Day 31:

53:25-55:29

There is a lot going on in the following paragraph, and at first it seems disjointed and unrelated. But I know that isn’t the case. I want to get to the point that not all to I understand how these points are related but can demonstrate those relationships:

My weary hope tries to realize that happy day, when man shall recognize the Science of Christ and love his neighbor as himself, –when he shall realize God’s omnipotence and the healing power of the divine Love in what it has done and is doing for mankind.

2010

Day 30: The Great Distance

51:28-53:24

Mary Baker Eddy writes of the shock that arises when someone realizes the great distance between himself and Truth. That when we recognize that distance, we should weep over the warning, instead of denying truth or mocking the goodness.

She must have know anyone reading the book would experience the same realization of the distance and have to deal with the shock.

But there is an additional idea I would like to add. Turning back or just stopping here on my spiritual journey isn’t an option. I’m sure it is for some people. Perhaps they weren’t committed but were just dabbling. Similar to the passport analogy Mary Baker Eddy employs.

I might be a Neanderthal in a spiritual sense but turning around or stopping isn’t a choice. Yeah, I see the distance. But I’m going anyway. If you are reading this, you are too. Good!

2010

Day 29: The Real Cross

49:7-51:27

Mary Baker Eddy explains the superficial, material cross Jesus bore and the spiritual, real one. The crucifixion is the material and the hatred of Truth and Love is the spiritual.

Following that line of the spiritual cross further, who or what hates Truth and Love? Sticking to a non-material line of reasoning, the people or place involved isn’t the hater. It has to be something non-material. Perhaps animal courage, animal magnetism?

To me, it is about someone being different, possessing something different. Jesus didn’t flow with the crowd, he built a new crowd. He didn’t follow the rules, he revealed them for what they were. He attracted with Love, not control. He healed, instead of abused.

2010

Day 28:

47:10-49:6

Animal courage, that intense reaction of material strength and brutality with little thought, is mentioned in this reading. Animal courage is never quite, doesn’t sleep, waiting it’s moment to act out, speak out, attack.

How would you describe spiritual courage? 

2010

Day 27: Influx of Light

45:22-47:9

Mary Baker Eddy explains the disciples sudden understanding of Spirituality after Jesus’ ascension

The influx of light was sudden. It was sometimes an overwhelming power as on the Day of Pentecost.

Just thinking about that…

2010

Day 26:

43:21-45:21

Mary Baker Eddy describes the material veil over the three days in the sepulcher. 

It’s impressive what was overcome.

2010

Day 25: Word Choice

41:22-43:20

The belief that man has existence or mind separate from God is a dying error.

I can’t stop looking at this sentence. I think I’ve been misunderstanding it for years. Instead of pointing out a belief that is coming to an end because it is wrong (my previous thought), what about the erroneous belief causes the result of death?

Did everyone see that but me all these years? I’ll be in the corner with the dunce cap on.

2010

Day 24: A Convenient Season

39:31-41:21

In this reading, I felt like a errant child. In some regards, I am always looking for a convenient time to get things done. Five minutes here to do the dishes, twenty minutes here to do the laundry, a few minutes after picking up the kids from school to run errands. My life is all about a convenient season materially. But not spiritually. If anything, I struggle with how to remove the veil of matter. I often wonder if a different place, time, or position would lend itself to more spirituality.

In the meantime, here I am, reading each day to glimpse that spirituality and find that calm.

2010

Day 23:

37:32-39:30

He taught that the material senses shut out Truth and its healing power.

2010

Day 22: The Hand of Love

35:30-37:31

Mary Baker Eddy explains the sin and punishment in this reading. Justice is the handmaid of mercy. If you sin, you will be punished in order to learn to mend your ways. Once sin ends, the suffering ends.

This argument (to me), until a few years ago, seemed a hard sell. Then I had kids.

Now I identify with her follow-up statement and understand the whole argument:

It is useless to suppose that the wicked can gloat over their offences to the last moment and then be suddenly pardoned and pushed into heaven, or that the hand of Love is satisfied with giving us only toil, sacrifice, cross-bearing, multiplied trials, and mockery of our motives in return for our efforts at well doing.

2010

Day 21: Inspiration of Love

33:27-35:29

Mary Baker Eddy says that our wine of the Eucharist is the inspiration of Love.

What has your Love of God ( and as a reflection, man) inspired you to do?

2010

Day 20: The Material Senses

31:25-33:26

These two pages discuss Jesus removing himself from the material senses in the Garden of Gethsemane. He had fewer distractions but amazing focus than we do today.

I can’t thing of a place, besides church, that gives me that time and quiet place to collect myself.

Where do you remove yourself to?

2010

Day 19:

29:30-31:24

A couple of ideas I need to work on—

Jesus, the new executor of God, present the divine law of Love, which blesses even those that curse it.

and

Pride and fear are unfit to bear the standard of Truth, and God will never place it in such hands.

2010

Day 18: The Author of Man

28:1-29:29

Mary Baker Eddy says

Christians must take up arms against error at home and abroad. They must grapple with sin in themselves and in others

And

God is the only author of man.

It is so important to remember the error, sin that is within or without, isn’t from God and isn’t real. It’s nothingness will be its undoing.

2010

Day 17: Principle and principles

26:1-27:32

I've been thinking about what principles I live by in my life. They are in direct contrast to someone else's principles in my life. This isn't usually a problem because we are far from each other and the evidence of our choices isn't constantly in the middle of our friendship. But in a few months, I will be asked to bend my principles to meet the situation. Or put them aside altogether.

Comparing this to Jesus's principles, Mary Baker Eddy wrote:

Our Master taught no mere theory, doctrine, or belief. It was the divine Principle of all real being which he taught and practiced. 

I will have to do the same and put self aside.

2010

Day 16:

24:4-25:32

Three words popped out while reading: affection (that one seems to pop up often, for me), sacrifice, and obedience.


2010

Day 15:

22:3-24:3

I don’t want the pendulum swing in my progress. I will search out areas of my thought and actions where Truth and Love are not understood and practiced.

2010

Day 14: Truth & Honesty

20:6-22:2

The idea that truth commands sure entrance into the realm of Love is interesting because it isn’t capital T – Truth. Mary Baker Eddy also writes if we are honest, we will be earnest from the start and gain a little each day.

Truth and honesty aren’t spiritual concepts as much as self-awareness. Whatever they are,  it is easy to believe I’ve tackled those and that I need to look for other areas to pray about – but that wouldn’t be the honest truth.

2010

Day 13: Hero

18:1-20:5

In this reading Mary Baker Eddy mentions two things about Jesus that I think of as gifts. The first is that he acted boldly against physical sense, material law, and just healed. The second thing is that he gave us a truer sense of Love.

Both together make a hero, by today’s standards.

2010

Day 31

53:25-55:29

Today is the last pages of the chapter. The quote that stood out to me was:

Out of the amplitude of her pure affection, he defined Love.

So what this means to me is, that based on his demonstration of affection, he defined God since Love with a capital L in Christian Science is another word for God. So how do I demonstrate affection? By this, I assume we're not talking about some direct but generally pointless kindness like holding a door open for someone. To demonstrate affection is to say that person, no matter what they have done or where they are in there life is lovable and loved. Ok, I subscribe to the half-full glass side of the argument. Therefore I believe every life has value and the person is genuinely lovable and deserving of expressed affection. But how to demonstrate this?

It seems the answer is simple until the circumstance is not simple. That pretty much separates my response from the WWJD response. How do I bridge that divide?

So I'm still back to patience, meekness, love, and good deeds. There were other lists in this chapter but I feel like they are either on a parallel track or for the next step in my journey. If I can't demonstrate these four, how can I do any of the rest of it?