The 'beauty of holiness'

After listening for about a year to the online Wednesday afternoon testimony service from The Mother Church, it occurred to me that it would be well not to merely sit back and enjoy all the good readings and testimonies, but to take active part. So I’m sharing this healing I had many years ago when I was in ninth grade.

While at school one Wednesday, I began to feel ill, so much so that I called my mom to come and bring me home. By dinner time, I had all the symptoms of the flu and could not eat a bite of food. Even so, I must have had some expectation of feeling better, because my main concern was studying for a test in my science class the next day.

We lived next door to our local branch Church of Christ, Scientist. Our living room looked right out at the church and parking lot. Ordinarily, I attended the Wednesday testimony meetings, but just felt too ill to go that night. I had settled myself with my schoolbooks, Bible, and Mary Baker Eddy’s Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, on the sofa in the living room. In spite of how bad I was feeling, I was not afraid to be alone when my mom left to play the organ for a service at a different branch church across town. 

Later, I heard my brothers slip out the front door to go to church next door. I could also hear cars arriving in the parking lot, and then it was quiet. It was church time. Soon I noticed a distinct difference—a peaceful, still sense: “the beauty of holiness” spoken of in the Bible and Mrs. Eddy’s writings. It was radiating out from the church, filling the whole neighborhood.

Putting down my books, I decided to “join” the service and looked out the window. At some point, I could see the usher in the foyer bowing his head and I knew that everyone was saying the Lord’s Prayer. I made myself as comfortable as I could and began to consciously unite with the spirit and calm of the service. With the understanding that God, Spirit, good, created man in His image and likeness—entirely spiritual and perfect, as I had learned in Sunday School—I closed my eyes and simply began to affirm that I was God’s perfect, spiritual idea. Immediately I fell asleep and slept peacefully for about an hour.

When I awoke, my mom had just come home and wanted to know how I was feeling. I was completely well! My head was clear, the fever was gone, and I was hungry. Mom fixed some food for me, and I finished studying for my science test, went to bed at my normal time, and went off to school the next day without missing a beat. I did well on the test, too.

This indisputable healing has always stood out to me as a strong, clear example of the healing power of Christian Science and Christian Science church services. Truly, “The power of Christian Science and divine Love is omnipotent” (Science and Health, p. 412 ).

Polly S. Caldwell
Mercer Island, Washington, US