Article April 16, 1921 Issue

Are You Rejoicing?

FRED W. JANVRIN

TO the extent that we rejoice in understanding Principle, we are delivered from the harrowing beliefs of envy, jealously, resentment, anger, self-pity, and the torment that always accompanies these false concepts of God's creation, as by rejoicing we approach in some degree the true vision of man seen by Jesus, which enabled him and his disciples to heal sickness and sin and raise the dead. What was it but rejoicing when, at Lazarus' tomb, Jesus spoke these wonderful words: "Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me. And I knew that thou hearest me always," before Lazarus appeared to the material sense of those present? He proved his understanding of the allness and ever presence of God, Life, Truth, Love. We can always rejoice if we are faithful to our Leader's teachings, for we can know at all times, under all conditions, in every place, that God, divine Love, surrounds, sustains, protects, governs, and directs us, and is just as available to us as He was to Jesus when he said, "Lazarus, come forth," and the Bible record states that "he that was dead came forth."

Jesus was enabled to make that demonstration by rejoicing in the understanding that omnipresent God is man's Life and that there is only one place where man can be, and that is with God; only one place to go and that is to God. What problem can we have that will appear more real, or more difficult to demonstrate than raising Lazarus? In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus said: "Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for their's is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven."

Mrs. Eddy, closely following Jesus' example, has given us many proofs that she rejoiced at all times, and perhaps nowhere more clearly than in "Mother's Evening Prayer" (Poems, p. 4), which begins:—

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