Article February 16, 1946 Issue

Duties of Readers

DOROTHY HUNT SMITH

Members of the Christian Science church, and many individuals who have not yet become such, read the weekly Lesson-Sermon provided in the Christian Science Quarterly. Many members are past Readers in their branch churches, while others are potential Readers. So it behooves each Christian Scientist to give consideration to Article III of the Manual of The Mother Church by Mary Baker Eddy.

It is significant that our Leader put first in this Article "Moral Obligations." This Section reads: "The Readers of The Mother Church and of all its branch churches must devote a suitable portion of their time to preparation for the reading of the Sunday lesson,—a lesson on which the prosperity of Christian Science largely depends. They must keep themselves unspotted from the world,— uncontaminated with evil,—that the mental atmosphere they exhale shall promote health and holiness, even that spiritual animus so universally needed."

This suitable portion of time includes, of course, the hours of quiet study when the most important work done toward the reading of the Lesson understandingly. Some Readers have benefited from a course in public speaking or elocution. But the spirit of the ancient prophets who "read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading" (Neh. 8:8) is not attained by ordinary educational processes. The congregation at a Christian Science service expects healing, and this ideal is most frequently attained when the personality of the Reader is lost sight of and the inspiration of the Word stands forth. The essence of Christian Science is Love. Healing at the services is the result of uplifted thinking.

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