Article August 27, 1932 Issue

On Loving One's Neighbor

CARRIE H. SANDBERG

In the Gospel of Matthew we are told that a lawyer once questioned Jesus regarding "the great commandment in the law." The Master's reply, which must ever command attention, was: "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets."

To one student of Christian Science came the persistent question, What does it mean to love God—to love God exclusively, supremely, "with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind"?

The first enlightening gleam by way of answer was that it means to love good. Then comprehension broadened to see that it means to love spirituality and not materiality, and extended to the revelation of the necessity of loving Truth— not merely the evidences of material sense. It was seen that in any measure to prove one's love for God, that which is good, spiritual, and true must be sought, depended upon, and put into practice. This simple process became an absorbing joy, followed by a great desire for some specific guide, some practical measuring rod, by means of which to watch the fuller demonstration or proof of the earnest desire, was found in Mrs. Eddy's statement in her Message to The Mother Church for 1902 (p. 8) : "When loving, we learn that 'God is Love;' mortals hating, or unloving, are neither Christians nor Scientists." At first a great encouragement was felt upon reading these words; for the statement implied that the effort to love God practically would bring a fuller understanding of the meaning of the great fact that God is Love, and this would point the way to a more broadly inclusive use of the understanding thus gained. However, thought was abruptly arrested by the second clause in the statement, "Mortals hating, or unloving, are neither Christians nor Scientists." The word "unloving" stood out boldly with a new meaning, forcing the conclusion that unless a genuinely loving attitude were being definitely, intentionally, deliberately maintained toward all others, toward one's "neighbour," this would not be loving, but unloving. Has not our Master said, "For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that love them"?

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