Article February 5, 1977 Issue

The Place of Sanctuary

CONSTANCE MARIE CURLING

History tells us that people used to run to the church for sanctuary when pursued by an enemy. Once within its walls they were safe, and no one would attack or molest them.

Enemies may still seem to pursue us today, but they are not the kind that come charging along on horseback, striking terror into our hearts with the sound of galloping hooves. The enemy today is generally quieter and more subtle, but often just as frightening. We may feel pursued by worries and doubts and fears. Vexing problems of contemporary living may threaten to overtake us, so that we look urgently for a place of refuge from it all.

Christian Science shows us there is such a place. Mrs. Eddy calls it "the sanctuary of Spirit." Commenting on Christ Jesus' words "When thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly," ^{Matt. 6:6;} Mrs. Eddy says in Science and Health: "The closet typifies the sanctuary of Spirit, the door of which shuts out sinful sense but lets in Truth, Life, and Love. Closed to error, it is open to Truth, and vice versa." ^{Science and Health, p. 15;}