Article December 26, 1936 Issue

Watchfulness and Opportunity

[Original article in German]

MARGIT ROSDOL

In the confusion of our daily experience lie concealed various phases of the evil spoken of in Revelation as "the great dragon," "that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world." Sometimes in small, insignificant ways, often scarcely noted, evil lies in wait for its chance to darken our thought. Jesus was aware of this fact, and for that reason repeatedly and urgently warned his followers to be always on the watch. In the parable of the five wise and the five foolish virgins, he illustrated how necessary it is to tend our light through clear thinking and alertness, "for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh." Therefore we should watch without ceasing, in order that we may grasp each opportunity to prove the omnipotence of good.

Here an earnest reader may say, True enough, but how am I to recognize a right opportunity? Mrs. Eddy, who understood our Master's teaching better than anyone else has ever done, writes in "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" (p. 192), "Whatever holds human thought in line with unselfed love, receives directly the divine power." Thus we see that constant alertness and the exercise of unselfed love make it possible for us to recognize the right and opportune moment to do good, whereas self-interest, envy, and hate shut out this recognition. It is to cause neglect of our right opportunities that the serpent, evil, lies in wait.

Just what is this "old serpent," or the "red dragon," as John calls Satan or the devil? A careful study of these three terms, "devil," "red dragon," and "serpent," in the Glossary of the Christian Science textbook (pp. 584, 593, and 594), shows that in the definitions of all three terms Mrs. Eddy includes "animal magnetism." And in the definition of "serpent" we find mention of "the first lie of limitation."

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