PRAYER

ALBERT H. HARDCASTLE

Mankind's freedom from the limitations imposed by mateterial sense—from ignorance, superstition, fear, sin, sickness, disease, and death—has always been proportionate to the spiritual understanding of God expressed in its prayers, or right desires.

The false mortal sense of prayer through which God is approached as a magnified corporeal being, sometimes wrathful and vengeful, who can be influenced by material offerings or audible petitions, has yielded somewhat to the spiritual understanding of prayer as taught in Christian Science. This Science teaches, as did Jesus, that true prayer is exemplified through works, not through words or ceremonies. Christ Jesus, the beloved Teacher and Way-shower, knew truly how to pray, as evidenced by the wondrous works of spiritual healing and regeneration which resulted through his ministry. Jesus' prayers were infallible because based upon his full understanding of God, of the reality, omnipotence, and infinitude of good and the unreality, impotence, and nothingness of all that is unlike God, good.

Jesus taught men to approach and know God as the all-loving Father, our Father, and to recognize and claim man's spiritual unity and sonship with God. On pages 476 and 477 of the Christian Science textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," Mary Baker Eddy writes: "Jesus beheld in Science the perfect man, who appearedto him where sinning mortal man appears to mortals. In this perfect man the Saviour saw God's own likeness, and this correct view of man healed the sick." This true knowing, demonstrating the law of God, is prayer.

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