"What does it really mean to hallow God's name?" I asked myself while pondering the Lord's Prayer.

The Bible is filled with references to God's name, many of which speak of glorifying it, praising it, sanctifying it, blessing it. Perhaps the most direct answer to my question may be found in the third commandment, which reads, "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain." ^{Ex. 20:7.} One of the most common ways of taking God's name "in vain" is by the use of profanity in conversation. However, there are other ways, too.

If one thinks very little about God or is entirely ignorant of Him, he is likely to profane God's name, His nature, without realizing he is doing so. If one is striving to express more of God's nature, to dwell on Him reverently in thought, with the desire to be obedient to His law, one is learning to hallow His name. Sincerity is of the utmost importance in this endeavor. We must hallow God's name in deed as well as in word.

The truth of this was glimpsed by a young girl in the Christian Science Sunday School. Her class was discussing the third commandment. The teacher told of the time when Moses was directed by God to lead the children of Israel out of Egypt, where they were in bondage. Moses, doubting his ability to do this, asked what he should say when the Israelites inquired of him the name of the god he represented. The Bible reports, "And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you." ^{Ex. 3:14.} The teacher pointed out to her class that since "I AM" is one of the names for God, whose perfect being is reflected in His sons and daughters, great care should be taken in the use of these two words. For instance, it would be wrong to say, "I am sick" or "I am tired." The girl previously mentioned had been late to Sunday School frequently and was very restless while in class. She asked, "I can say I am a good girl, can't I?" The teacher replied, "Yes, you can say you are a good girl, but you must also behave like a good girl, for it won't help you to say you are good and then not be good." The child thought this over for a moment and then said, "So if I say I am a good girl, but don't behave like one, I am disobeying that commandment, am I not?" This insight resulted in much better behavior during the rest of her attendance in that class.

In the Christian Science textbook, Science and Health, Mrs. Eddy gives us seven names for God. She writes: "God is incorporeal, divine, supreme, infinite Mind, Spirit, Soul, Principle, Life, Truth, Love." In answer to the question as to whether these are synonymous terms, she writes on the same page: "They are. They refer to one absolute God. They are also intended to express the nature, essence, and wholeness of Deity." ^{Science and Health, p. 465.}

Mrs. Eddy, in addition, gives attributes or qualities of God, which are most helpful as guides to human behavior. These attributes, when related to the seven synonyms for God, help one to understand better what it means to hallow God's name. For instance, that young girl was learning to hallow the name of Mind by being obedient to God's law. She was also learning to hallow Truth by expressing honesty and sincerity.

The benefits that can be derived from hallowing God's name are limitless. As Christ Jesus declared, "God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth." ^{John 4:24.} When we acknowledge God as the one and only Spirit, we are hallowing His name. Then it naturally follows that man made in God's likeness is spiritual, reflecting and expressing the strength and substance of Spirit. His being therefore is uninjurable. He is incapable either of hurt feelings or of bodily injury. In my own life, these truths have brought about healings of unhappy relationships and accident.

When we are acknowledging God as the only and perfect cause, we are hallowing His name as Principle. Then it follows that man, the image of Principle, is the perfect effect of this perfect cause. He therefore can experience nothing that has not resulted from this cause. Quiet confidence in these truths can lift an individual out of a discordant situation and help him to experience a clearer sense of harmony.

In hallowing the name of Life it is important to realize the truth that God is man's only Life—forever. Because Life is God, it is sinless and indestructible. In proportion as an individual frees himself from sinful beliefs and acts, he is also freeing himself from the destructive beliefs that accompany mortal thinking—beliefs of depletion, decrepitude, decay, and changeableness. He is proving not merely that he is a better mortal, but that he actually is spiritual. He is revealing in his own experience the spiritual man whom God created.

Proverbs tells us, "The name of the Lord is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe." ^{Prov. 18:10.} A student of Christian Science was urged by a young man who was dating her to indulge in premarital sex. "No one would ever know the difference," he reasoned. She refused instantly, replying, "I would know the difference, and I've got to live with myself the rest of my life." He responded, "You are a very principled girl." He continued to date her, and they had pleasant times together. However, the subject of premarital sex was never mentioned again.

Later, when she married a man of sterling character, she was grateful she had adhered to the high moral standard that had been ingrained in her from childhood. She realized that in expressing purity, innocence, and spiritual sense—the opposite of material sense or sensation—she had been hallowing the name of Soul. As she and her husband increased in spiritual understanding, their home expressed more of other qualities of Soul, such as beauty, joy, grace, and peace. As they endeavored to hallow the name of Love, their home showed forth an atmosphere of mutual trust, true affection, and tenderness.

Christ Jesus referred frequently to God as Father. He hallowed God's name as no one else has ever done. His constant, close communion with God enabled him to use His name with authority. This resulted in the marvelous healings recorded in the Bible.

In the book Twelve Years with Mary Baker Eddy by Rev. Irving C. Tomlinson there is related an incident of healing in which Mrs. Eddy used God's name with authority. A girl whom others had been unable to heal of dumbness was taken to Mrs. Eddy for help. It is related that after the treatment when the girl still could not speak, Mrs. Eddy "suddenly said with authority, 'In the name of God, speak!' " Then the girl was completely healed. ^{Twelve Years with Mary Baker Eddy (Boston: The Christian Science Publishing Society, 1966), pp. 54-55 .}

As one endeavors to hallow God's name in thought, word, and deed, he will find that he is discovering more and more of his own true holiness.