Article January 20, 1923 Issue

The Lamp of Spiritual Understanding

KATHERINE E. VARGA

No student of Christian Science ever forgets the glad light that comes when the truth about God, man, and the universe begins to unfold to his consciousness. But as the days go by, the ever present assurance, "I will instruct thee and teach thee," becomes fully as precious. Though the Father's teachings are infinite, they are always tenderly suited to our present needs and understanding.

Not until recently has the parable of the ten virgins been to me an especially helpful or interesting part of Jesus' teaching. I can recall vividly how, as a child, my sympathies were with the foolish virgins; and, as the parable was being read to me, I ever had the mental picture of five very determined and self-righteous ladies playing the role of the wise ones. At a Wednesday evening meeting in one of the Churches of Christ, Scientist, not long ago, this parable was a part of the Scriptural reading. It seemed to appeal to me as it never had before; and the following morning the memory of it led me to take up the Bible and read the parable again. The childish feeling of pity for the foolish virgins had deepened, through my study of Christian Science, into one of compassion and love for those who had not yet discerned the Christ, Truth; and I was conscious of a feeling akin to regret for those of us who, having seen this healing truth, have lost the vision for a day, or even an hour. Alas, that we should allow ourselves to fall asleep, even as the disciples slept on the occasion of the Master's betrayal; for they were, as are we, perfectly familiar with the Master's teaching on the subject of watchfulness!

The account does not say that the virgins had never before beheld the bridegroom (symbol of the Christ). Perhaps it may be assumed they knew full well how bright and beautiful this healing presence was. Some of us who call ourselves Christian Scientists have found that the midnight hours, those hours dark with pain and fear, have sometimes come upon us when we were without oil in the lamp of our spiritual understanding. Simply to have taken up the study of Christian Science does not mean that we are placed forever after on the side of the wise virgins. Our position remains to be proved daily; for to be wise demands study, and prayer, and obedience, in the face of every seeming discord, to the injunction, "Be still, and know that I am God;" while to be careless in our thinking, and negligent in our efforts to know more of God, good, places us surely among the foolish ones, even though we may have had demonstrations before through our knowledge of the truth, as taught in Christian Science.

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