FROM THE EDITORS August 8, 2005 Issue

SEEDS OF HEALING

UNTAPPED IDEAS, much like dormant seeds, forever await development and productivity. Recently The Christian Science Monitor reported that "biologists in Israel have coaxed a 2,000-year-old date seed into sprouting, making it the 'oldest' plant germinated from an ancient seed" ("On the Horizon," June 16, 2005). The implications of this discovery—from fueling hopes of reclaiming this ancient medicinal plant to finding other plant life thought to be extinct—are exciting biologists and environmentalists alike.

To anyone familiar with Christ Jesus' parable of the sower, the story of this ancient seed might serve as a reminder that the healing Christ, the infinite Truth—the comforting presence of God—has ever been alive, and is ready to be nurtured today, as of old, in the hearts of families, churches, and neighborhoods.

Truth is always present and never dormant; it's a matter of seeing truth prosper in human lives. In Luke's rendering of Jesus' parable, seeds land in rich soil, as well as in the road, on rocks, and in thorn bushes. Jesus explains that the seed is the "word of God," and that the various terrains represent individual states of receptivity. He concludes by saying that those that fall "on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit" (8:5-15). The infinite availability of God's Word—the Christ-message—is confirmed throughout the Holy Bible. And in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy elucidated the practical Principle the Word rests on, the Science of Christianity. Much of our need amounts to nurturing our own receptivity to this message of Truth, so it can transform and heal us.

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