A WAY TO EXPRESS GOD'S LOVE

CARLOS ANTONIO LEY—CASTRO VALLEY, CALIFORNIA

TO ME, THE FOLLOWING TWO great commandments Jesus referred to in the book of Luke comprise the essence of love: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself" (Luke 10:27, New Revised Standard Version). Jesus illustrated how to live this perfect love by telling the parable of the good Samaritan, in which a stranger helps a man who has been attacked by thieves. He bandages his wounds and takes him to an inn, where he leaves money to provide for further care of the man (see Luke 10:25–37).

To me, these two teachings illustrate beautifully what a Christian Science nurse does on a daily basis: loving God wholeheartedly, loving one's neighbor as oneself, and putting that love into action. But the foundation for this ministry is a love for God that springs from the understanding that God dearly loves us.

My own awakening to God's love began with a healing my mother had when I was ten years old and was growing up in Peru. After X-rays determined that her arm was broken, a loving neighbor put my mother in touch with a Christian Science practitioner, who prayed for her. A second set of X-rays taken the next day showed that the arm was fully healed. This healing so impressed my mother that she began a deep study of Christian Science.

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