Report from Milan: Finding spiritual peace amid the pandemic

I live in Milan, the largest city in the region of Italy most affected by the global pandemic. We quickly went into almost total lockdown. As I write this in late April, we are still inside. Like so many, we have been told to remain at home unless buying food at a nearby market or taking a walk around the block. Even the church bells, a familiar sound in Italy, have stopped ringing. 

It hasn’t been easy. The staggering statistics of suffering, the mounting anxiety about the future, and now the looming economic disaster paint a bleak scene. Yet the creativity and joy my fellow countrymen and women have exhibited through it all have been truly inspiring. From applauding health workers to singing on balconies and rooftops to raise one another’s spirits, their response has shown that goodness cannot be stifled or extinguished.

When the lockdown started, having family and friends all over the world, I was swamped by requests for details about the situation and how we were doing. Feeling the need to pray and find peace, I decided to reread the chapter “Creation” in Mary Baker Eddy’s primary work, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures. Especially at this time, I have been deeply grateful for this book and the author’s other writings on spirituality and Christian healing. Through them, as well as the Bible, on which the teachings of Christian Science are based, humanity has been given the spiritual tools to uplift thought to a more spiritual view of life—of our families, friends, colleagues, and nations—to help all feel the peace and comfort they are seeking in the face of every challenge. And most importantly, to know that all things are possible with God, including the healing of any disease—even one thought to be caused by a virus. 

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