Meekness and Spirituality

Duncan Sinclair

Christian Science reveals the truth—the absolute truth—to all who will listen to its message. Almost sixty years ago Mary Baker Eddy discovered this Science, afterwards giving her discovery to the world in the Christian Science textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," and her other writings. The discovery included the truth about God, divine Principle, and about His creation, man, and the application of this truth to the healing of the woes which afflict humanity. Mrs. Eddy herself put the truth she discovered to the test by healing disease and sin in numerous instances. Her followers have done the same in innumerable cases, and thus are left in no doubt as to the veracity of Christian Science.

In the face of what Christian Science has enabled its students to do, in the face of the undoubted healings of all manner of disease and all kinds of sin which have taken place, healings which are now generally accredited as true, the question may be asked, Why is Christian Science not accepted by all? It cannot be that its message is too difficult to apprehend, for the child can understand it, and demonstrate it too. Neither is it that the word of the beneficiaries of Christian Science is discredited by those who are acquainted with these beneficiaries. What, then, is the reason? It is generally a very simple one, and one that cannot be better stated than is done on page 343 of Science and Health, where the following sentence occurs: "It would sometimes seem as if truth were rejected because meekness and spirituality are the conditions of its acceptance, while Christendom generally demands so much less."

Too often, then, the reason for the rejection of the truth that heals is lack of meekness and spirituality. And that this is so becomes plain when it is considered how great is the hold which material beliefs have over mankind, and how self-centered mankind in general is because of these beliefs. To an extraordinary extent the thoughts of mortals are dominated by false material sense, spiritual realities being in many instances almost if not wholly disregarded by them. The result is a condition of consciousness sadly lacking in meekness and spirituality, wherein the truth finds neither apprehension nor logment.

Now it were well for mankind to face the fact, because an understanding of Truth is what men need above all else. What, then, must be done? Approach to Christian Science should be made in meekness or humility. This does not mean that any one has to dispense with any real spiritual quality before beginning the study of this great subject; but it does mean that all should become "as little children" as they seek to know God and the truth about His creation, even as Christ Jesus advised his disciples in the words: "Except ye ... become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven." Humility is indispensable to progress in the spiritual life. As our Leader says of it in the introduction to "Miscellaneous Writings" (p. 1), "Humility is the stepping-stone to a higher recognition of Deity."

It is a truism to say that while humility enables one to grasp the truths of divine Science, and thus to spiritualize thought, in its turn the spirituality thus engendered fosters humility; and in this way the happy combination is continuously being augmented. The life of Christ Jesus shows the power to which the combination may attain through unselfishness, the inevitable result of meekness and spirituality. Writing of the Master, Mrs. Eddy says (Science and Health, p. 51): "Jesus was unselfish. His spirituality separated him from sensuousness, and caused the selfish materialist to hatehim, but it was this spirituality which enabled Jesus to heal the sick, cast out evil, and raise the dead."

Sometimes it would seem as if humility were almost unable to hold its own against the aggressiveness of materialistic egotism. But that is a mistake. Humility which is based on spiritual understanding—and there is no other genuine humility—need never fear material-mindedness. Humility founded on the understanding of the omnipresence, omnipotence, and allness of divine Mind is far more than able to withstand any attempt of supposititious evil to undermine it. When mortal mind seems to make its assaults, be they openly material or craftily disguised mentally, one who is established in the knowledge of Truth needs but stand fast, his thought abiding in Truth, to find himself the victor. No word need be spoken by him; no argument need be used by him; what chiefly counts is that he should tenaciously cling to the truth, thereby giving an absolute denial to all unlike God, good.

What a call there is to-day for meekness or humility, to enable mankind to approach Christian Science with receptive thought! And what a call there is also upon every student of Christian Science who has grasped its fundamentals, to increase his humility and thereby his spirituality, in order that he may be mightier in the fight with the so-called forces of evil. For in proportion to his spirituality is his power to overcome the beliefs of evil—to overcome sin and disease through the realization of the allness of good.

Duncan Sinclair

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Admission to The Mother Church

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