Editorial March 31, 1934 Issue

Easter

W. Stuart Booth

We read in "Miscellaneous Writings" that on an Easter Sunday, when the Reverend Mary Baker Eddy was pastor of her church, she presented the Reverend D. A. Easton, a former Congregational minister, who had embraced Christian Science, and who on this occasion preached an appropriate sermon. At the conclusion of the sermon the pastor again spoke briefly, closing with these words (p. 180): "I love the Easter service: it speaks to me of Life, and not of death. Let us do our work; then we shall have part in his resurrection." In view of this expression it may seem incongruous that later our Leader provided in the Manual of The Mother Church (Art. XVII, Sect. 2) that in the United States there shall be no special Easter observances in Christian Science churches. The closing words of this section, however, clear away the seeming inconsistency and point the spiritual intent of the provision. There we read: "Gratitude and love should abide in every heart each day of all the years. Those sacred words of our beloved Master, "Let the dead bury their dead,' and 'Follow thou me,' appeal to daily Christian endeavors for the living whereby to exemplify our risen Lord."

It is evident that Mrs. Eddy so clearly discerned the spiritual and practical import to humanity of the resurrection that she desired her followers to commemorate it every day. As an aid thereto she gave in "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" (p. 593) the following clear definition: "Resurrection. Spiritualization of thought; a new and higher idea of immortality, or spiritual existence; material belief yielding to spiritual understanding." A study of the experiences and sayings of Christ Jesus in the light of Christian Science makes it evident that our great Exemplar's emergence from the tomb three days after he had permitted the crucifixion of his material body was due solely to his consistently applied spiritual understanding of immortality. Furthermore, every demonstration of God's law and power made by the Master was a preparation for, and hence was truly a part of, his resurrection experience. The false belief that matter is causative, manifested as sickness, yielded to his spiritual understanding that God, divine Mind, is the only creator, and that His creation, including man, is good, harmonious, and perfect.

The understanding and utilization of the truth about God and man taught by Christian Science enable men to follow Christ Jesus even as he promised and expected, and thus all may "have part in his resurrection." This spiritualizing, regenerating process, or resurrection, began with many individuals in the healing of disease by Christian Science after physicians had failed to bring relief to them. Some had long been bound by the material belief of heredity and had harbored the fear of certain diseases because members of their family hand suffered therefrom. Christian Science leads men forth from the figurative tomb of disablity, disease, and fear of death into the light of spiritual understanding. Then they rejoice in the knowledge that God is the Father and Mother of all that is real, and that man's heritage as God's child is health, confidence, freedom, and dominion.

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