Editorial April 25, 1908 Issue

THE AWAKENING

Annie M. Knott

The Easter season just past has wonderful lessons for those who have eyes to see and ears to hear. It should have deeper and grander lessons each year for all who love the truth which Christ Jesus made known to suffering humanity, to all who cherish the high hopes which his words and works awakened. Who among those that felt the power of Truth through his ministry could doubt the final deliverance of all mankind from the bondage of belief in materiality, in sin, disease, and death; or who that has felt the healing influence of the same divine power at this day can doubt for a moment that the long dream of material belief will pass forever, and that we shall awaken and "be satisfied" with His likeness? Even to those under the spell of material belief nature is hinting of man's immortality,—telling them that fields and flowers and forests are awakening and putting on their beautiful new garments, and that all men should hear and heed the call of nature's Lord, immortal Mind.

It seems long since the Master called upon all who would listen to awaken from what our Leader names "the belief and dream of material living" (Science and Health, p. 14), even as he called to Jairus' daughter to awaken from the dream of death and to Lazarus to "come forth" from the tomb; and there were many in his day who looked for the universal awakening to come quickly, but there were others, like John on Patmos, who saw what the dream involved, and how every strand of the dark web of error's weaving must be cut apart by the keen-edged sword of Truth. It may be they saw that which we should clearly apprehend to-day in the light of Divine Science, that what prolongs the dream is the belief in its reality. If we could but keep before thought the spiritual fact, it would arouse us from the lethargy of the mortal dream and we should realize the sharp distinction between the real and the unreal. In Luke's account of the transfiguration we read that when the disciples "were awake" they saw the glory of the Christ reflected by their Master; and so should we behold the divine reflection everywhere if we were awake to the truth of being.

The time surely draws on apace when all those "that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake," as in Daniel's vision; and again, when in the light of Christian Science, we shall advance to the realization of Paul's words, "We shall not all sleep [the sleep of death], but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump;" concerning which our revered Leader has said, "This last call of wisdom cannot come till mortals have already yielded to each lesser call in the growth of Christian character" (Science and Health, p. 291). That we know in a degree at least the difference between the dream and the reality is cause for deep thankfulness to God, and to the one who has spoken His word to this age, for this knowledge dispels the fear of sickness and pain and the fear that sin has power to harm. We may well ask ourselves whether we are more awake to this truth than we were a year ago, whether we are rising above materiality to meet Christ, Truth, above the clouds of sense, and so having part in the resurrection.

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