Testimony of Healing April 13, 1929 Issue

For the encouragement of those who may be suffering, I...

John B. Maag

For the encouragement of those who may be suffering, I desire to relate my experience of the perfect healing of a cancer. In a way this disease might be said to denote "discouragement," for quite often the verdict of medical practitioners is that it will prove fatal. I do not care to enumerate the many discouraging tribulations I had to contend with, but I will mention one, that of social ostracism, due to the fact that the discordant physical condition was plainly visible on my face. Fear kept a number of my friends from associating with me. I was at that time in the government employ as a city letter carrier and almost daily many of the people whom I served would refer to my condition, some offering or recommending material means of healing, others sympathizing, and still others remarking on my deplorable condition. How to meet this seemed to me to be a hard problem, although I had been interested in Christian Science for fifteen years. My years of study of Christian Science had taught me that there was no more reality in this particular disease than in any other discordant condition, and that there was no such thing as failure in Christian Science when correctly understood and demonstrated; that I would realize my freedom when I more fully discerned Christ, Truth. All this time I held to a fervent righteous desire, which is prayer (see Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, by Mary Baker Eddy, p. 1). I knew that my desire to understand God aright was sincere; and I humbly trusted God, divine Mind, to lead me.

About midnight ten years ago one of God's "angels," which our Leader defines as "God's thoughts passing to man; spiritual intuitions, pure and perfect; the inspiration of goodness, purity, and immortality, counteracting all evil, sensuality, and mortality" (ibid., p. 581), came to me as clearly as though it had been audibly expressed, as follows: You and all of your employers and friends are in reality God's perfect ideas, and how can you see one another except as perfect? I was awakened from sleep and called my wife, and told her of my experience. A wonderful sense of peace and joy flooded my consciousness. It was all so simple, but oh, how true! From that time there were no remarks made of any kind regarding my condition. I was oblivious to any discordant condition. I had been awakened to see that the kingdom of heaven was within me (within my consciousness). In about ten days my face was perfectly healed, with the exception of a scar, which later disappeared.

Grateful? I am not able to express my gratitude to God, who in His infinite wisdom revealed this wonderful truth to our revered Leader. I am grateful to know that each year finds a larger number of people who understand, and are able in a measure to appreciate and demonstrate, her teachings, thus fulfilling her hope for the dawn of "that happy day, when man shall recognize the Science of Christ and love his neighbor as himself,—when he shall realize God's omnipotence and the healing power of the divine Love in what it has done and is doing for mankind" (ibid., p. 55), so proving that the promises of Christ Jesus are being fulfilled in Christian Science.

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