It is not surprising to hear that in times of war as in peace, the Bible is and continues to be what is commonly known as the "best seller." In its sacred message of redemption from and triumph over evil, it holds for humanity that "balm of Gilead" which alone can bring healing to battle-scarred men and nations.

On some truths contained in the hallowed pages of this Book of books may all religionists meet— Jew and Gentile, Protestant and Roman Catholic, Hindu and follower of Mohammed. Says Emerson, "Nothing shall warp me from the belief that every man is a lover of truth." Many Christian Science Wartime Ministers and Christian Science chaplains can tell of heartening experiences when men of widely diverging beliefs find themselves on common ground with some Biblical truism or parable. One of these ministers tells of meeting a chaplain who was ill. "Chaplain." said the Christian Scientist, "my church teaches me that the Lord's Prayer, spiritually understood, heals the sick. Now you love this prayer as do I. Let us say it together, slowly, reverentially, believing that such prayer is answered." The other agreed, and these two earnest men met on this sacred ground, and to the astonishment of the attending physician, the healing was accomplished with incredible celerity.

What a meeting place is the Lord's Prayer for the Christian Scientist and the brother who fancies himself opposed to this Science! Generally it is wise to recommend to our non-Scientist friends that the prayer be given slowly, for the tendency of the average mortal is to rush through it with undue speed. Next, let thought be turned to Mary Baker Eddy's inspirational interpretation of this great prayer as it appears on pages 16 and 17 of "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures." Blind, indeed, will be the eyes which do not instantly glimpse the beauty, the practicality, of these spiritually illumined lines. Preceding these, Mrs. Eddy writes (ibid., p. 14), "The Lord's Prayer is the prayer of Soul, not of material sense."

How sorely do the millions of bruised, stricken human beings, buffeted by the devastation of hellish conflict, need that prayer which will lift them above the tragedies of material sense, above the diabolical pictures and scars of this nightmare of global war! How we should pray that the very awfulness of this conflict may spell the end of all wars! The wise Cicero wrote, "War should be undertaken in such a way as to show its only object is peace." The question may be raised here, But how may the grievous effects of war, such as hate and revenge, unhealed wounds, unsettled minds, and so-called shattered nerves, be dealt with? What could the Lord's Prayer do in such cases? In this connection, let us consider the Master's words and the spiritual interpretation thereof in the first lines of this prayer, given in the Christian Science textbook (p.16):

Now, one cannot conceive of cause without effect, mind without thought, or a creator without a creation. Thus the declaration of the existence of a harmonious Father-Mother, causative Mind, must include the corollary of a harmonious expression of this Mind. What a happy thought— that one cannot scientifically conceive of God without finding man, His eternal manifestation! Therefore, the student of Christian Science, when confronted with the picture of a brother maimed, unstrung, or mentally scarred by the ravages of war, may turn to the Lord's Prayer and instantly affirm the immutable harmony of God's universe, the perfection of Mind and idea. Held in the harmonious, unchanging law of divine Love, God's man is not and never has been shocked or shaken, ruined, bitter, or rebellious.

Very good, interposes someone. This may be true enough about God's man, the real, spiritual image of his Maker; but what about the man we see with our eyes, this man upon whom the war has left its scars? In the next statement in the Lord's Prayer with its spiritual interpretation this question is answered:

If the kingdom of Spirit, of harmony, is come, is at hand, and is existent in Truth, then only God's man is actual, is present. Paul tells us that "now we see through a glass, darkly." The belief of discordant materiality masquerading as man is but a motion picture of the carnal mind, and has no more reality than the films one sees at a cinema. If our concept of man is a maimed mortal, instead of a glorious, unsullied idea of radiant Mind, we have indeed been looking "through a glass, darkly." There are not two men —one dejectedly material and the other gloriously spiritual. If God is ever present, His perfect, joyous expression is ever present, and a false sense of man is not present, no matter how vociferous is the protestation to the contrary of delusive material sense. In "Unity of Good" (p. 46) Mrs. Eddy writes, "The scientific man and his Maker are here; and you would be none other than this man, if you would subordinate the fleshly perceptions to the spiritual sense and source of being."

From these first three statements in the Lord's Prayer one may find the golden thread which is woven throughout this masterpiece of sacred communion. Let those who have been through the fiery ordeal of war and its horrors, and who wonder if the lingering memories and impressions of this cataclysm ever can be effaced, turn with new hope to the wonderful Lord's Prayer with Mrs. Eddy's inspirational interpretation thereof. Let them live with it, ponder its tender petitions and triumphant affirmations, and anticipate with ever-growing confidence the deliverance it promises from the thralldom of godless, discordant materialism. Said one who had tasted uplift and healing from its awakening message, "Why, the Lord's Prayer really works!" Yes, the challenging truths it contains of God's oneness, His all-power and presence, can wipe from the tablet of consciousness the unhappy pictures of war, strain, and stress. As you affirm that your Father-Mother God is ever present, thank Him that the scars and wounds and memories must be never present, for man, the only man there is —your real, unimpeachable individuality and selfhood—has never been away from home, from man's glorious oneness with that Mind which is changeless good and Love.

John Randall Dunn