Editorial August 2, 1952 Issue

JUSTICE AND MERCY

Helen Wood Bauman

Justice and mercy are attributes of Truth and Love, the one almighty God. How often mortals plead for mercy when justice forbids cancellation of penalty for wrongdoing! But justice demands regeneration of the human self before God's mercy is seen enfolding humanity and ruling out suffering. Mary Baker Eddy says in "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" (p. 22): "Justice requires reformation of the sinner. Mercy cancels the debt only when justice approves."

And when does justice approve? When truth is attained through demonstration, when the sins and fearful beliefs which claim to produce ill effects are destroyed and man in God's image begins to appear. The Psalmist had the wisdom to link mercy with the truth, the appearing of reality, and he sang (Ps. 85:10), "Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other." The law of divine mercy is the ever-acting love of Love, and it demonstrates the peace and painlessness of true consciousness. When one quenches human will and gives up the mortal conviction that life is in matter and evil real, he is ready for the mercy that cancels suffering. If mercy seems slow in its healing ministration, this is because true consciousness, and consequent true experience, has not been attained. Further regeneration is needed, deeper probing of the undestroyed mortal beliefs which both submit to and impose suffering, and a purer realization of man's divine inheritance of perfection.

Christian Science unveils real consciousness, which is divine Mind's understanding of Life. It denies the unjust belief that would have man a frail, limited being, bound to flesh and subject to sinful influences he little comprehends and to unmerciful human conditions he is often innocent of producing. This Science demonstrates the larger justice which embraces the universe in a state of absolute impartiality. All may experience Love's merciful cancellation of suffering if they will but awaken from the delusion of life separate from Spirit and live the divine nature inherent in real consciousness. We must be just if we would have justice, merciful if we would have mercy, loving if we would feel the might of Love's presence.

Send a comment to the editors

NEXT IN THIS ISSUE

Article

Church Services and Reading Rooms