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Winning the battle with loneliness
Loneliness. A loss of social connection. These issues are now often referred to as a global crisis, cutting across layers of demographics and cultures. Clayton Collins of The Christian Science Monitor said on a Monitor podcast: “The pandemic increased isolation for a few years. Loneliness is still being called an epidemic. And technology has in some ways accelerated the retreat from real life community. AI companionship is now regularly discussed” (“Encore: The Power of Porches,” October 4, 2024).
It’s widely felt that the battle is a mental one. For this battle to be won, there must be a shift in thought, and here Christian Science offers a fresh, spiritual perspective. Mary Baker Eddy writes in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, “Love is the liberator” (p. 225). Mrs. Eddy was not writing of a person-to-person sense of love but of the ever-present God, who is Love. Understanding the universal, ever-active law of Love can free us from a limited, material sense of life and love. Not only are our lives enriched by feeling loved, but we can also become more aware of ways to express love toward others—all others.
One meaning of the word companion is “to keep company” (merriam-webster.com), and we have Christ Jesus’ clear example of keeping close company with God. In a boat, on a mountaintop, or on the seashore he leaned on God, prayed for God’s direction, and let himself be comforted and enfolded by divine Love. Wherever he was, Love was there. If there was work to be done, God was working with him. If healing needed to happen, he acknowledged God as the ever-present healing power. Jesus said of this closeness, “I am not alone, because the Father is with me” (John 16:32). In fact, he said, “I and my Father are one” (John 10:30). The same eternal Truth that Jesus exemplified—the Christ—is operating in our consciousness today to awaken us to divine Love’s presence right where we are and, actually, to our reflection of that Love as God’s image, His spiritual creation.
Enjoy 1 free Sentinel article or audio program each month, including content from 1898 to today.
February 3, 2025 issue
View IssueEditorial
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Winning the battle with loneliness
Jan Keeler Vincent
Articles
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No silos
Caryl Emra Farkas
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A sonnet to magnify the Lord
Carol Dismore
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The “kingdom of heaven” on the subway
Elizabeth S. Massey
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I learned to see Love everywhere
Carolyn Lees
Kids
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What Tony the tortoise taught me about prayer
Gillian Fraser
Healings
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Shoulder pain quickly overcome
Heather Bauer
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Freedom after water-skiing accident
Louise M. Whalley
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Truth heals stomach pain
Ricky Callaghan
Bible Lens
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Spirit
February 3–9, 2025
Letters & Conversations
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Letters & Conversations
Bob Minnocci, Dilys Bell, Rosemary Deary, Bruce Richardson