Editorial June 6, 1931 Issue

Responsiveness to Good

Violet Ker Seymer

It is strange how, through misplaced faith in the obduracy of sin and disease, the inevitability of death, and the propriety of sorrow, some individuals are deceived into upholding their own oppressors. They are greatly in need of the healing rebuke of Christian Science, which is fraught with divine compassion and spiritual might. Christian Science is never deceived by evil; therefore it awakens the victims of self-deception who have reached the point of teachableness and are honestly determined to grasp the truth and step by step, relinquish all error.

One seeking healing through Christian Science will be helped through his obedience in voicing only the pure spiritual truth about himself. It will be helpful to him to be willing to do this even before he fully grasps the value of his affirmation of Truth and his denial of evil. On page 152 of "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" Mrs. Eddy points out that "Truth has a healing effect, even when not fully understood." On the other hand, a pupil in arithmetic who persisted in arguing for the reality of his mistakes would perpetuate them just so long as he obstinately upheld his own ignorant attitude. Strange to say, the practitioner's affirmation and assurance of the availability of health, joy, and freedom is sometimes met with doubt, and even negation, on the part of the very one who is turning to Christian Science for liberation from his bondage, his false witnessing. Such a one needs to apply to himself that divinely inspired statement, "Ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord."

There is no end to the patient compassion of divine Love, which holds the true picture of spiritual man before even the averted gaze of mankind. Knowing that responsiveness to good, through spiritual sense, is the law of man's being, the alert Christian Scientist resists the so-called carnal mind's argument of nonresponsiveness to the call of Truth and Love. He does this on his own behalf, as well as that of others. He is calmly assured that the spiritual attraction of real being inevitably prevails against all the distractions, pleasurable or painful, of material sense. He insistently voices this truth about spiritual responsiveness to those who, albeit they are seeking the help of Christian Science, are nevertheless troubled with the fear that they cannot adequately grasp or apply teachings. "Spiritual sense is a conscious, constant capacity to understand God" (Science and Health, p. 209).

Send a comment to the editors

We'd love to hear from you!

Easily submit your testimonies, articles, and poems online.

Submit

Responsiveness to Good

We'd love to hear from you!

Sign up for unlimited access