A Christian Scientist who was suffering from a severe case of influenza asked a Christian Science practitioner to pray for him. During the telephone conversation the practitioner, recognizing that the sick man was discouraged and disturbed, said to him, "Let us rejoice."

Why should I rejoice? thought the sufferer. There is nothing to rejoice about! I am in pain, feel physically and mentally depressed, and am kept from engaging in my daily activities. What is there to rejoice about?

Then as he continued to think about the challenge which came over the telephone he could see that there were very good reasons for rejoicing. As a Christian Scientist it was his duty to know and maintain that God is infinite, ever-present good and that His creation is good, without an element of evil; that God is Spirit; hence His creation is wholly spiritual, without an element of sickness or discord.

Soon he began to acknowledge that he was in reality the son of God, the pure idea of Spirit, and that discord and suffering were but false beliefs or erroneous concepts of his true being. As he continued to gain a clearer sense of his true identity, he found much cause for gratitude and rejoicing, and the physical discord was corrected.

In an article entitled "The New Birth," Mary Baker Eddy tells us (Miscellaneous Writings, pp. 19, 20): "The spiritual sense of Life and its grand pursuits is of itself a bliss, health-giving and joy-inspiring. This sense of Life illumes our pathway with the radiance of divine Love; heals man spontaneously, morally and physically,— exhaling the aroma of Jesus' own words, 'Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.'"

It is recorded in the Bible that an angel announced to the shepherds "tidings of great joy" (Luke 2:10) and then reported the birth of the Saviour, Christ Jesus. This Saviour was a man of joy, and his immediate followers also learned to rejoice in the great truths of being which he taught them and which bore great fruitage in healing work. An evidence of this joy is seen in the Bible record which states that after his ascension, the disciples of Jesus worshiped him "and returned to Jerusalem with great joy: and were continually in the temple, praising and blessing God" (Luke 24: 52, 53).

Why should Christian Scientists rejoice? Because Christian Science is a religion of joy. It reveals the Holy Ghost or divine Comforter, the ever-present Christ, Truth, which is immediately available to all men under all circumstances. The truths of Christian Science present man's eternal, indestructible, perfect nature as the son of God. When sincerely accepted and maintained, they dispel the false beliefs and fears of material sense: pain, mental suffering, grief, depression, and all of earth's ills.

How can any individual feel disturbed and discouraged when he sincerely knows that as God's son he is inseparable from perfect health, unlimited resources of good, divine guidance, the unspeakable joy of the Holy Ghost, and an inheritance which the Apostle Peter described as "incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away" (I Pet. 1:4)?

The Christian Scientist can readily learn to think and speak the truth with joy. In fact, as he maintains the truths of Christian Science with understanding, he is buoyed up by them and receives fruitage in healing. If he seems burdened by statements of truth, he is not awake to their uplifting and life-giving power. Let him then ask himself if he is truly grateful to God for identification with the Christ, or spiritual manhood, which is his eternally.

All through the Bible we read expressions of gratitude and joy from those who turned to God in their afflictions. The great Apostle Paul, whose Christian work was carried on under almost constant persecution, wrote in a letter to the Philippians (4:4), "Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice." And then he added (verse 6), "In every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God."

Paul had no time for self-pity, grief, or discouragement. He was too busy doing God's work, rejoicing in His goodness and even in tribulation praising Him. He could not be weighed down by the suggestions of material sense.

In one of her letters, our Leader says (Miscellaneous Writings, p. 135), "Sending forth currents of Truth, God's methods and means of healing, and so spreading the gospel of Love, is in itself an eternity of joy that outweighs an hour."

Let those who are burdened with grief over the passing of a loved one, or with disease, or with everyday problems in the home or in business accept the gift of Christian Science and express gratitude for its truths and promises. Let them devote thought to the joyous work of praying not only for themselves alone, but for all mankind. Let them help to ease a brother's burden. Then shall their gratitude for God's goodness increase, their joy become and remain full, and their problems be solved.

Why should Christian Scientists rejoice? Because Jesus, through fidelity to Truth, coupled with gratitude and joy, showed the way for the redemption of mankind from sickness, sin, depression, and all human ills. Through his example and precepts, we have the means whereby we can enter into the kingdom of heaven on earth and enjoy its perpetual resources, even while the storms of sense assail.

Referring to the blessings which are the reward of those who follow Truth, the prophet wrote (Isa. 35: 10), "The ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away."

Harold Molter