Blessed are the persecuted
Are you experiencing persecution, slander, malicious criticism? If so, Christ Jesus, the Way-shower, gives a direct solution to this challenge: "Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you" (Matt. 5:10–12 ). Rejoicing, gladness, happiness, are God-derived qualities that give us power to handle and win out over all evil. They help us cultivate spiritual sense, which lifts us out of a belief in evil as power.
Following Jesus' lead, Christian Science offers a purely God-centered remedy for persecution. In Science and Health Mary Baker Eddy writes: "The power of Christian Science and divine Love is omnipotent. It is indeed adequate to unclasp the hold and to destroy disease, sin, and death" (p. 412 ). God, divine Love, is the key to the reversal of persecution. It is Love that gives us the strength and dignity not to become bitter, not to be pulled so low as to hate, not to succumb to the temptation of using violence in reaction to persecution. The Bible shows us that God is Love. He who loves is expressing God's allness. Through our prayer, let us magnify Love so fully in our thought and daily life that attempts of evil to humiliate or to destroy our character are neutralized. The power of Love overrules self-defeating retaliation or reaction and can, in the long run, even awaken the friendship and understanding of a persecutor.
In a biography, Mary Baker Eddy: Her Mission and Triumph, Julia Michael Johnston says of the Founder of Christian Science: "She declared the Science of Life, the Science of Christ, without doubt or timidity. She felt the waves of criticism beating against this Rock, but the power of Love going out to mankind was stronger than the tide of hate flowing in, and turned it back" (p. 83). Those who love start from the genesis of creation, where God, Spirit, creates and we, His children, reflect Him. We see that man is spiritual and cannot be the perpetrator, victim, or conveyer of evil.
Who is the culprit when persecution takes place? It is the blinding element of personal sense, belief in intelligence and ability apart from God. We reject and deny it life by refusing it entrance into the door of our thought. It is illusion because within spiritual reality neither criticism, jealousy, hate, nor anger exists. As we comprehend spiritual reality, the hold of persecution on us ceases. It is powerlessness. We see this to be true when we become alert to detect and reject moment by moment any impulse toward anger, vengeance, and resentment. As we align ourselves with love, compassion, understanding, and clarity of thought, healing can occur.
Persecution stole into my life like a thief at night through media reports promulgating false information about my family. At first I laughed at the excitement that had caught up everyone. I knew the portrayal of our family's situation was ridiculous and false. But later I was intimidated and became very fearful, as many telephone calls came in.
I decided to pray. Jesus' words in the book of Matthew broke the spell: "Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man" (15:11 ). I saw through the lie and was able to laugh down my fear. The whole feeling of being persecuted lifted. I was free. The media never referred to the matter again. My own blessing was that I used the opportunity not to be consumed by the poison of hurt, self-pity, anger, that had coursed through me, but to replace these with the truth of my unsevered relationship to Love, God, including His attributes—such as harmony and peace. The experience became an aid, a stepping-stone in my spiritual progress.
We may not fully know the reasons for persecution and hostility. These might be hidden from view. But that does not mean we cannot recognize their falsehood and powerlessness. To do this we cannot judge the situation personally. When we appoint ourselves the job of judge and jury, our actions can be motivated by feelings of resentment, anger, self-righteousness, and victimization. These feelings may be the result of judgments in which we see ourselves as superior to others. If we are to heal persecution, we must stop judging falsely. Christ Jesus did not condemn even those who crucified him. Instead, he prayed that they be forgiven.
When our actions are motivated by a desire to retaliate against others, we ourselves will experience the discord that accompanies this belief of power in evil. Likewise, if our actions support harmony and a recognition of God's power in others, we also will experience that harmony and empowerment. Our reward is gained in the realm of Spirit, in our consciousness, or understanding, of God, good.
Sometimes persecution comes because of the spiritual standard we uphold, the values we respect, or the practice of our religion. But even as we courageously stand up for what we know to be right according to Principle, let us magnify Love in our thought and life. That will defeat evil.
In a response written at a time of persecution, Mrs. Eddy states, "The Cause of Christian Science is prospering throughout the world and stands forever as an eternal and demonstrable Science, and I do not regard this attack upon me as a trial, for when these things cease to bless they will cease to occur" (The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany, p. 143 ). If we are persecuted, we can be assured that even that persecution will bring lessons that will bless us.
