Editorial January 11, 1913 Issue

DAILY BREAD

Annie M. Knott

All Christians are familiar with the petition in the Lord's Prayer which reads: "Give us this day our daily bread," the spiritual interpretation of which is as follows: "Give us grace for to-day; feed the famished affections" (Science and Health, p. 17). This prayer is embodied in what is known as the sermon on the mount, and at the close of the same chapter we find this counsel: "Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof." Some students of Christian Science are puzzled over the last statement, as it seems to imply the necessity for evil as an element of human experience, but the Master's teaching as here given assuredly points in quite another direction. He rebukes in no uncertain terms the "sad countenance" which would symbolize a virtual denial of ever-present Love, and he then calls upon men to avail themselves of the rich provisions of their Father's bounty.

Throughout the sixth chapter of Matthew, as indeed in all his teachings, Christ Jesus makes a clear-cut scientific separation between truth and error, and he shows the utter folly of attempting to "serve two masters;" or, as it might be expressed in terms of Christian Science, of admitting the existence of two powers, the one good, the other evil. Respecting this, our revered Leader says: "Mankind must learn that evil is not power" (Science and Health, p. 102); and the allness of God, good, is the great and blessed message of Christian Science to all humanity. In this chapter the true meaning of daily bread may be said to illuminate every line. The great Teacher counsels us to turn from the material to the spiritual for the supply of all our need, even bodily health being included, as we find in the statement that if with singleness of vision we look toward the light of Truth, the "whole body shall be full of light," a glorious promise surely! We are told that there is no need for any anxiety concerning food, clothing, or shelter, that our striving must be to bring into demonstration "the kingdom of God, and his righteousness," the spiritual realization of these assuring an abundant supply of all that we need.

Here it may be asked, What, then, is meant by the statement, "Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof"? It can never be admitted that evil is any part of God's plan or purpose for any day. It should be noted that Jesus' admonitions are addressed to those who are in the habit of taking anxious thought about all the problems of life, those of "little faith" (not those who have none). If one has little faith in the certainty of good, it proves that he bases his deductions largely upon matter rather than upon Spirit and spiritual law; hence the reason why evil is taken into account as a factor in his calculations.

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