2009 Association | Emra Farkas, CSB

Association 2009: Thy home is heaven

fall 2008 letter

October 28, 2008

Dear People,The news is so full of things that need correction these days that I’m reminded of an old carnival game called Whack-a-Mole. Players would try to beat back sneaky-looking plastic moles as they poked their heads up through holes at increasing speeds. You would flail away with your mallet and try to guess where the next one would appear. Like the game, trying to keep up and figure out solutions for the many problems that pop up in daily breaking news is a challenge that can’t be met with merely human ingenuity.

A shaky economy, a threatened democracy, a republic that seems defined by what divides us, global wars on multiple fronts, the support systems of education and healthcare up for major overhauls; these are repeating images offering multiple proofs to give us cause for concern. We know we are supposed to pray for the world, but when added to our own personal challenges, we may feel overwhelmed.

Knowing that in order to pray we would have to go deep and get past the emotional charge of mortal mind’s negative images, and knowing too that this is natural for us and the end of our effort is assured, Mrs. Eddy compassionately told us, ‘I rejoice with those who rejoice, and am too apt to weep with those who weep, but over and above it all are eternal sunshine and joy unspeakable. (Mis 279:4)

The spiritual facts of being are always here with us, full of light, inspiration and relief. To uncover them, we must see with the mind of Christ. Yes, it would be odd if we did not feel dismayed at the news of the day; “If it bleeds, it leads” is the dictum not only of the media, but of mortal mind. Yet the morbid and hopeless spin of life besieged by unfavorable material conditions, imposed on us as individuals and as a society, is not the real story.

Our story is God’s story, the unfoldment of spiritual good and the supremacy of spiritual power. As we pray, thought turns naturally to the omnipotence of Spirit, Love and it’s time-proven ability to supply all human need. There is no fear, no set of circumstances, no condition in which God, good, is not the essence and substance of being and experience. The demand on us at this time is to begin with God and let His allness embrace every mortal thought and concern. Truth and Love does away with fear in all its supposed phases.

Mary Baker Eddy, at different times, asked members of her church to pray about political events. During the build-up to the Russo-Japanese war in 1904 she asked that members pray for peace and for God's blessing to both countries. After a few weeks, she changed her request and told them that the present need was for "faith in God's disposal of events".

Before a month was out, President, Theodore Roosevelt was able to get representatives of Russia and Japan to meet for a peace conference in New Hampshire. It was held at a site not far from Mrs. Eddy's own home.

Clearly, the mission of Christian Science is to help us see, more clearly, the power of God and the influence of divine Love and Truth in human events. As Science and Health tells us: “those who discern Christian Science will hold crime in check. They will aid in the ejection of error. They will maintain law and order, and cheerfully await the certainty of ultimate perfection.” (S&H 97:1) That is the prayerful perspective that makes a meaningful difference, the difference between a story called, “These terrible times” and one like The Acts of the Apostles, in which our human history is revised, the real man uncovered, and the material record expunged.

Please share with us any fruitage you may have as you work, watch and pray to meet the spiritual demand with God’s grace.

With love,Caryl

Christmas message 2008

Hi dear people,

T'is the season of giving and it would be a wonderful Christmas gift if you would share with your fellow Association mates some thoughts and/or specific fruitage on the current economic challenges. It needn't be lengthy or polished (there are great articles on this topic to be found in the periodicals or websites of The Mother Church. But we would just welcome hearing, in e-mail informality, whatever you are finding helpful that’s emerging in your prayer. Some in our Association, like many throughout the world, are finding it necessary at this time to locate other jobs or sources of income, needing to cope with slow-downs in their businesses, or facing the loss of homes and occupations due to the pressures of the present economic situation. Please send e-mail on this subject of supply and employment to me at emrafarkas@charter.net. And we’ll see what we can do to share it quickly on the website.

Warmly,

Caryl

association topic letter

March 7, 2009

Dear People,Since last September, inspiration has been coming for this year's Association meeting. Like water from the rock in the wilderness during the Exodus, the spiritual sense that flows is both very welcome and humanly unexpected. It is always a relief to realize just how complete Mind's provision for us all is.

I hope you all have been able to access the Association website. There have been some additions and news items since we last met. I heard from some of you at Christmas and it is a pleasure to see the cards and pictures but I yearn to hear more of your spiritual experiences. As we have said during class, Association is a year-round happening and you are included! Fruitage is always welcome, and so are questions as well as postcards from the midst of a demonstration.

Recently a friend shared a story about a little boy who ran into Sunday School and exclaimed, with much excitement, "I'm in the middle of a demonstration!"

The fact is, that when we find ourselves seemingly up against the "cold conventionality" of negative material assessments of what's going on, we can know that we are, actually, "in the middle of a demonstration". The end is assured because divine Truth is true and divine Love is the only conclusion that any of our stories can reach.

And, unsurprisingly, that spiritual fact has a lot to do with the focus of our meeting this spring. The title of the address this year is: "Follow thou me!" These, of course, were Jesus' words to Peter; practically the last thing he is recorded as saying to him. As you will recall, after their morning meal together, Jesus asked Peter three times, "Do you love me?" and told him, "Feed my sheep."The Bible tells us that Peter was "grieved" that Jesus asked him so many times; did he doubt Peter's commitment to the Christ ideal? Still making human comparisons his measuring stick, Peter then enquired about the status of a fellow disciple. Jesus told him, in effect, that John's future was not really any of his business: "What is that to thee? follow thou me."

The story went around among the other disciples of this conversation and they began speculating about what it could mean (did it signify a quick return by Jesus or longevity for John...). We too tend to humanly speculate about the cost and the particulars involved in our Christian efforts. Sometimes we try to outline what a Christian Science demonstration should look like; how we think the story should go. The thought may come that we should be able to have a desired outcome because we really are very decent people. Or, conversely, that we will never have a needed healing because we will never be good enough to deserve one. Or perhaps we feel tossed back and forth between the two suggestions and wonder what more we need to do to reach our goal. In every case, we complicate our experience and obscure present divine good by starting from the wrong basis.

We'll talk in May about some of the ways mortal mind reasons wrongly, but primarily we'll talk about how divine Mind unfailingly gets it right and this is the Mind we reflect and possess. At each step of the way, we can rely on and be assured by infinite Love, supreme Truth and divine Life. It never has been and never will be about what we can accomplish personally, it's all about what God is doing and our part of His unfoldment of perfect good.

I'll send readings to help us go more deeply into this idea. In the meantime, please study Mary Baker Eddy's Retrospection and Introspection. And for our assignment this year: Please choose one of the bound volumes of the Sentinel or Journal and read through the testimonies of healing in all the issues of that year. What do you find striking or remarkable about these accounts and how do they differ (or not) from your own experience of Christian Science healing. I will be happy to receive mail from you on the subject right up until Association day (though, the sooner I hear from you, the more impact your input will have on our conversation).This being our second Association meeting, last year's address will be available for you to read on the Friday before this year's address. Please be in touch to let me know if you plan to take advantage of this provision (it will help me arrange with the Student Organization what hours I will be using their space on this day).

with much love,

Caryl Emra Farkas, C.S.B.

association assignment

Please study Mary Baker Eddy's Retrospection and Introspection. ANDPlease choose one of the bound volumes of the Sentinel or Journal and read through the testimonies of healing in all the issues of that year. What do you find striking or remarkable about these accounts and how do they differ (or not) from your own experience of Christian Science healing.I will be happy to receive mail from you on the subject right up until Association day. Of course, the sooner you are in touch, the more your answer will impact our conversation on that day.

association spring letter and study citations

April 11, 2009

Dear People,Since we’re heading into the final month of our Association year, it is time to take care of practical as well as inspirational details.

The study citations for the address are now posted on the website. They are also presented as a list at the bottom of this letter.

Please be in touch and let me know if:1) You have received all the study materials (either on the website or by e-mail or U.S. post).

2) You intend to take advantage of the opportunity to read last year’s address on Friday at the Student Center. Your response will determine the hours it will be available.

3) You need a place to stay in Madison on Association weekend.

We will meet in the large meeting space at the Student Organization at 315 N. Mills St. in Madison. Remember that parking is extremely limited and it will be best to use the University parking ramp on N. Brooks St. (between W. Johnson and University Ave.) for the day.The business meeting (for Association members) will be at 9:15 a.m.The Association address begins after guests join us at 9:30 a.m.We will take lunch orders to Panera Bread Co. for those who wish to eat at the Student Center.It is difficult to say exactly when we will end but it will probably be between 3:00 and 4:00 p.m.I will be available for appointments following the address. If you wish to see me privately, please let me know ahead of time or see Mr. Farkas for an appointment on Association Day.

Important: We will devote a section of the address to questions and answers as we did last year. We warmly welcome any questions pertaining to your practice of Christian Science and request that you submit these sooner than later!

Also, please send in your fruitage and remarks on the assignment. We are, of course, happy to receive even last minute contributions (it’s never too late to contribute to Association), but I do appreciate having these to work with as I am writing the address.

Enjoy your coming weeks of spiritual preparation and I look forward to hearing from you all and seeing you on May 16.With love,Caryl

IntroductionThy home is heaven

Hymn 270:0-2Frederic W. Root

Our God is Love, unchanging Love,And can we ask for more?Our prayer for Love's increase is vain;'Twas infinite before.Ask not the Lord with breath of praiseFor more than we accept;The open fount is free to all,God's promises are kept.

Our God is Mind, the perfect Mind,Intelligence divine;Shall mortal man ask Him to changeHis infinite design?The heart that yearns for righteousness,With longing unalloyed,In such desire sends up a prayerThat ne'er returneth void.

James 1:1717 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

S&H 573:31-16Whenyou read this, remember Jesus' words, "The kingdom of1 God is within you." This spiritual consciousness istherefore a present possibility.3 The Revelator also takes in another view, adapted toconsole the weary pilgrim, journeying "uphill all the way."

He writes, in Revelation xxi. 9: —

6 And there came unto me one of the seven angels whichhad the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talkedwith me, saying, Come hither, I will show thee the bride,9 the Lamb's wife.

This ministry of Truth, this message from divine Love,carried John away in spirit. It exalted him till he be-12 came conscious of the spiritual facts of being Vials ofand the "New Jerusalem, coming down from wrath andGod, out of heaven," — the spiritual outpour- consolation15 ing of bliss and glory, which he describes as the citywhich "lieth foursquare."

S&H 563:1-21 Human sense may well marvel at discord, while, to adiviner sense, harmony is the real and discord the unreal.

S&H 174:99 The footsteps of thought, rising above material stand-points, are slow, and portend a long night to the traveller;but the angels of His presence — the spiritual Rise of12 intuitions that tell us when "the night is far thoughtspent, the day is at hand" — are our guardians in thegloom. Whoever opens the way in Christian Science is15 a pilgrim and stranger, marking out the path for gen-erations yet unborn.

S&H 255:1-31 Eternal Truth is changing the universe. As mor-tals drop off their mental swaddling-clothes, thought expandsinto expression.

S&H 102:99 There is but one real attraction, that of Spirit. Thepointing of the needle to the pole symbolizes this all-embracing power or the attraction of God, divine Mind.

Ret 46:1-91 Lines penned when I was pastor of the Church of Christ, Scien-tist, in Boston.

3 Shepherd, show me how to goO'er the hillside steep,How to gather, how to sow, —6 How to feed Thy sheep;I will listen for Thy voice,Lest my footsteps stray;9 I will follow and rejoice

Ret 61:1818 God is everywhere. "There is no speech nor language,where their voice is not heard;" and this voice is Truththat destroys error and Love that casts out fear.

S&H 68:2At present mortals progress slowly for3 fear of being thought ridiculous. They are Basis of trueslaves to fashion, pride, and sense. Some- religiontime we shall learn how Spirit, the great architect, has6 created men and women in Science. We ought to wearyof the fleeting and false and to cherish nothing whichhinders our highest selfhood.

S&H 238:1212 To fall away from Truth in times of persecution, showsthat we never understood Truth. From out the bridalchamber of wisdom there will come the warn- Unimproved15 ing, "I know you not." Unimproved op- opportunitiesportunities will rebuke us when we attempt to claim thebenefits of an experience we have not made our own, try18 to reap the harvest we have not sown, and wish to enterunlawfully into the labors of others. Truth often remainsunsought, until we seek this remedy for human woe be-21 cause we suffer severely from error.

S&H 598:19YEAR. A solar measurement of time; mortality;space for repentance.

S&H 326:16,23-27The purpose and motive to live aright can be gainednow. This point won, you have started as you should.18 You have begun at the numeration-table of ChristianScience, and nothing but wrong intention can hinder youradvancement. Working and praying with true motives,21 your Father will open the way. "Who did hinder you,that ye should not obey the truth?"

Saul of Tarsus beheld the way — the Christ, or Truth24 — only when his uncertain sense of right yielded to aspiritual sense, which is always right. Then Conversionthe man was changed. Thought assumed a of Saul27 nobler outlook, and his life became more spiritual.

S&H 561:8-9,16-20EspousalsThe Revelator supernal9 beheld the spiritual idea from the mount of vision.

John saw the human and divine coincidence, shown inthe man Jesus, as divinity embracing humanity in Life18 and its demonstration, — reducing to human Divinity andperception and understanding the Life which humanityis God.

Rev 1:1-31 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John:2 Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw.3 Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.

S&H 209:13The im-manent sense of Mind-power enhances the glory of Mind.15 Nearness, not distance, lends enchantment to this view.

Ex 3:3-5 Moses, 10-12 (to;)3 Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt.4 And when the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I.5 And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.

10 Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt.11 ¶ And Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?12 And he said, Certainly I will be with thee;

Section 2Unchanging God

Ret 46:19-22So, when day grows dark and cold,Tear or triumph harms,21 Lead Thy lambkins to the fold,Take them in Thine arms;

Hymn 123:1,2(to 3rd ,)),2How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord,Is laid for your faith in His excellent Word.What more can He say than to you He hath said,To you who to God for your refuge have fled:

Fear not, I am with thee, O be not dismayed,For I am thy God, I will still give thee aid;I'll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee tostand,Upheld by My gracious, omnipotent hand;

Ps 33:1111 The counsel of the Lord standeth for ever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations.

Ret 27:15-20,2915 In Longfellow'slanguage, —

But the feeble hands and helpless,18 Groping blindly in the darkness,Touch God's right hand in that darkness,And are lifted up and strengthened.

The divine hand led me into a new world of light and30 Life, a fresh universe — old to God, but new to His "little1 one." It became evident that the divine Mind alone mustanswer, and be found as the Life, or Principle, of all being;3 and that one must acquaint himself with God, if he wouldbe at peace. He must be ours practically, guiding ourevery thought and action; else we cannot understand6 the omnipresence of good sufficiently to demonstrate,even in part, the Science of the perfect Mind and divinehealing.

Isa 60:4(to 1st :)4 Lift up thine eyes round about, and see:

S&H 129:22-24We must look deepinto realism instead of accepting only the out- Ontology24 ward sense of things. needed

Ret 58:11 Stating the divine Principle, omnipotence (omnis potens),and then departing from this statement and taking the3 rule of finite matter, with which to work out the problemof infinity or Spirit, — all this is like trying to compensatefor the absence of omnipotence by a physical, false, and6 finite substitute.

S&H 262:99 We cannot fathom the nature and quality of God'screation by diving into the shallows of mortal belief. Wemust reverse our feeble flutterings — our efforts to find12 life and truth in matter — and rise above the testimonyof the material senses, above the mortal to the immortalidea of God. These clearer, higher views inspire the God-15 like man to reach the absolute centre and circumferenceof his being.

S&H 264:7Mortals must look beyond fading,finite forms, if they would gain the true sense of things.9 Where shall the gaze rest but in the unsearchable realmof Mind? We must look where we would walk, and wemust act as possessing all power from Him in whom we12 have our being.

My 279:11-13(to .)The First Commandment in the Hebrew Decalogue —12 "Thou shalt have no other gods before me" — obeyed,is sufficient to still all strife.

Job 37:14 stand14 stand still, and consider the wondrous works of God.

Job 23:13 he13 he is in one mind, and who can turn him? and what his soul desireth, even that he doeth.

Jer 23:28 what28 What is the chaff to the wheat? saith the Lord.

S&H 468:99 Answer. – There is no life, truth, intelligence, nor sub-stance in matter. All is infinite Mind and its infinitemanifestation, for God is All-in-all. Spirit is immortal12 Truth, matter is mortal error. Spirit is the real andeteral, matter is the unreal and temporal. Spirit isGod, and man is His image and likeness. Therefore15 Man is not material; he is spiritual.

Section 3Unchanging Man

Ret 46:1515 Strangers on a barren shore,Lab'ring long and lone,We would enter by the door,18 And Thou know'st Thine own.

I Cor 3:17 the temple of God is17 the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.

Ps 90:11 Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations.

Ps 89:11 I will sing of the mercies of the Lord for ever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations.

James 1:1818 Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.

Ps 37:3737 Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright: for the end of that man is peace.

Ret 21:13-16It is well to know, dear reader, that our material, mortalhistory is but the record of dreams, not of man's real ex-15 istence, and the dream has no place in the Science of being.It is "as a tale that is told," and "as the shadow when it

S&H 516:9(only),219 God fashions all things, after His own likeness.

21 Man and woman as coexistentand eternal with God forever reflect, in glorified quality,the infinite Father-Mother God.

S&H 63:5In Science man is the offspring of Spirit. The beauti-6 ful, good, and pure constitute his ancestry. His origin isnot, like that of mortals, in brute instinct, nor Spiritualdoes he pass through material conditions prior origin9 to reaching intelligence. Spirit is his primitive and ulti-mate source of being; God is his Father, and Life is thelaw of his being.

S&H 427:2-7Life is3 the law of Soul, even the law of the spirit of Life notTruth, and Soul is never without its represent- contingentative. Man's individual being can no more on matter6 die nor disappear in unconsciousness than can Soul, forboth are immortal.

S&H 428:8To divest9 thought of false trusts and material evidences in orderthat the spiritual facts of being may appear, — this isthe great attainment by means of which we shall sweep12 away the false and give place to the true. Thus we mayestablish in truth the temple, or body, "whose builderand maker is God."

S&H 263:7When mortal man blends his thoughts of existencewith the spiritual and works only as God works,9 he will no longer grope in the dark and cling Mortal manto earth because he has not tasted heaven. a mis-creatorCarnal beliefs defraud us. They make man an involun-12 tary hypocrite, — producing evil when he would creategood, forming deformity when he would outline graceand beauty, injuring those whom he would bless. He15 becomes a general mis-creator, who believes he is asemi-god. His "touch turns hope to dust, the dust weall have trod." He might say in Bible language: "The18 good that I would, I do not: but the evil which I wouldnot, that I do."

S&H 451:14Man walks in the15 direction towards which he looks, and where his treasureis, there will his heart be also. If our hopes and affec-tions are spiritual, they come from above, not from be-18 neath, and they bear as of old the fruits of the Spirit.

S&H 249:18-1918 Life is, like Christ, "the same yesterday, and to-day,and forever."

Isa 30:2121 And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.

Isa 61:11 (to 3rd forth)11 For as the earth bringeth forth her bud, and as the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth; so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth

Section 4What's time got to do with it?

Ps 90:4 a4 a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night.

Ps 84:10 a day (to .)10 a day in thy courts is better than a thousand.

Hymn 359:0-3William P. McKenzie

Trust the Eternal when the shadows gather,When joys of daylight seem so like a dream;God the unchanging pities like a father;Trust on and wait, the daystar yet shall gleam.

Trust the Eternal, for the clouds that vanishNo more can move the mountains from their baseThan sin's illusive wreaths of mist can banishLight from His throne or loving from His face.

Trust the Eternal, and repent in meeknessOf that heart's pride which frowns and will notyield,Then to thy child-heart shall come strength inweakness,And thine immortal life shall be revealed.

S&H 249:18-1918 Life is, like Christ, "the same yesterday, and to-day,and forever."

138:17-22Jesus established in the Christian era the precedent for18 all Christianity, theology, and healing. Christians areunder as direct orders now, as they were then, New erato be Christlike, to possess the Christ-spirit, to in Jesus21 follow the Christ-example, and to heal the sick as well asthe sinning.

S&H 151:26All that really exists is the divine Mind and27 its idea, and in this Mind the entire being is found har-monious and eternal. The straight and narrow way is tosee and acknowledge this fact, yield to this power, and30 follow the leadings of truth.

Ret 23:1-16,17-241 The trend of human life was too eventful to leave meundisturbed in the illusion that this so-called life3 could be a real and abiding rest. All things earthly mustultimately yield to the irony of fate, or else be mergedinto the one infinite Love.6 As these pungent lessons became clearer, they grewsterner. Previously the cloud of mortal mind seemed tohave a silver lining; but now it was not even fringed with9 light. Matter was no longer spanned with its rainbowof promise. The world was dark. The oncoming hourswere indicated by no floral dial. The senses could not12 prophesy sunrise or starlight.Thus it was when the moment arrived of the heart'sbridal to more spiritual existence. When the door opened,15 I was waiting and watching; and, lo, the bridegroomcame!

My heart knew its Re-18 deemer. He whom my affections had diligently soughtwas as the One "altogether lovely," as "the chiefest,"the only, "among ten thousand." Soulless famine had21 fled. Agnosticism, pantheism, and theosophy were void.Being was beautiful, its substance, cause, and currentswere God and His idea. I had touched the hem of Chris-24 tian Science.

Ret 46:11-14Thou wilt bind the stubborn will,12 Wound the callous breast,Make self-righteousness be still,Break earth's stupid rest.

Act 5:12 (to :)12 ¶ And by the hands of the apostles were many signs and wonders wrought among the people; (and they were all with one accord in Solomon's porch.

Acts 2:1 they,4-81 they were all with one accord in one place.4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.5 And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven.6 Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language.7 And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans?8 And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born?

S&H 326:33 If we wish to follow Christ, Truth, it must be in theway of God's appointing. Jesus said, "He that believethon me, the works that I do shall he do also." Loving God6 He, who would reach the source and find the supremelydivine remedy for every ill, must not try to climb the hillof Science by some other road. All nature teaches God's9 love to man, but man cannot love God supremely and sethis whole affections on spiritual things, while loving thematerial or trusting in it more than in the spiritual.

S&H 594:1212 SHEEP. Innocence; inoffensiveness; those who followtheir leader.

Ps 23:1-61 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

Ret 21:2121 The awakening from a false sense of life, substance, andmind in matter, is as yet imperfect; but for those lucidand enduring lessons of Love which tend to this result,24 I bless God.

Section 5Healing: the "new-old" fruit of the Spirit.

S&H 191:8As a material, theoretical life-basis is found to be a9 misapprehension of existence, the spiritual and divinePrinciple of man dawns upon human thought, The immortaland leads it to "where the young child was," birth12 — even to the birth of a new-old idea, to the spiritualsense of being and of what Life includes. Thus the wholeearth will be transformed by Truth on its pinions of light,15 chasing away the darkness of error.

Ret 58:7With our Master, life was not merely a sense of exist-ence, but an accompanying sense of power that subdued9 matter and brought to light immortality, insomuch thatthe people "were astonished at his doctrine: for he taughtthem as one having authority, and not as the scribes."12 Life, as defined by Jesus, had no beginning; it was notthe result of organization, or infused into matter; it wasSpirit.

Hymn 329:3In daily contemplationOf Thee, I take delight;O, let my meditationLay hold of Thee aright.O, aid me in suppressionOf idle thought or word;O, keep me from transgression,Redeemer, strength, and Lord.

S&H 239:16To ascertain our progress, we must learn where ouraffections are placed and whom we acknowledge and18 obey as God. If divine Love is becoming Standpointnearer, dearer, and more real to us, matter is revealedthen submitting to Spirit. The objects we pursue and21 the spirit we manifest reveal our standpoint, and showwhat we are winning.

S&H 459:8Judge not the9 future advancement of Christian Science by the stepsalready taken, lest you yourself be condemned for fail-ing to take the first step.

S&H 461:11Only by the illumination of the spiritual sense, can12 the light of understanding be thrown upon this Science,because Science reverses the evidence before the materialsenses and furnishes the eternal interpretation of God and15 man.

Ret 60:16Material sense asks, in its ignorance of Science,"When will the raging of the material elements cease?"18 Science saith to all manner of disease, "Know that Godis all-power and all-presence, and there is nothing besideHim;" and the sick are healed. Material sense saith,21 "Oh, when will my sufferings cease? Where is God?Sickness is something besides Him, which He cannot, ordoes not, heal."

Ret 61:21-2521 Christian Science reveals the fact that, if suffering exists,it is in the mortal mind only, for matter has no sensationand cannot suffer.24 If you rule out every sense of disease and suffering frommortal mind, it cannot be found in the body.

S&H 412:16-23To prevent disease or to cure it, the power of Truth,of divine Spirit, must break the dream of the material18 senses. To heal by argument, find the type Insistenceof the ailment, get its name, and array your requisitemental plea against the physical. Argue at first men-21 tally, not audibly, that the patient has no disease, andconform the argument so as to destroy the evidence ofdisease.

S&H 530:26The history of error is a dream-narrative. The dream27 has no reality, no intelligence, no mind; therefore thedreamer and dream are one, for neither is Scripturaltrue nor real. First, this narrative supposes allegory30 that something springs from nothing, that matter pre-cedes mind. Second, it supposes that mind enters matter,1 and matter becomes living, substantial, and intelligent.The order of this allegory — the belief that everything3 springs from dust instead of from Deity — has been main-tained in all the subsequent forms of belief. This is theerror, — that mortal man starts materially, that non-6 intelligence becomes intelligence, that mind and soul areboth right and wrong.

S&H 412:23-24Mentally insist that harmony is the fact, and24 that sickness is a temporal dream.

S&H 188:11Mortal existence is a dream of pain and pleasure in12 matter, a dream of sin, sickness, and death; and it is likethe dream we have in sleep, in which every one Diseaserecognizes his condition to be wholly a state of a dream15 mind. In both the waking and the sleeping dream, thedreamer thinks that his body is material and the sufferingis in that body.

S&H 412:2424 Realize the presenceof health and the fact of harmonious being, until thebody corresponds with the normal conditions of health27 and harmony.

Mis 359:23The way is absolute divine24 Science: walk ye in it; but remember that Science isdemonstrated by degrees, and our demonstration risesonly as we rise in the scale of being.

Mis 41:10-13The honest student of Christian Science is purgedthrough Christ, Truth, and thus is ready for victory in12 the ennobling strife. The good fight must be fought bythose who keep the faith and finish their course.

Hymn 59:0-3John S. B. Monsell*

Fight the good fight with all thy might,Christ is thy strength, and Christ thy right;Lay hold on Life, and it shall beThy joy and crown eternally.

Run the straight race through God's good grace,Lift up thine eyes, and seek His face;Life with its way before us lies,Christ is the path, and Christ the prize.

Faint not nor fear, His arms are near;He changeth not, and thou art dear;On Him rely and thou shalt seeThat Christ is all in all to thee.

Section 6Making our way home

S&H 254:6-86 God requires perfection,but not until the battle between Spirit and flesh is foughtand the victory won.

Isa 28:10-14(to ,),16 thus (to :)10 For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:11 For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people.12 To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear.13 But the word of the Lord was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken.14 ¶ Wherefore hear the word of the Lord,

16 thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation:

Luke 15:11-24 A11 A certain man had two sons:12 And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living.13 And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living.14 And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want.15 And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.16 And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him.17 And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee,19 And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.20 And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.21 And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.22 But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet:23 And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry:24 For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.

Ps 51:6-7,9-126 Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

9 Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities.10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.11 Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.12 Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.

S&H 39:8We must have trials and self-denials, as well as9 joys and victories, until all error is destroyed.

S&H 66:66 Trials teach mortals not to lean on a material staff, —a broken reed, which pierces the heart. We do nothalf remember this in the sunshine of joy Salutary9 and prosperity. Sorrow is salutary. Through sorrowgreat tribulation we enter the kingdom. Trials areproofs of God's care. Spiritual development germi-12 nates not from seed sown in the soil of material hopes,but when these decay, Love propagates anew the higherjoys of Spirit, which have no taint of earth. Each suc-15 cessive stage of experience unfolds new views of divinegoodness and love.

Ret 28:9-169 I had learned that thought must be spiritualized, inorder to apprehend Spirit. It must become honest, un-selfish, and pure, in order to have the least understanding12 of God in divine Science. The first must become last.Our reliance upon material things must be transferred toa perception of and dependence on spiritual things. For15 Spirit to be supreme in demonstration, it must be supremein our affections, and we must be clad with divine power.

Mis 369:20-26We are hungry for Love,21 for the white-winged charity that heals and saves; weare tired of theoretic husks, — as tired as was the prodi-gal son of the carobs which he shared with the swine,24 to whom he fed that wholesome but unattractive food.Like him, we would find our Father's house again —the perfect and eternal Principle of man.

'01 17:11 The present self-inflicted sufferings of mortals from sin,disease, and death should suffice so to awaken the suf-3 ferer from the mortal sense of sin and mind in matter asto cause him to return to the Father's house penitent andsaved; yea, quickly to return to divine Love, the author6 and finisher of our faith, who so loves even the repentantprodigal — departed from his better self and strugglingto return — as to meet the sad sinner on his way and to9 welcome him home.

Ret 86:1,7-141 To energize wholesome spiritual warfare, to rebukevainglory, to offset boastful emptiness, to crown3 patient toil, and rejoice in the spirit and power of ChristianScience, we must ourselves be true. There is but one wayof doing good, and that is to do it! There is but one way of6 being good, and that is to be good!

Art thou still unacquainted with thyself? Then be in-troduced to this self. "Know thyself!" as said the classic9 Grecian motto. Note well the falsity of this mortal self!Behold its vileness, and remember this poverty-stricken"stranger that is within thy gates." Cleanse every stain12 from this wanderer's soiled garments, wipe the dust fromhis feet and the tears from his eyes, that you may beholdthe real man, the fellow-saint of a holy household.

Ret 22:11 The human history needsto be revised, and the material record expunged.

Ret 21:25-1Mere historic incidents and personal events are frivo-lous and of no moment, unless they illustrate the ethics of27 Truth. To this end, but only to this end, such narrationsmay be admissible and advisable; but if spiritual con-clusions are separated from their premises, the nexus is30 lost, and the argument, with its rightful conclusions, be-1 comes correspondingly obscure.

Ret 22:14-16It may be that the mortal life-battle still wages, and15 must continue till its involved errors are vanquished byvictory-bringing Science; but this triumph will come!

Section 7Questions and Answers(citations will be provided on Association Day)

Section 8Holy Ground

S&H 268:1-0 (to Luther)Here I stand, I can do no otherwise;So help me God! Amen! – Martin Luther.

Rev 21:1-41 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

Rev 22:5,65 And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.6 And he said unto me, These sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel to shew unto his servants the things which must shortly be done.

Rev 22:88 And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which shewed me these things.

Hymn 148:3Green pastures are before me,Which yet I have not seen;Bright skies will soon be o'er me,Where darkest clouds have been.My hope I cannot measure,My path in life is free;My Father has my treasure,And He will walk with me.

S&H 37:22It is possible, — yea, it is the dutyand privilege of every child, man, and woman, — to follow24 in some degree the example of the Master by the demon-stration of Truth and Life, of health and holiness. Chris-tians claim to be his followers, but do they follow him in27 the way that he commanded? Hear these imperative com-mands: "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Fatherwhich is in heaven is perfect!" "Go ye into all the world,30 and preach the gospel to every creature!" "Heal thesick!"

S&H 4:5To keep the com- Efficacious6 mandments of our Master and follow his petitionsexample, is our proper debt to him and the onlyworthy evidence of our gratitude for all that he has9 done. Outward worship is not of itself sufficient toexpress loyal and heartfelt gratitude, since he hassaid: "If ye love me, keep my commandments."

S&H 563:4-7The dragonWe may well be perplexed at human as a typefear; and still more astounded at hatred, which lifts6 its hydra head, showing its horns in the many inventionsof evil. But why should we stand aghast at nothingness?

I Kings 19:1-131 And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and withal how he had slain all the prophets with the sword.2 Then Jezebel sent a messenger unto Elijah, saying, So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I make not thy life as the life of one of them by to-morrow about this time.3 And when he saw that, he arose, and went for his life, and came to Beersheba, which belongeth to Judah, and left his servant there.4 ¶ But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers.5 And as he lay and slept under a juniper tree, behold, then an angel touched him, and said unto him, Arise and eat.6 And he looked, and, behold, there was a cake baken on the coals, and a cruse of water at his head. And he did eat and drink, and laid him down again.7 And the angel of the Lord came again the second time, and touched him, and said, Arise and eat; because the journey is too great for thee.8 And he arose, and did eat and drink, and went in the strength of that meat forty days and forty nights unto Horeb the mount of God.9 ¶ And he came thither unto a cave, and lodged there; and, behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and he said unto him, What doest thou here, Elijah?10 And he said, I have been very jealous for the Lord God of hosts: for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.11 And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord. And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake:12 And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.13 And it was so, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entering in of the cave. And, behold, there came a voice unto him, and said, What doest thou here, Elijah?

Ret 93:13The best spiritual type of Christly method for upliftinghuman thought and imparting divine Truth, is stationary15 power, stillness, and strength; and when this spiritual idealis made our own, it becomes the model for human action.

Ret 95:4Ask God to give thee skillIn comfort's art:6 That thou may'st consecrated beAnd set apartUnto a life of sympathy.9 For heavy is the weight of illIn every heart;And comforters are needed much12 Of Christlike touch.— A. E. HAMILTON

Ret 94:28In the first century of the Christian era Jesus'teachings bore much fruit, and the Father was glorified30 therein. In this period and the forthcoming centuries,1 watered by dews of divine Science, this "tree of life" willblossom into greater freedom, and its leaves will be "for3 the healing of the nations."

Ret 46:23Feed the hungry, heal the heart,24 Till the morning's beam;White as wool, ere they depart,Shepherd, wash them clean.