Article May 8, 1976 Issue

Progress in Healing

CARL J. WELZ

Watch the drops of water in a fountain. They rise rapidly from their jets, then slow down until they reach a point where they begin to fall backward. Some of them are soon caught again in the upward stream and bob up and back, but none go beyond the height determined by the pressure at their source. Our progress in healing seems to be like that.

First learning of the healing power of Christ, Truth, as revealed in Christian Science, we soar mentally and spiritually. But after a time, instead of accelerating to greater heights, we too often tend to slow to a point where we are satisfied to keep our human situation from getting worse. Then, when a more-than-routine problem arises, we wonder why we do not meet it. Or, seeing the need for better healing work, we begin to theorize on methods and techniques for applying what we know. But revised methods and techniques give us only a temporary revival of inspiration and success, unless there is a change in our recognized source of thought.

We are told in the Bible that Jesus' disciples failed to heal a young man of violent seizures. Asked why, Jesus did not give a critique of the disciples' healing methods. He said, "This kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting." ^{Matt. 17:21;} Today, when confronted by diseases difficult to heal, do we pray and fast? Or do we theorize on what the human mind should do in the practice of what we already know of spiritual reality?