Loving-Kindness

MABEL METZGER HERD

Loving-Kindness ! How the warmth and glow of the thought floods the heart! Loving-kindness is an attribute of divine Love and is expressed through man. When the spiritual sense of love is attained, we express this quality. In "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" Mrs. Eddy writes (p. 272): "The spiritual sense of truth must be gained before Truth can be understood. This sense is assimilated only as we are honest, unselfish, loving, and meek."

Christ Jesus perfectly exemplified the power of loving-kindness. His every thought, word, deed was compassionate. He made manifest the Father's love set forth in the words of Jeremiah, "The Lord hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee." He went about doing good, binding up the broken-hearted with words of comfort and cheer, healing the sick and sinning with pure compassion: the fetters of their bondage fell off immediately before the light of divine Love so clearly manifested in him.

He was compassionate to all, merciful and just, tender and kind. When a rebuke or denial of sin was necessary, he sometimes gave the lesson by parable or example, waiting always upon God for understanding and renewal of strength. To the accusers of the woman taken in adultery, he said, "He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her." He spoke no word of censure, either to them or to the woman, but waited in loving patience for God's love to uncover and remove the error. And when they had all departed, leaving the woman alone with him, Jesus said, "Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more." Our Leader says (Miscellaneous Writings, p. 130): "Know ye not that he who exercises the largest charity, and waits on God, renews his strength, and is exalted? Love is not puffed up; and the meek and loving, God anoints and appoints to lead the line of mankind's triumphal march out of the wilderness, out of darkness into light."

How clearly did Jesus illustrate loving-kindness in the parable of the good Samaritan! All who are familiar with that parable remember how the man who fell among thieves was wounded and left by the roadside. Two, who came that way, "passed by on the other side," but the good Samaritan stopped and bound up the man's wounds and took him to an inn. He might have been tempted to think he had been sufficiently kind and compassionate, and had done all that could be expected of him. But Jesus related how he had gone still farther in his loving care and consideration for a fellow being: he had left money with the host to provide the comfort necessary for the man during his recovery, and agreed that if more were needed he would supply it when he returned from his journey. No doubt the good Samaritan went on his way rejoicing.

"Kind hearts are the gardens,
Kind thoughts are the roots,
Kind words are the blossoms,
Kind deeds are the fruits."

Jesus lived a life of loving-kindness, revealing the truth through his perfect understanding, which blossomed in his loving words and bore fruit in his healing deeds.

Today we are learning anew how to prepare our mental gardens through the illumination of the Scriptures by the inspired loving-kindness of our beloved Leader. Her textbook has unfolded the true, spiritual meaning of the Book of books. Her effort to bring the Bible nearer and make its meaning clearer to the heart of mankind, with "signs following," has been crowned with success.

Many are learning through Christian Science how to purify their thoughts through repentance and consecration; how to tend carefully each loving thought, that it may take root and grow; how to speak the kindly word, that may blossom and breathe forth the perfume of healing; how to set aside personal interests to perform those deeds of brotherly love, whereby to feed the multitude.

In proportion to our apprehension of true humility, meekness, charity, loving patience, and forbearance, do we see unfolded the intrinsic qualities of divine Love, which were so potently reflected in the loving and pure Christ Jesus. As we strive to reflect more fully the divine attributes, as he did, and express them in the encouraging word tenderly spoken, in true forgiveness, and in loving one another fervently, then we shall be loving our heavenly Father understandingly and our brother man unselfishly; and we shall rejoice in the goodness of God, in His loving-kindness to all.

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