Article September 13, 1975 Issue

"Pray without ceasing"

DOROTHY KAPLE

When I first read Mrs. Eddy's statement "We must 'pray without ceasing'"^{Science and Health, p. 15;} in the opening chapter of Science and Health, I thought it was beyond human ability to obey. I discovered that Mrs. Eddy had been quoting the Apostle Paul, who exhorted the Thessalonians: "Pray without ceasing."^{I Thess. 5:17;} I visualized someone on his knees day and night, eyes closed, hands pressed together, pleading to an unknown God.

Later, as my understanding of Christian Science grew, I thought that probably the admonition meant, as the Psalmist says, "Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, ... and he shall hear my voice."^{Ps. 55:17;} As I continued the daily study of the Lesson-Sermon in the Christian Science Quarterly and progressed in my understanding of Science, I came to realize that what we think, if it is right scientific thinking, is praying. Therefore we can pray without ceasing by consistently thinking rightly.

Christian Science teaches that God is Mind and Mind is All. In other words, the only real source of thought is God. The only Mind is divine Mind. It may appear that there are many separate minds thinking different thoughts, and that we have a personal mind which can think good or bad thoughts as we choose. But the absolute spiritual fact is that there is only one Mind, God, and man reflects Mind. When we accept this spiritual truth, we begin to see that right thoughts are God's thoughts and that any other so-called thoughts—thoughts of sin or suffering—are specious and illusory.

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