IF READINESS TO BE JOYFUL equaled readiness to welcome, Rio de Janeiro would have no concerns about its preparedness to host the 2016 Olympic Games. More than a few Brazilians, overjoyed at the prospect of being the first South American country chosen to hold the Games, see their selection as a kind of green light for seven years of celebration in the run-up to the Games. Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, President of Brazil, publicly wept tears of joy when first notified they'd been selected. Then he joined a multitude of Brazilians dancing in the streets.

Beyond the symbolism of being the first in South America, Rio bursts with virtues as a host city—virtues that include breathtaking scenery, spectacular natural beauty, and wonderful weather, and all are great attractions to tourists.

But the concerns loom large. Violent crime is rampant. Hundreds of gangs, populated with youth—10 years old or even younger—roam the vicinity of the slums, toting guns and even hand grenades. Two thousand murders take place each year.

How do you keep a tidal wave of spectators and athletes safe? More police might seem the obvious answer, even though at present about a fifth of all murders are committed by police officers when they are dealing with potential criminals. And don't assume that criminals grant clemency to visitors. Jamie Schroeder, a 6-foot-8-inch, 220-pound member of the US Olympic rowing team, found that out. He was assaulted during the 2007 Pan American Games in Rio.

Widespread corruption pervades the business community. It is another looming concern. The venue-building for those Pan American Games, along with other key preparations, reeked of graft and mismanagement. Worse, some of the key perpetrators of corruption at that time are now serving actively in organizing the Olympics. It remains to be seen if the misspending of millions of dollars, and the piling up of rampant waste, will be repeated.

What to do?

ESTABLISH SAFETY

A spiritual perspective of the scene discloses some surprising facts. That's because a spiritual perspective—one that is not blind to the security challenges facing Rio but that looks farther and deeper—takes in what might be called a God's-eye view of what is truly going on. And that divinely accurate view discloses safety as a fixed spiritual fact. This view has a transforming effect on human circumstances. In other words, it's not a matter of seeing troubles in the city, praying, and then hoping those troubles remain at arm's length. Instead, it's a matter of eliminating those troubles by understanding the reality of Spirit, of embracing and feeling embraced by the divine source of safety, security, invulnerability, and a sense of sanctuary. The spiritual facts of Spirit's peace, purity, and perfection are the ongoing spiritual reality. Holding tenaciously to his perception, mentally challenging a violence-infested view of things, constitutes effective, transforming prayer.

While prayer can be tightly targeted to address needs in an individual heart, it also can go citywide and address collective concerns. The Psalmist suggests the latter, broader kind of focus when he describes the city of God. This refers not to a physical location. It is a spiritual reality. He says: "There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early" (46:4, 5). Think of that. What's in the midst of this city? Marauding gangs? A broken system of law enforcement? Danger at every turn? No, no, and no. God is in the midst of her. Mind is in the midst of her. Love is in the midst of her. So the safety, security, invulnerability, and a host of other spiritual realities that emanate from divine Mind and Love, are rock-solid facts in the midst of God's city.

No wonder the Psalmist would say of the city, "She shall not be moved." How could it be otherwise? There is no moving, no dislodging, and no hijacking of the stability of God's city. There is no instability in this divine realm. The Psalmist puts into the simplest of terms just what divine Love will do for the city of God, and just when Love will do it. "God [Love] shall help her, and that right early." Help straight from God comes not at the last moment; it comes early. It might be hard to find two sweeter promises in all of Scripture.

ROOT OUT CORRUPTION

The safety of the Rio Olympics will be measured largely during the weeks in which the Games actually play out. The victory over corruption, however, will be won largely in the years of groundwork leading up to the Games. Corruption tends to fester and to spread in the shadows. Prayer, filled with the light of spiritual conviction, removes those shadows, banishes the darkness of deceit, and provides an atmosphere more conducive to honest business practices. The glare of the news media provides a metaphor here, albeit an imperfect one. No corrupt politician or businessperson wants the story of his or her crimes caught in the glare of news coverage. What about divinely originated light? Wrongdoing retreats from that light, the light of pure Mind, with all the haste of a coward.

The victory over corruption is more likely to be longer lasting if the extended time of site preparation is matched by an equally extended time of prayer. How much effort, even without criminal exploitation, does it take to build, for example, an Olympic village? What if those committed to prayer-supported solutions, made an equivalent effort to realize the light of divine Love? It would not only uncover and defeat malfeasance; it would also highlight right doing. It would pull back the curtain on wrongdoing, and spotlight honest endeavor. Spiritually illuming and lasting prayer has this twofold impact.

Again, what the Bible says about God's city deserves reviewing. It provides an indispensable assist to the city of Rio. As it is described in the book of Revelation, God's city is flooded with light. Light that removes the opportunity for dark-of-the-night dissembling. Light that causes crime dynasties to shrivel in size and reach. Light that spills over with the purity of Love and the integrity of Mind. A lifelong student of the Bible, Mary Baker Eddy wrote: "This city of our God has no need of sun or satellite, for Love is the light of it, and divine Mind is its own interpreter. All who are saved must walk in this light. Mighty potentates and dynasties will lay down their honors within the heavenly city. Its gates open towards light and glory both within and without, for all is good, and nothing can enter that city, which 'defileth, or maketh a lie'" (Science and Health, p. 577).

Think of that. There's nothing in the city which "defileth, or maketh a lie." Deception, duplicity, dirty-dealing, and so on, don't even gain entrance to the divine city. They certainly can't degrade it.

Each spiritual fact concerning God's city hints at the underlying spiritual truth of any great city—Chicago, Madrid, Tokyo, Rio. Those spiritual facts are on hand to be proved as real for Rio, to be demonstrated as genuine for any locale, especially one so hungry for healing. Citywide prayer. Planet-wide love filling that prayer. Safety and freedom from corruption brought to light as unmovable spiritual realities. As people prayerfully realize key spiritual facts—and do this early and often—they will help forward the dawn. Greater safety and less waste at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro will follow. |css