Article April 10, 2006 Issue

The grass beneath our feet silently exclaims, "The meek shall inherit the earth."—Mary Baker Eddy, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 516

meekness and healing

BY ALLISON PHINNEY

LATE ONE NIGHT I found myself reaching out for new inspiration and more spiritual light. I had been praying for a member of my family who had been unjustly treated. However, the injustice still seemed more substantive than my prayers!

I glanced at a stack of books beside me, pulled out a children's book about Jesus' healings, and leafed through the pages. I wasn't at all sure why I'd reached for this particular book, though I'd drawn on it in talking with my Sunday School kids the previous week about one of those healings. But when I came to the story, I felt impelled to read it again. Now there was no class of busy seven-year-olds—just me alone with the story. And somehow it seemed more riveting than ever.

The scene was the garden of Gethsemane, at night. The simple but powerful pictures of the children's book portrayed the shadows and the gloom and uncertainty of the situation. Suddenly a sizable group of men—Jewish priests, elders, and leaders, and also Roman soldiers—showed up at the edge of the garden and moved directly toward Jesus. The disciples were shocked to see who was leading the group. It was Judas Iscariot, their own spiritual brother who had crossed over to the opposite side and betrayed them all.

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