Editorial April 3, 1926 Issue

Awakening

Albert F. Gilmore

Throughout her writings, Mrs. Eddy, in varying phrase but with unvarying insistence, emphasizes the necessity for all, in order to behold man's true selfhood as the offspring of Spirit, to awaken from the greatest of all mortal illusions, the dream of existence in matter. On page 230 of "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" she refers to this great need in these words: "This awakening is the forever coming of Christ, the advanced appearing of Truth, which casts out error and heals the sick." This advanced appearance our Leader perceives to be the coming of the Christ, which shall work complete regeneration of human consciousness until the last vestige of material belief disappears. When all error is relinquished, spiritual man, the reflection of infinite Truth, will be revealed.

Paul's stirring appeal to the Ephesians implored them to rise above the claims of material sense to behold the light of Truth. "Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light." Paul regarded as dead those living in the material sense of life; for their concept of existence partook but slightly of spiritual truth. How great was their need to awaken from such false premises in order to enter upon man's true heritage, God-bestowed and eternal! Asleep in the senses, mortals are as the inert and dead; in that they have no true concept of life, they have shut themselves apart from the innumerable blessings which belong to Life and its true reflection, man. Only as we awaken to the truth of the situation do we enter upon the gaining of that freedom which constitutes heaven and lasting peace.

Because he knew that his friend was no more dead than were those holding to a material sense of life, Jesus, when informed of the belief regarding Lazarus, replied, "Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep." His effectual awakening of Lazarus from the dream of death constitutes one of the most significant incidents of the life of the Master. By his works he proved beyond peradventure of doubt that Life is not dependent upon matter, but is rather wholly independent of it—that Life is self-existent.

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