Early in his ministry, when walking by the Sea of Galilee, Jesus saw two brothers who were fishing; and, as recorded by Matthew, "he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." According to Luke's Gospel, it was to these humble fishermen that he gave marvelous proof of the power of Truth to reveal the presence of abundance, even after their long night's toil had seemed to offer nothing but lack and failure. In his eventful ministry the Nazarene gave countless examples of lifting men out of disease, sin, and death into health, purity, and plenty, thereby demonstrating the divine Principle, whereby his followers should become "fishers of men."

"Christian Scientists," asserts Mary Baker Eddy on page 295 of "The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany," "are fishers of men." Our Leader's expectation that her followers would be "fishers of men" arouses and encourages them to search the Scriptures, of which she declares in the next sentence: "The Bible is our sea-beaten rock. It guides the fishermen. It stands the storm. It engages the attention and enriches the being of all men."

During times of stress such as that through which the world is now passing, the successful "fishers of men" not only need the guidance of this great book, but also need to have their feet solidly planted on this "sea-beaten rock." The student firmly stands on this rock as he understands and applies the truth revealed, taught, and lived by Mrs. Eddy. From Christian Science he learns that God, or good, is eternal divine Principle, which, when understood, enables one to prove that evil, being without Principle, is powerless.

Accepting the premise that God is Mind, infinite divine consciousness, leads to the inevitable conclusion that evil is an illusive state of material consciousness, having no basis except in human belief, which can be exchanged for spiritual understanding. This conclusion heartens and empowers the student of Christian Science to exchange his false concepts of God and man for the inspired vision of the Christ, Truth. He uses his knowledge by replacing his belief of pleasure in or fear of evil with an intelligent faith in God, infinite good. He quiets, with spiritual understanding, the surge of conflicting emotions that would confuse his clear thinking. He substitutes thoughts of health and strength for thoughts of disease and weakness, and lets thoughts of abundance and peace replace thoughts of limitation and worry. He sees that evil can have no power in his experience unless he accepts it as real and personal. He begins to be a fisher of men in the place where he is.

The Christian ministry needs the aid of the Science of Christianity in order to save humanity. When the waves of materialism seem to dash over the earth with such force as to threaten Christianity and its cherished institutions, the mere letter, or any preaching or teaching which omits the healing works taught by the Master, cannot suffice. Humanity's need is for the Christ, Truth, to illumine human consciousness and to lift it above the testimony of material sense to the foundation of spiritual understanding. This healing ministry is now actively chastening greed, hate, selfishness, rebuking pride, allaying fear, stilling strife with the ever-present tenderness of divine Love, on the basis of that luminous truth set forth by our Leader, Mrs. Eddy, in "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" (p. 205), "God created all through Mind, and made all perfect and eternal."

The student of Christian Science, while recognizing the need for changing his standpoint from matter to Spirit, and the necessity for proving the nothingness of evil, is not dismayed. He knows that the intelligent use of the equipment provided by Christian Science gives him proficiency in conquering oppression and aggression. As Paul explained in his illuminating letter to the Romans, "If the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you." To be humbly willing to relinquish human means and methods and turn unreservedly to the Mind which was in Christ Jesus, is to surmount the despair and defeatism of materiality and find the joy and peace of spiritual consciousness.

At this time of world crises it seems well to remind ourselves of the need for keeping spiritually awake and working faithfully until the dawn of a brighter day. Our Leader has said in her Message to The Mother Church for 1902 (p. 17), "Many sleep who should keep themselves awake and waken the world." Casting our nets on the right side, the side of God's infinite goodness, let us wakefully watch until the seeming power of evil and materiality yields to the true, pure concept of God, man, government, and law. In our work as "fishers of men," we can indeed rejoice that divine Science affords us a plan of salvation boundless in its beneficence, complete in its perfection, limitless in its sphere of action.