—it just left! By morning I was totally free and had the best nap I ever had! This was a remarkable healing, having had flu several years ago, and I asked for continued prayers to help me with right-thinking.
I am so grateful for the prayers and support of the practitioner.
from C. H. in PennsylvaniaLast week, shortly before the Wednesday testimony meeting, while working on a construction project, I shot a finishing nail through my finger with a nail gun. The pain was instant and caused me to feel faint. I wrapped it in a cloth and went to a quiet place, to work through this claim. Because of the lessons I have been taught by my practitioner and the study of Christian Science concerning animal magnetism, I was able to recognize it right away as an attempt to keep me from giving a testimony to the healing power of God.
A recent Roundtable discussion was helpful in pointing out the need to argue aggressively against the false claim and affirm the truth. I laughed at the claim and reaffirmed the Scientific Statement of Being, knowing nothing had touched me, for I am spiritual, not material. Nothing can keep me from testifying and expressing my gratitude to God for all the blessings I have been given. Nothing can interfere with the work God has for me to do. Nothing can keep His word from going forth.
In a matter of minutes, the pain and bleeding stopped and there was no more thought of it! I was able to give my testimony, and the next day I was able to continue with the construction project and had completely forgotten about the ordeal as I worked. My finger was completely healed.
I am so grateful to God and for everything that I have been taught here at the Plainfield Church. I am grateful for my practitioner for all the work she does to enable me to make progress in understanding the truth of my being, and for teaching me the importance of taking an aggressive stance against all forms of malicious mental suggestions.
from L. T. in New YorkI’m grateful for the gracious and loving way God has met my family’s needs. Last September my husband left his job because he felt he could no longer work for a company that operated in an unprincipled manner. Initially he felt sure he had another opportunity that he was very excited about and that potentially would be quite lucrative. However, the type of business, for various reasons in my view, didn’t seem to be the right fit. Yet I didn’t want to influence him with my opinion.
I worked with a practitioner in this church who suggested I read and study the article on Place by Mary Baker Eddy. It is a wonderful article and starts out: “The place you seek is seeking you; the place you need, needs you. Divine Principle brings need and supply together for mutual good. God wisely, intelligently and lovingly controls, guides, protects, prospers and blesses this union of his idea (man) and his normal activity (work).”
I worked with these truths daily, along with this citation from Proverbs 3: 5-6: “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”
After interviewing with them, their plans had changed, and my husband didn’t get the job. After his initial disappointment, he also realized this company was not the right fit, and I was grateful that God worked this out in the most natural way.
For the next five months, he had the opportunity to take care of some duties that arose, and last week he was offered a job with a company in his field.
As I give this testimony, I realize even more how well all this worked out at the right time and in the right way. I just had to trust that God’s plan was better than any I had. God was taking perfect care of all of us. I thank God and the practitioner for this perfect working out.
from E. S. in GeorgiaI’m grateful for all that we’re learning about the importance of humility. Being aware of this is helping me to not become so easily offended as I once did, to be less judgmental of others, to recognize God as the only power — the Power who knows what’s best for me, mine, and all. I’m learning to be more grateful to Him for all that He does for me, and through me, now understanding that there is no good that I can have, or that I can do without Him.
I’m grateful for Jesus’ example that proves that I cannot be humble enough.
from D. R. in GeorgiaTwo or three weeks ago I experienced some symptoms commonly associated with a bladder infection. I tried to work for myself for a couple of days but did not get better. So the next morning I called a practitioner from the Plainfield Church for help. She said no foreign substance, or nothing inharmonious could enter being. She asked me to read the Eustace article on “infection” and to call back in a day or two.
In the Eustace article, it said, “where morbid infection claims to be, there is — the presence of Mind imparting the infection of spirituality — the beauty of holiness.” By the end of the day, I was doing much better and by the end of the next day the symptoms were gone.
I am very grateful for this church and for practitioner help, and for Mrs. Eddy’s pure Christian Science taught and practiced in the Plainfield Church.
from B. S. in Californiafrom Teaching and Addresses on Christian Science, by Edward Kimball, pages 85-86 (92-93 in the pdf)
One of the worst phases of human philosophy is in its limited sense of opportunity. Christian Science practice is greatly obstructed by the belief of limited opportunity. The patient is very apt to think that his chance of recovery is passed, and that it is too late to win. All kinds of people give up because of the claim of limited opportunity. The practitioner very frequently voices the claim and fails to expect results because of the feeling that there is a lack of opportunity.
Opportunity is infinite and ever present. As a matter of fact, men exist at the standpoint of opportunity. Man is simply a condition of receptivity. It is his business to receive constantly and perpetually. He is to show forth the abundance of infinity. This being the case, the opportunity to manifest perfection is not only ever-present, but it is really a part of himself. It would not be very far-fetched to say that man and opportunity are one. The law of opportunity enforces its continuance and availability; and conversely it breaks down and arrests the supposed mortal law which claims to limit opportunity. I know you ought to handle this in every case.
It is not sufficient merely to declare that Mind is unlimited and therefore there is no limitation. You must take up this claim specifically, and declare for opportunity frequently, until your own thought is familiar with the expectation of opportunity. Remember that there is nothing in a treatment other than that which is in it as specific thought, and that your patient has no more opportunity to recover than mortal mind concedes, unless your treatment provides infinite opportunity — opportunity to recover. It is never too late for opportunity.
As soon as you grasp this, you will see how deficient your treatments have been in the way of expectation or true faith, and you will see why you have sometimes failed; and you will realize that you have made a great gain, and improved your work, by getting the true idea of opportunity. Principle, law, power, and opportunity are all that is needed in order to move mountains. Do not forget to make the most of this idea in behalf of the sick, or in matters of business and employment, and all the details of daily experience and activity. You will see that the right idea of opportunity is the open door of receptivity.
Beauty is a thing of life, which dwells forever in the eternal Mind and reflects the charms of His goodness in expression, form, outline, and color.
from Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, by Mary Baker Eddy