If we think about why we love our friends, we realize it isn't the "material package" that makes our love so sincere and steadfast. It is the life and spirit they express. And Christian Science assures that the true identity of every individual lasts forever because all true being is the manifestation of an infinite God. In proportion as we come to realize the allness of divine Principle, Love, and of Love's perfect infinite expression, man, which includes the immortality of every individual, we will feel more certain that God's comfort is perpetual and that we actually live in Him.

Much that we see on television and read in magazines says, however, that grief can only be cured by grieving, that there must be a grieving period and the sorrow must be talked about by those who experienced the loss. Otherwise, we're told, grief will never be overcome and the sorrowing will continue. The problem with this approach is that it assumes tragedy and pain to be genuine and unavoidable facts of life, with no remedy but to let them run their course, leaving man with the fearful prospect of evil lurking around every corner.

Christ Jesus, however, demonstrated something very different—that God is All, infinite good, and that His wisdom and mercy are always present to guide, comfort, and sustain us. Jesus showed that God is always providing good and telling us, through His Christ, that everything of our real being is unceasingly harmonious and complete. The better we understand this, the more dominion over discomfort, anguish, and loss will appear in our lives. We become conscious of spiritual peace when we understand that God's gentleness and love are eternally ours.

God is Love and, therefore, He doesn't bring grief and sorrow to the man He has created to express His uninterrupted love. We can become conscious of the comforting touch of His Christ now by looking above what the material senses report and believe, and by recognizing something of divine Love's creation—perfect, spiritual man and the goodness of God—forever manifested as life, beauty, and intelligence.

Jesus could not have healed the sick and raised the dead if he had believed grief was inescapable. He walked among the sick and suffering, ever manifesting strength, gentleness, and compassion, yet also ever conscious of the perfect, indestructible divine individuality of man. Many in the multitudes who gathered to be with him were lifted above sorrow as well as healed physically, and there was great rejoicing.

Healing does not start or end with a grieving period. It starts and ends with God, Truth, divine Mind, Love. Beginning here, we can overcome grief, not submit to it, by gaining a sense of the harmony that rightfully belongs to us as the reflection of God.

It is helpful to remember, too, that it is not necessary to experience grief in order to assist our fellowman. Mrs. Eddy explains this in her book Unity of Good: "Error says you must know grief in order to console it. Truth, God, says you oftenest console others in troubles that you have not. Is not our comforter always from outside and above ourselves?" Then she continues, "God says, I show My pity through divine law, not through human. It is My sympathy with and My knowledge of harmony (not inharmony) which alone enable Me to rebuke, and eventually destroy, every supposition of discord."

Every individual can feel the perpetual embrace of our loving and merciful Father-Mother God and be released from grief. The Christ-love is always present to lead us away from grief to the acceptance of Soul's wholly enfolding spiritual joy—for ourselves and our loved ones.