“Do you speak French?”
The practice of Christian Science involves an active process of translation—from a material sense of things to a spiritual one.
I began studying Christian Science in earnest on the day I realized I might not graduate from college. I was in my final semester when an academic advisor called with unexpected news. I had not fulfilled the foreign language requirement. The advisor apologized for the late notice but told me that fulfilling the requirement was my responsibility. Without proof that I knew a second language, I would not receive my degree.
It was unsettling to realize that I had somehow not been aware of this requirement for nearly four years. There was no time to complete a language course. My only option was to pass a proficiency exam in a language I barely remembered. I had taken French in high school, but whatever remained of the knowledge I’d once had was fragmentary at best. The prospect of passing a college-level exam in a matter of weeks seemed remote.
I gathered several French textbooks and headed to the language laboratory with a simple plan: Study intensively and hope for the best. On the way, I passed a Christian Science Reading Room. I had not attended a branch Church of Christ, Scientist, regularly, but at that moment, shaken by the call from my advisor and looking for clarity, I decided to spend a few minutes praying and listening for some kind of encouragement, comfort, or spiritual guidance. I told myself it would be a brief pause.
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