Article June 26, 1926 Issue

The First Beatitude

RUBY A. OWSLEY

BLESSED are the poor in spirit: for their's is the kingdom of heaven." This beatitude or blessing, which Christ Jesus gave to a waiting world, is one that has unfolded wonderfully in the light shed upon it since Mary Baker Eddy discovered Christian Science and wrote the textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures." It brings to the attention of a sin-sick, pleasure-seeking world the need of humility, the humility that is willing to abase self, to acknowledge that it has erred in its concept of existence, and is ready to become humble enough to seek God in another way than that which has proved unsatisfactory since the world allowed the teachings of Jesus to fall into comparative desuetude.

Jesus' ministry was a healing one, and demonstration followed his teaching so long as his disciples obeyed his admonition to "heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils." Later, when churchly pomp and materiality had overshadowed spirituality, the healing power was apparently lost for a time, as was also the spiritual interpretation of the Scriptures.

To-day, through the study of the Christian Science textbook, we are again able to glean the spiritual meaning of Jesus' priceless utterances and to apply them in our daily lives. The outstanding exhortation in this beatitude is for humility, the first requisite of which is a desire for the kingdom of heaven. We can never enter into the appreciation of spiritual happiness until we humble our hearts and silence our worldly ambitions, and thus foster a desire for "a broken and a contrite heart," a heart repentant and ready to part with materiality; for such a condition is necessary if we are to gain this kingdom. A haughty spirit, or a spirit of worldliness, can never achieve even a desire for Godlikeness.

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