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.

An apt description of such prayer and its healing effect is found in a poem called "Christ My Refuge." The first two verses read:

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