Article June 6, 1988 Issue

What humility does for healing

Pride has a way of shutting out answers—the answers we need.

Carolyn Hill

It was Communion Sunday. The First Reader in the branch Church of Christ, Scientist, I was attending invited the congregation to kneel in silent prayer. But at the time I was new to attending Sunday services and I was not familiar with this portion of the Communion service. It caught me unprepared.

I did know that a Christian Science Communion service doesn't include the literal use of bread and wine. And I was familiar with the chapter "Atonement and Eucharist" in Science and Health by Mrs. Eddy, a chapter that gives a full explanation of the spiritual import of the sacrament. "Our Eucharist is spiritual communion with the one God," it tells us. "Our bread, 'which cometh down from heaven,' is Truth. Our cup is the cross. Our wine the inspiration of Love, the draught our Master drank and commended to his followers."^{Science and Health, p. 35.} I could readily accept this, but without understanding more deeply the invitation to kneel, I felt the act was merely a concession to ritual. My resistance continued for many years.

One morning during a period of depression, when I was wearily pulling myself out of bed, the thought came loud and clear: "Why aren't you willing to kneel?" The question stunned me. Almost immediately the story of Naaman in the Bible came to thought.^{See II Kings 5:1–14 .} But he had had leprosy, I thought, not a bout with depression and lack of energy!

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