Editorial February 7, 1953 Issue

LOVE IN OUR HEARTS

Helen Wood Bauman

"When the heart speaks, however simple the words, its language is always acceptable to those who have hearts." These words, found in Mary Baker Eddy's book "Miscellaneous Writings" (p. 262), preface a message of gratitude to her students for their conscientious and assiduous work of healing and comforting mankind through Christian Science, "Those who have hearts"! Our Leader needed such followers to carry out her great mission of taking the healing truth to all men. She knew that this task required inmost compassion that could never be swerved by love of self to leave its pure purpose of unfolding God's kingdom to mankind.

In Scriptural usage "the heart" often implies the secret thoughts of mankind. Christ Jesus read the thoughts of men, not through psychological methods, but through the ability bestowed by spiritualization of thought to detect the mental atmosphere of evil and discriminate between reality and unreality. How quick he was to discern Nathanael's guilelessness, the receptivity of Zebedee's sons, Peter's sense of discrimination. He knew at once where Love had penetrated human consciousness and imbued it with integrity. He recognized those who had hearts. He realized that those who glimpsed Love would cherish its presence and fulfill its demands; that the very love they expressed linked them with God. In his Sermon on the Mount he summed up the subject in the often-quoted words (Matt. 6:21): "Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."

The secret, unswerving desire to see the will of Love expressed in everyone's life marks the true Christian Scientist. This hope of the heart is satisfied with nothing less than faithful participation in the activities of the Christian Science movement, which Mrs. Eddy founded. And this faithfulness is evidenced not only in one's contribution of personal service that is essential to the progress of the Church of Christ, Scientist, but in one's more significant manifestation of the power to heal sickness and sin. Our Leader explains the ideal of scientific love in these words (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 241): "The substance of all devotion is the reflection and demonstration of divine Love, healing sickness and destroying sin."

Send a comment to the editors

NEXT IN THIS ISSUE

Article

Church Services and Reading Rooms