THE LIGHT OF CHRISTIAN SCIENCE

CORA S. FIDDYMENT

Long before the sun can be seen we see a faint glow of light, and the darkness of night begins to pale. Christian Science healing appears as the rising, or unfolding, of Truth to human consciousness, in which light and darkness seem to dwell side by side as good and evil. In the light which Christian Science reveals, evil begins to disappear. We become humble and grateful for the love of God, which lights the way to the understanding that good is all and that evil is nothing. This regenerative influence of God's love, in which we see ourselves as He makes us, is the light of spiritual understanding.

This gleam of light, revealing God's infinite perfection, may be dim at first, but it is strong enough to make us desire to do and be good. It starts us on our journey out of the darkness of believing material sense testimony into the light of knowing God's universe of spiritual ideas. In "The People's Idea of God," Mary Baker Eddy says (p. 1): "Every step of progress is a step more spiritual. The great element of reform is not born of human wisdom; it draws not its life from human organizations; rather is it the crumbling away of material elements from reason, the translation of law back to its original language,—Mind, and the final unity between man and God."

The writer experienced the spiritual power of Christian Science early in her study of it. She became ill with a sense of exhaustion. She prayed for understanding, but it seemed as though she could see no light at all. Even when the sun shone brightly, there seemed to be a haze about her. This condition continued over a period of some three years, during which she tried diligently to put into practice the truth she was studying.

The writer was always able to be active in her home. But on one vacation trip she felt as though she were passing on. A telegram asking for help was sent to a practitioner in a distant city and, with her husband, she read most of the night from "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" by Mrs. Eddy. Early in the morning she came upon this passage (p. 380): "The physical effects of fear illustrate its illusion. Gazing at a chained lion, crouched for a spring, should not terrify a man. The body is affected only with the belief of disease produced by a so-called mind ignorant of the truth which chains disease."

As the student read these words, her fear vanished. She saw Truth as chaining everything opposed to it, thus making certain her harmony. A glorious sense of freedom filled her consciousness. The trip was continued as planned, the light of spiritual understanding was shining now, and she used the truth in everything she did. This was the end of the error. The symptoms disappeared and never returned.

The whole of darkness is not destroyed by a single gleam of light, however. If we allow the material world to be our world, darkness envelops our thinking, and we appear to be content with the world of matter as real. It is in the darkness of this unreal world that we become discouraged, afraid, and uncomfortable or diseased. But when we comprehend God as He really is—the supreme Being, absolute good, the only Mind, filling all space—and realize that man has always been the image of infinite perfection, the absolutely good creator, the light breaks through.

On page 215 of Science and Health this statement appears: "We are sometimes led to believe that darkness is as real as light; but Science affirms darkness to be only a mortal sense of the absence of light, at the coming of which darkness loses the appearance of reality."

The regeneration which began with our first glimpse of God's universe of ideas apart from matter will then continue, and the truth will unfold gently to our consciousness. As we pray (Ps. 43:3), "Send out thy light and thy truth: let them lead me," we are ever impelled toward the light.

A deeper realization of the absolute truth contained in the Bible and Science and Health and a desire to know God above all else give us fresh impetus and quicken our footsteps. The light which Christian Science throws upon the universe of God's creation is shining, showing the way, the way of self-forgetfulness, purity, and universal love, the way to be born again.

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