James Spencer - The Christian Science Journal, Aug. ‘07
The Prayer That Heals Defining Christian Science treatment is a humbling task because its Principle—divine, eternal Love—is infinite, and therefore the outpouring of that Love has endless facets and limitless applications. Treatment is—must be—always fresh and new, like sunbeams pouring out of the sun. It can’t be stereotyped in any way. In fact, it’s not really Christian Science treatment if it even hints at ritual, thoughtless repetition, or formula.
Christian Science treatment is the reflection and utilization of the omnipotent, omniactive law of divine Principle—the law termed in the New Testament the “Holy Ghost.” The Christian Science textbook, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy, defines Holy Ghost as “Divine Science; the development of eternal Life, Truth, and Love” (p. 588). The Holy Ghost is at the core of Christian healing. The Gospel of Luke records that Jesus was “full of the Holy Ghost,” that he was led by it into the wilderness, was instructed and protected by it (see Luke 4:1–13). This Spirit of God descended on him, identified him, and gave him authority for his works (see Matt 3:16, 17).
The Holy Ghost—the wind of divine Spirit, the intelligent activity of the one Mind, the power of divine Truth and Love—resolves discord and chaos into freedom and harmony. Through the Holy Ghost, the divine Principle supplies and supports every right and good thought and action. And since the natural function of law is to maintain harmony, the Holy Ghost uncovers and roots out of human consciousness every discordant and malfunctioning thought and action. When teaching his disciples how to pray correctly, Jesus included these words: “Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven” (Matt. 6:10). This movement of divine law in human consciousness and experience proves the unity of heaven and earth, the unity of divine Love and humanity. When a group of 70 of Jesus’ followers returned from a missionary tour and told him excitedly of their many experiences of healing people through spiritual treatment, Jesus commended them. But he didn’t want them to overlook the vital, underlying meaning of their healing work: its proof of their actual spiritual identity, at one with God. So he gave them this instruction: “In this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven” (Luke 10:20).
These healers were followers of the man whose virgin conception demonstrated the fatherhood of God—the fact that enabled his mighty works. The Master’s disciple Peter caught some sense of Jesus’ divine origin when, in a burst of inspiration, he responded to Jesus, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matt. 16:16). In fact, Jesus’ mission was to teach all humanity how to overcome materialism and unveil their own true nature as the sons and daughters of God. The Gospel of John records: “As many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God” (John 1:12, 13).
To become the sons and daughters of God—to be reborn—is to understand that one is not a biological, sinful mortal separate from God— that one did not originate from an ovum. Rather, we each must learn that we are the beloved children of God, originating only in divine Soul. Jesus’ disciples, his students, were learning this, were humbly willing to be taught by their Master how to abandon the material sense of themselves and to exchange it for the truth of their own divine sonship, which is “written in heaven.” Understanding this spiritual sonship would enable them to heal.
The Bible and early Christian writers have preserved many accounts of healing, and they indicate that there were also countless more unrecorded works (see John 21:25). For millennia believers have grasped the essence of Christianity through Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, the Gospels, and the writings of Paul and others. But the method of Christian healing became lost through the passage of time, as well as through misunderstanding, misinterpretation, materialism, corruption, and a kind of “spiritual fatigue.” But Jesus promised that the Comforter would come and that the full import of his teachings would then be made clear. His life’s work, the healing and teaching he performed here on earth, was the demonstration of his divine nature, but the entire explanation of his healing ministry would be revealed by the Comforter. So, although Jesus’ earth-mission was brief, his timeless, divine nature has existed, and continues to exist, forever. That divine nature is the Christ, his spiritual identity. In fact, he was referring to the always present Christ when he told his disciples, “I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world” (Matt 28:20). The effectiveness of Christian Science treatment gives proof that the promise of the return of the Comforter has been fulfilled. The Comforter—Divine Science—requires the demonstration of our perfection as God’s likeness, as contained in this admonition of the Master’s: “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect” (Matt 5:48). Science teaches that the concept of an imperfect, material creation separate from God is an hypnotic, dreamlike state of consciousness, a false supposition or counterfeit of reality, and that matter’s supposed substantiality is the result of that false concept. As Christian Science treatment causes one’s thinking to yield to the reality, influence, and government of God alone, human consciousness becomes permeated by spiritual facts, and the ills and limitations of the flesh are replaced with freedom and health. One’s whole being is transformed, and our perfectibility is proved. Science and Health explains, “If the Scientist reaches his patient through divine Love, the healing work will be accomplished at one visit, and the disease will vanish into its native nothingness like dew before the morning sunshine” (p. 365). But more oft en, healing requires treatment by what the textbook refers to as “argument” —persistently arguing the case by acknowledging the spiritual facts and denying false allegations. All Christian Science treatment requires prayer that reaches out from the heart’s desire. This prayer is effective, reliable, and comforting. It brings the truths of spiritual being to bear on the patient’s consciousness and body and on all human circumstances. It is therapeutic, regenerative, educational, and inspirational. In its pathology, this scientific prayer neutralizes poisons, normalizes secretions, harmonizes functions, governs actions, and dissolves obstructions.
This treatment includes the acceptance of the oneness and allness of infinite Spirit, divine Mind, or God; the perfection of God, man, and the universe; and the total goodness of real being. This scientific prayer includes the realization that God, who is the all-knowing divine Mind and eternal Love, knows all and loves all; that since He is infinite and fills all space, there is nothing beyond Himself for Him to know; that He knows only His own perfection and goodness. The image, or idea, of this self-knowing Mind is man, made in God’s image and likeness. These spiritual facts establish the relation of perfect God and perfect man as irreversible law. And from this standpoint of the allness of God, of infinite Spirit, treatment uncovers the unreality of matter, mortal mind (or the “carnal mind,” as St. Paul called it), evil, and materialistic tendencies.
Christian Science treatment inspires faith to move beyond mere hope to bedrock understanding. The power and authority behind Christian Science treatment is completely divine, not human, and does not involve blind faith. In fact, the so-called human mind (which is capable only of blind faith) has to humbly, willingly yield to the spiritual understanding of the allness and oneness of the divine Mind. Faith that rises no higher than strong hope in a person can be hypnotic and willful. But faith that breaks through the barriers of personal sense and rests on the presence, power, and law of divine Principle is a powerful, salubrious aid. Mrs. Eddy described Jesus’ method of treatment and illustrated the simplicity of its basis—the basis from which all treatment flows. She wrote, “It is neither Science nor Truth which acts through blind belief, nor is it the human understanding of the divine healing Principle as manifested in Jesus, whose humble prayers were deep and conscientious protests of Truth,—of man’s likeness to God and of man’s unity with Truth and Love” (Science and Health, p. 12). No matter what path treatment takes as divine Love tailors it to meet the specific human need, the standard of treatment remains the truth “of man’s likeness to God” and his “unity with Truth and Love.”
In Christian Science, the words prayer and treatment are oft en used interchangeably, but they are not really synonymous. Prayer can mean many things, such as seeking God’s goodness for the universal welfare of humanity or praying for direction and protection of an event, such as a church service. Since such prayer is impersonal and not focused on the needs of a specific individual, it can be given without receiving a specific request. But treatment, on the other hand, is given with the purpose of remedying a specific discordant condition. Since treatment touches on the mental state and moral fiber of the patient, it’s necessary under most circumstances to have that person’s request or permission for treatment. The Christian Golden Rule—to do to others as we would have them do to us—is a good guide as to the appropriateness of when and whom to treat specifically. Of course, in times of emergency, one goes immediately to aid another.
This specific treatment relies radically on the power of God operating through His Christ and Holy Ghost. The healer’s mental state permeates the treatment and touches the thought of the patient, so it requires the highest degree of morality and honesty. The standard for Christian Science practice, or treatment, is explained in Science and Health, particularly in the chapter “Christian Science Practice.” This chapter is divided into three sections, and here’s how I view them. I see the first section as showing me what to do. The next section, captioned “Mental Treatment Illustrated,” explains how to give a treatment. The third section presents an allegory of a court case in which a serious illness is treated as a criminal offense. The lawyer (identified in the allegory as Christian Science) argues the case— proving the falsity of the evidence of the disease—and establishes the defendant’s innocence by presenting irrefutable facts. This analogy illustrates how one can heal by arguing from the standpoint of spiritual truths—and refuting, with these truths, the blatant lies of sin, disease, and death. It’s interesting to note that each section is permeated with the healer’s compassion for the patient. Without this deep, spiritual love, there isn’t true healing. Although the methodology of treatment is in the textbook, the process is not merely academic. It’s the result of inspiration, research, reason, and prayer—all stemming from a deep love for God and for the individual who is being treated. The treatment results from the spirit of Truth and Love, the vitality of the Holy Ghost and Christ that shines through one’s thoughts and words, illumines the understanding, and results in healing.
To illustrate these points, I can recount an incident from many years ago when I was suffering from intense pain and found it difficult to move. The practitioner I’d called upon for help came to see me. She had such a sense of mothering love, such a clear recognition of God as divine Love itself and of my inclusion in that love that I was healed on the spot. It was actually a startling moment when I realized that I was suddenly well! I will never forget that moment of feeling God’s love, and, simultaneously, the practitioner’s expression of it. I have long since concluded—and the teachings and works of the early Christians reveal it—that the love of infinite divine Love is both the foundation and capstone of metaphysical treatment.
Healing can be immediate, soon, or slow—much depends upon the humble receptivity of the patient as well as the spiritual insight of the healer. But as desirable and necessary as timeliness is, speed isn’t the most important thing. Experiencing the love of divine Love that destroys sin and corrects every discordant condition is paramount. Praying with humility to understand and feel that love is like opening the door of a dark closet. At that moment, it doesn’t make any difference how long the darkness has been there. Jesus said, “Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32). One can know the truth instantly or one can come to the realization of it through a process of research, reason, and finally, understanding. Whether healing comes quickly or slowly, one thing is certain: The law of God operates consistently through Christian Science treatment, and its effects are the proof of Jesus’ promise fulfilled. Truly, the Comforter is here today and forever. TCSJ James Spencer is a practitioner and teacher of Christian Science. He lives in Brookline, Massachusetts.
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