My flight companion, as I headed back to Boston, was a university professor who had lived in that city for many years. After telling me about some of his favorite things in the city he loved, he wanted to know what brought me to the United States.

I told him something of my work with the Christian Science magazines, and he asked what subjects we were covering. I shared a current Sentinel with him, which had several articles on the subject of "Renewal." He was particularly interested in this, as he was teaching a course on urban renewal.

He knew something of Christian Science through friends and had some knowledge of Mary Baker Eddy, who founded the Christian Science movement. He gave her full credit for having broken new ground as a religious thinker, but what, he asked, had made the Church of Christ, Scientist, flourish for over a hundred years?

I told him about Mrs. Eddy's quest for Truth from her early years and her deep desire to do something to alleviate the terrible suffering of humanity. Her Christian background and her love for the Bible, I said, had early given her a resort to God in times of need. Later on, she had demonstrated for herself and others that the spiritual understanding of the eternal laws undergirding Christ Jesus' healing works is effective in any age to heal sickness and sin.

Mrs. Eddy's Church, I explained, really grew out of her healing experience and that of her students. It was actually founded on the purely spiritual method of healing that the Master had taught. ^{See Manual of The Mother Church by Mrs. Eddy 17:8–13 .} I spoke, too, of Christian Scientists' dedication today to this purpose and of the Church's outreach through its lectures, publishing activities, television and shortwave radio broadcasts. These different media carry the message of God's comfort and love to a growing audience.

My companion asked lots of other thoughtful questions about Christian Science, and we had a wonderful exchange of ideas. As the plane landed and we were preparing to go our separate ways, he thanked me for our "high-level" conversation. I assured him it had been a mutual pleasure and we said good-bye.

This incident reminded me of the joy that can be found in talking to someone—even a total stranger—when you have something of value to share. This is especially true when an exchange of ideas flows from a mutual appreciation of the good in human life—the good that has its source in God.

Sometimes it seems easier to have a conversation with a person who knows nothing of one's background than to talk with people who feel they know us well. Even with people we love the most, conversation can deteriorate into opinions that do little to create mutual understanding. I am sure we all long to do a better job of communicating in a Christian way with each other, whether we're strangers or family members.

The New Testament gives us some sound counsel on how to reach one another through love. For instance, we read in Colossians, "Let your speech be alway with grace ... that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man." ^{Col. 4:6.} Isn't it often self-consciousness and fear of what another may think of us that prevent us from sharing something worthwhile?

Christian Science helps us to replace a negative, untrue opinion of others with a model of selfhood that Christ Jesus showed is possible to all. He taught that every man and woman has a common kinship in relationship to one universal Father, and that we share a rich heritage of spiritual good—for we are all, in fact, the spiritual likeness of God.

As we pray and grow in grace ourselves, we start to view other people in this more spiritual way. When we begin to grasp the idea of our own oneness with God as His loved child, we let go of the old limited, finite concept of ourselves and others and strive in humility and love to see the true divine nature of man in Christ.

Mrs. Eddy asks, "Shall the opinions, systems, doctrines, and dogmas of men gauge the animus of man? or shall his stature in Christ, Truth, declare him?" She adds, "Governed by the divine Principle of his being, man is perfect." ^{Christian Science versus Pantheism, p. 11.} While we all have a long way to go to approximate this spiritual perfection, I am sure we would all rather be judged by our "stature in Christ" than by merely arbitrary human opinions and man-made systems of thought. The joy of earning such recognition comes from immense spiritual growth and daily purification of motive and thought to achieve this Christian goal.

Our constant prayer and deep communion with God will actually enable us to discern more clearly our neighbor's need and respond to it. From this spiritual altitude of thought, and always "speaking the truth in love," ^{Eph. 4:15.} we are already well equipped to share the Christ message of comfort and healing. We will find it quite as natural to share this message with those who are strangers as with our families, colleagues, and neighbors.

Ann Kenrick