Article April 15, 1944 Issue

A Practical Answer

JEANNE STEELY LAITNER

In "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" Mary Baker Eddy writes (p. 465): "God is incorporeal, divine, supreme, infinite Mind, Spirit, Soul, Principle, Life, Truth, Love." A student of Christian Science who was pondering these synonyms for God found herself confronted with this question: "How do I perceive the glorious qualities of God which these synonyms imply?" As light floods a darkened room, revelation flooded her consciousness, bringing this answer: "You see these qualities manifest in man!" The marvelous possibilities of this answer became continually more apparent to her.

For example, if the Christian Scientist is to envision and bring into his experience more of the intelligence which is God, he must recognize and prove his ability to express it. He must acknowledge God to be the intelligence his brother manifests, and appreciate it. For, if he is seeing himself or another as lacking in intelligence, he is temporarily allowing mortal mind to convince him of its false testimony. If he sees his neighbor as less than loving, he is believing mortal mind can identify itself with his neighbor, rather than discerning the spiritual selfhood of his neighbor.

A Christian Scientist was engaged in tutoring a high school pupil in French. The pupil appeared to be lacking in intelligence and the work was proceeding at a discouraging rate. The Christian Scientist found herself thinking. "I wish this pupil knew something about Christian Science so we could work together for a realization of her God-bestowed intelligence." One day however, she suddenly realized that the least and the most that she could do was to heal herself of the picture she was entertaining of an unintelligent child.

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