Article July 31, 1948 Issue

THE GOOD FOR WHICH WE ASK

INEZ LISLE SCHOLFIELD

The first chapter of the Christian Science textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" by Mary Baker Eddy, starts on the same note as the Bible quotations which head it, namely, the certainty that good exists and is available to mankind now. The Bible quotations include the well-known words of Jesus (Mark 11: 24), "Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them," and (Matt. 6:8), "Your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him." The chapter itself begins (p. 1), "The prayer that reforms the sinner and heals the sick is an absolute faith that all things are possible to God, —a spiritual understanding of Him, an unselfed love."

Jesus, with his usual simplicity, said with regard to spiritualized desires, "Believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them." Mrs. Eddy, having called her textbook a "key" to the Scriptures, uses that key to show that spiritual understanding and unselfed love are necessary for receiving the answer to our right desires. These are obviously of God; therefore the first thing required is the preparation of the heart to desire only what divine Mind has to give. Thus we shall grow through spiritualization of thought into that unity with God, good, in which the prayer and its answer are one.

It is not difficult to see that the prayer which heals the sick and reforms the sinner is in accord with divine Mind. Therefore the power which heals is inherent in spiritual consciousness. This is a great encouragement, as we are definitely asking for that which by reflection is man's now, and which will be ours in the measure that we understand and demonstrate our true selfhood.

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