“I felt reborn”

I was raised in a religion in which Easter had great importance but focused on the crucifixion and suffering that Christ Jesus experienced. For someone who had come to show us that God is all Love and all good, it seemed to me there was a lot of pain, and I could not accept that injustice would prevail over good. I felt there must be something more to Easter than what I had been taught, and I didn’t want to pass that suffering-focused concept on to my son and family.

When I was later introduced to Christian Science, I found in its teachings what I felt was a more coherent explanation of the significance of Easter—that is, an understanding of the true purpose of Christ Jesus’ life, the message of which was of spiritual light, liberation, regeneration, and the continuity of good. Over the years, practicing these teachings has resulted in infinite blessings for me and all of my loved ones. I have been able to see that God, ever-present divine Love, is with us when we need it most, when human beliefs have frightened us into thinking that this is the end of something good in our lives—or even of our life itself. 

This was certainly the case for Jesus and his disciples when he was on the cross. And he demonstrated by his resurrection that life is eternal, and that when the material senses tell us “No, you can’t overcome sin, disease, or death,” spiritual sense says the opposite: “Yes, you can!”­ Guided by spiritual sense, we ourselves can experience resurrection, the spiritualization of thought through which we realize that life is spiritual, immortal, so there cannot be an end to good, nor is there any stagnation or condition that cannot be healed. 

I consider the moment that our beloved Master resurrected to be a moment of divine consciousness, of his being totally attuned to God’s thoughts, which can bring only peace and joy, and hope for the future. God sends His comforting thoughts to us, too, and I have felt imbued with these thoughts. During these moments, I have come to see more clearly that there is no final verdict of sin, disease, or death handed down by matter, and that God, infinite good, always has the last word. This has catapulted my thought beyond the limiting testimony of the human senses and verified to me that God is Life, the only Life.

This became crystal clear to me almost three years ago. I was exercising strenuously at a gym and suddenly felt a sharp pain in my chest and left arm. I felt faint and went to the changing room. I had difficulty breathing. I couldn’t think or pray, except to repeat to myself, “God is my life, God is my life.” I called a Christian Science practitioner for metaphysical treatment, and she told me with great certainty that I could hear only the voice of God and feel only His strength. Calmly, she reminded me that God was right there holding me up and that nothing bad could happen. 

I told the practitioner that I couldn’t stand up but wanted to leave so as not to alarm anyone around me, as they would certainly want to call for medical help. The only help I wanted was the Christian Science treatment I had called for—that is, help through prayer. I have always experienced quick, sometimes immediate, healing from prayerful treatment given in Christian Science. 

The practitioner continued to allay my fears, and I called a transportation service to drive me home. While I was waiting for the vehicle, the practitioner talked with me about the true concept of man, defined this way by Mary Baker Eddy in the Christian Science textbook: “Man is not matter; he is not made up of brain, blood, bones, and other material elements. The Scriptures inform us that man is made in the image and likeness of God. . . . Man is idea, the image, of Love; he is not physique. He is the compound idea of God, including all right ideas; . . .” (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 475). This “man,” in Christian Science, is the male and female that God created, not of matter but of Spirit, a creation that is perfect and cannot lapse into pain, sickness, or death. I identified myself as this perfect idea of God.

Soon my transportation arrived, and I was able to stand up and get into the vehicle without causing others any concern. When I got home, my beloved mother-in-law welcomed me and helped me up to my bedroom. I had three days of physical rest, but my thought remained active. I felt the Christ, the healing Truth, operating in my consciousness. I began feeling more and more clear-headed and able to pray. My husband, son, and mother-in-law were extremely understanding, knowing that I did not require any support for my recovery other than prayer. They are also students of Christian Science, and they were certain that this method of healing, which we have practiced for a long time, was a staff on which to lean, our rock. Everything happened in an atmosphere of great peace. 

In a week my health was restored, and I took up my normal activities. 

Although I stayed in bed for three days, life went on. My son continued with his activities, thanks to my husband arranging everything he could at work. My mother-in-law cared for me the whole time. My son would come into the room to talk to me about his day. The three of them prayed with me. We listened to hymns, and to the weekly Bible Lesson from the Christian Science Quarterly together, which is composed of passages from the Bible and Science and Health. They also read to me other helpful passages from these two books.

The first night was difficult, and I thought I would not see the next day. I suddenly felt sad and desperate and afraid. I didn’t want to fall asleep. I immediately turned to the Bible and found this verse: “I laid me down and slept; I awaked; for the Lord sustained me” (Psalms 3:5). La Biblia de las Américas, a Spanish language translation, puts the last part of it in the present tense: “I laid me down and slept; I awaked; for the Lord sustains me.” This assured me that I didn’t need to be afraid. I was receiving the best care I could possibly have, and I knew that Life is eternal and that God was sustaining my existence. Certain of this truth, I slept peacefully and woke up the next morning feeling very grateful and much better. 

The three days I was in bed were filled with love, prayer, and understanding, with the attentive care of everyone at home. I felt such a natural restoring of the body that on the fourth morning I got up, washed my face, got dressed, and, feeling hungry, went down to the kitchen to look for food. My husband, who had decided to work from home those days, was very happy to see me coming down the stairs. I was now able to move more freely; the pain had yielded. 

In one week my health was fully restored, and I took up my normal activities. Something had changed. The understanding of what Life is, of what man’s true support is, had taken hold in thought, and I could only echo Jesus’ words in gratitude: “Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me. And I knew that thou hearest me always” (John 11:41, 42).

For my family and me, this healing was truly a cause for celebration. Although the date on the calendar said otherwise, it was an Easter day. I felt reborn. 

What Christian Science has shown me about the true meaning of Easter is priceless. It is the best inheritance I can leave to my son, and the most valuable thing I can share with all of my family and friends.