Article November 3, 1997 ISSUE

Prayer, binding the power of pain

Michelle Boccanfuso

Christ Jesus said, "Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted" (Matt. 5:4). Does this suggest that human suffering is a divinely appointed means for spiritual growth? Or, instead, could it be that what we sometimes experience as mourning—grief or sorrow over a disruption or change in circumstances—indicates a basic human need to reach out for and respond to God and to the ever-presence of divine good in our lives? With the help of the Key to the Scriptures in Science and Health, I gained a deeper understanding and appreciation for Jesus' promise of comfort during times of mourning.

In Unity of Good, Mary Baker Eddy writes: "Sorrow is the harbinger of joy. Mortal throes of anguish forward the birth of immortal being; but divine Science wipes away all tears" (p. 57). Steadfast, conscientious communion with God in prayer brings to human consciousness the pure and peaceful, healing influence of the Comforter—Christ, Truth.

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