Editorial September 17, 1955 Issue

THE RECIPE FOR BEAUTY

Harold Molter

Christian Scientists strive to see beauty in Spirit, not in matter. They are learning that beauty and charm in their highest sense are qualities of divine Mind and can never be attained through material means. Mary Baker Eddy writes in "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" (pp. 247, 248), "The recipe for beauty is to have less illusion and more Soul, to retreat from the belief of pain or pleasure in the body into the unchanging calm and glorious freedom of spiritual harmony." In this statement our Leader points out clearly that the way to increase one's beauty lies in the abandonment of the material concept of existence through spiritualization of thought. Our work is to hold before us always the example of our great Way-shower, Christ Jesus, whose life of self-forgetfulness in service for mankind gave him charm and beauty beyond all worldly consideration. In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus pointed out that Solomon in all of his glorious raiment could not compare in beauty to the lilies of the field. And then speaking of men's material needs, he said (Matt. 6:33), "Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you."

The experience of the three Hebrews who were educated in the household of the king furnishes a good illustration of the spiritual basis of beauty and comeliness. They were to be fed with food from the king's table, but they rejected it in favor of simple fare, pulse and water. At the end of a certain period they were found to be fairer than all of the children of the king's household. But the beauty and charm of their physical being was not due to the food they ate. It was brought about through their consistent and faithful worship of the one God.

It is recorded that when Moses came down from the mount of revelation after communing with God, his face shone with such radiance that he had to put on a veil while speaking to the people. Also, when Jesus took Peter, James, and John with him and talked with Moses and Elias, his raiment appeared glittering white, as light, and his face shone with the radiance of the sun. Among the glorious qualities of Spirit listed by our Leader are the beauty of holiness, the perfection of being, and imperishable glory. Such beauty is beyond any material power to confer. It is reserved for those whose hearts are pure—who seek the spiritual status of being. And such beauty is accompanied by other qualities of pure being, such as health, holiness, abundance, and intelligence which exceed all earthly comprehension.

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