Church Alive June 13, 2011 Issue

The following was written in support of Church Alive, a focus of The First Church of Christ, Scientist, that explores the meaning and possibilities of awakening to the spiritual basis and impact of Church. 

How many healers in your neighborhood?

By Monica Karal

Wouldn’t it be great if everyone knew how to heal?

At one point I’d been thinking a lot about these questions: Who does God choose to be a healer? Why would God choose certain people over others?

This got me thinking about how I see my neighbors. Am I noticing the healing activity and qualities each person expresses? I began to see so many activities in my neighborhood as expressions of healing.

It seemed logical to me that since God (divine Love) is the Great Healer and since all of us are made in God’s likeness, we must all be healers by nature. I pondered the spiritual account of the creation of “man” (meaning everyone) in Genesis 1, especially verse 26: “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion . . . over all the earth.” That sounds to me like the description of a healer. One dictionary defines dominion as “supremacy; acknowledged ascendency over human or non-human forces.” Since dominion is of God, it must reflect the divine power to heal and harmonize.

This got me thinking about how I see my neighbors. Am I noticing the healing activity and qualities each person expresses? I began to see so many activities in my neighborhood as expressions of healing. In a sense, the supermarket cashier is healing lineups. The hardware clerk is healing broken houses. The bus driver is healing passengers’ separation from their destinations. I was filled with appreciation for all the fellow healers in my neighborhood! And I started noticing all the healing qualities they express: helpfulness, kindness, respect, patience, flexibility, humor, perseverance, and more.

One day a locksmith came to repair the lock on my front door. I told him how much I admired his skillful work, but he shrugged it off as if to say he was just doing his job. Then he asked me what I did for a living, and I described the work of a Christian Science practitioner. He asked some questions and then was silent for a while as if he were deep in thought. Finally, he said, “I guess I’m a healer of locks!” I was so touched by his realization. And I’m convinced he left with a new respect for his work as a “healer of locks.”

When I think of “Church” as healing activity, I see that Church is vitally alive in my neighborhood and everywhere. As we increasingly tune in to the healing activity going on around us, the whole concept of healing as central to human endeavor will be highlighted. Seeing everyone as healers increases our awareness of God’s healing presence. And I believe that seeing others as healers helps them see themselves as healers.

These days I’m thinking about what I can do to promote a culture of healing and a healing culture. This is church-building in its broadest sense. Fostering a culture that thinks in terms of healing and that values healing will naturally attract people to the teachings of Christ Jesus, the master healer, and ultimately to Christian Science—to spiritual healing.

How many healers in my neighborhood? Everyone!

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A shift from grief to joy
June 13, 2011
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