Day 73: One sentence, two lists

138:17-140:3

These two pages Christianity versus contemporary religious thought in Mary Baker Eddy's day. She focuses on what Jesus' theology was.

There are three sentences that I turned into lists, but I want to focus on just one of them. For most of my life here is how I read this sentence:

Our Master said to every follower: "[1] Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature!...[2]Heal the sick!...[3] Love thy neighbor as thyself!"

When I read the first point, I focused on preach and totally ignored the first part. Then I took class instruction and here is how I heard someone else read the sentence:

Our Master said to every follower: "[1] Go ye into all the world, and [2] preach the gospel to every creature!...[3]Heal the sick!...[4] Love thy neighbor as thyself!"

The idea of the new first point is that you can't hide your head in the sand and still obey the command. It also means that to be a Christian isn't to be alone or solitary but to have relationships with people that include the other points.  I've been working on being in the world this last year but I would rather be alone - so at this point, the letter but not the spirit. Another thing to work on.

Unrelated - sort of
Two ideas that have come to me to work on are time and irritation.

Time: I am dominated by my belief in time in so many ways. As an example, I usually have at least two time pieces on my body at all times: watch and phone. And a third within visual range. Does that make any sense? No. I've been thinking about ideas to overcome this from a spiritual perspective.

Irritation: So, within the last two years, I've come to have the symptoms of spring-time allergies but the funny thing is I don't believe in allergies. So what's up with that? Well, I have been irritated a lot in the last few years and yes, the worst of it is in the spring. It's been a slow realization about how irritated I am emotionally with some of the people, events, and circumstances in my life. While sitting in church today, I started mapping out a C.S. treatment for myself. My teacher told me to do one a day so I would be in the habit but did I listen? Oh, no. So here I am, absolutely tired of blowing my nose, and wanting to not be irritated with myself and the people in my life. The words that came to me were patience, trust, perfection, harmony, balance. 

Day 72: Who or What heals?

135:21-138:16

This is a little longer wordcount to read today so if you need extra time, start early.

This section covers the idea of who or what healed. Some thought Jesus a medium for dead prophets. Jesus tried to explain this in two ways: his works and his words.

The first thing that caught my eye, and it does every time I see it is:

cycles of divine light

Mary Baker Eddy only uses the term cycles when referring to Christian Science twice in Science and Health and five times in Miscellaneous Writings. She doesn't explain it. I wonder if some of her writings in the library cover this.

The next thing:

He claimed no intelligence, action, nor life separate from God.

The reason this caught my attention was because I had to ask myself: Do I claim a separation from God? The answer is yes, repeatedly. Not intentionally but mistakenly. I need to work on that. It also made me think of my teacher instructing me to be obedient in this journal of reading for a year. Who am I obedient to and why?

Toward the end of this passage, Mary Baker Eddy gets to the meat of the discussion. Sometimes when I read this book, I would blast through pages at a time. I didn't concentrate or listen. It was probably a waste because I see so many things now, taking it slowly, a few pages at a time. I see themes, and subjects, and terminology, and emotion. I didn't see those before.

So the last sentence is:

He showed that diseases were cast out neither by corporeality, by materia medica, nor by hygiene, but by the divine Spirit, casting out the errors of mortal mind. The supremacy of Spirit was the foundation on which Jesus built. His sublime summary points to the religion of Love.

Casting out the errors of mortal mind is how he did it. And he based it on the supremacy of Spirit. That's it. That's the explanation. It's simple.

Last night I had a conversation with someone. It was both familiar and very disappointing. I wanted to cry at the end of it. I thought, wow, I really am depending on material conditions (a relationship) to provide not only my happiness but my fulfillment. I knew, I had to change that and depend on God. In the last seventy something days, he had shown me what a change in thought is capable of doing. I don't have all of it yet. But I have enough to pick myself up from a depressing experience and know that isn't the truth of who I am or where I am. 

Day 71: Hope within

133:8-135:20

In this passage, Mary Baker Eddy discusses Judaism and miracles.

The first thing that caught my attention was:

the natural law of harmony which overcomes discord

Beyond it's Christian Science meaning, I've been thinking about the meaning of the terms organic and natural from Mary Baker Eddy's time to this. She uses the word organic to mean literally human organs and she refers to natural as spiritual. Now, organic means natural in a physical or originally material state. And organic and natural are somewhat interchangeable now. Since I've been reading for 71 days now, when I see those words in a non-CS environment (news, Internet, magazines, conversation), I compare how the words are used. Which meaning is being used and why? How am I interpreting the word versus how it was meant? I'm not sure where that is going -- but my thought is definitely changing.

The next thing:

There is divine authority for believing in the superiority of spiritual power over material resistance.

Divine authority stands out. It's a sentence filled with hope and I need that right now.

And:

Spiritual evolution alone is worthy of the exercise of divine power. 

Tonight, I was once again reminded that spiritual evolution is, in almost all regards, a solo journey. I wish to pass through this phase and get on with the next of my journey. I don't mean death, I mean understanding.

And lastly:

What cannot God do?

I've been thinking about some of the changes that have happened in the last 71 days. I expected to be aware of the change when it happened, but I wasn't. I know now that there are many things that will occur on my spiritual journey, and only as I keep going will I realize them, long after they happen. That's also a very hopeful thought.




Definition: cultus

Day 70: Theology & Faith

131:12-133:7

Mary Baker Eddy started a new section of the chapter titled Theology. I think of it as organized religion. She used both the Jewish established theology in Jesus' time as well as the Christian churches of her own time. This is a difficult task. The role of organized religion is to stand guard over the principles of the faith. Not embrace or expand the theology to deviations or complete changes of thought.

There are three items in these paragraphs that caught my attention. The first:

recounting his works instead of referring to his doctrine

I think we all would like to be able to do this on a personal level. Somehow my works don't stand up to my faith.I need to work on this, more than just this journal.


The second:

blessed is he, whosoever shall no be offended in me

Offended is an interesting word to use here. I looked up this phrase and found a lot of different wording to think about. Doubt is one of the words that came up as a different meaning for offended. I wonder if this is a carry over from the reluctant guest. It feels like it but it's not exactly right.

The last one is:

unity of God, -- the divine Principle which brings out all harmony

I know this is probably something that would make more sense to me if I had a better understanding of either religion in the time of Mary Baker Eddy or of Jesus. Why is God not unified? Is that the right word? Anyway, what else would he be and why? This isn't rhetorical -- I really don't know.

But that it brings out all harmony -- this is the mathematical equation again. There is only one God and he is all.

Day 69: Doubt Evil

130:7-131:11

A quick read but several ideas came to mind. The first line I marked is:

It is vain to speak dishonestly of divine Science, which destroys all discord, when you can demonstrate the actuality of Science. It is unwise to doubt if reality is in perfect harmony with God, divine Principle, --if Science, when understood and demonstrated, will destroy all discord,--since you admit that God is omnipotent; for from this premise it follows that good and its sweet concords have all-power.

Vanity is an interesting word for Mary Baker Eddy to use. One definition is empty but others include the words pride and deceit. I think all all work equally well in conveying the meaning of the paragraph. A student's issue with Christian Science may be one or all three, or something else entirely. I never felt free enough to delve beyond the work supplied or its most-obvious implied meaning before this reading.

The next:

Laboring long to shake the adult's faith in matter and to inculcate a grain of faith in God,--an inkling of the ability of Spirit to make the body harmonious,--the author has often remembered our Master's love for little children, and understood how truly such as they belong to the heavenly kingdom.

And then:

to be astounded at the vigorous claims of evil and doubt them

That's where I should be. That's my goal.

Day 68: The reluctant guest

128:4-130:6

These two pages discuss what Christian Science is from an intellectual perspective using mathematics and logic as examples. But to me the most interesting part is the last paragraph of the reluctant guest. To pick up this book and read it means someone wants to know what Christian Science is. Someone wants to know how Christian Science fits in the world around them, or doesn't. But the reluctant guest is the person who understands what the book requires of the reader, the science required from the student, and yet someone says "maybe this isn't for me- maybe too much is required, too much given up."

Now I've gotten to this point in the book, searching for any tidbits I haven't seen or understood, really understood, before. I have to ask myself, am I the reluctant guest? Have I changed my mind or not committed fully?

The last section of the book is titled Fruitage and is full of healings solely based on reading this book. There are some vices I didn't expect to give up as part of reading this book. I didn't think they were anything to be healed of or I wasn't ready to let them go. However, in the last few days, one of these vices slipped away. I wasn't praying about it specifically so I don't know that I would call it a healing per se. But it was getting in the way of what I wanted to accomplish so I just stopped. If there was one thing I was reluctant about, it was that - giving up some little treasure of selfishness.

Day 67: demonstrated through Mind

126:8-128:3

So the sections I marked start with:

Human thought never projected the least portion of true being. 

This tells me to get out of my own head -- I like that. It also buts a truthful slant to human thought and opinion in general.

The next statement:

I have demonstrated through Mind...

I thought this was an interesting way for Mary Baker Eddy to say it -- demonstrated through Mind. So I looked up Mind which is defined in Recapitulation.Two things came to thought. First, a couple of days ago MBE used the phrase restful Mind. The second is that she is comparing Mind to mortal mind or put another way God's thoughts compared to human thoughts.

The next statement:

If God, the All-in-all, be the creator of the spiritual universe, including man, then everything entitled to a classification as truth, or Science, must be comprised in a knowledge or understanding of God, for there can be nothing beyond illimitable divinity.

I shortened this so I could see what really caught my attention:

everything must be comprised in an understanding of God

I don't know what to say about it but it was nice, comforting.

So I mentioned a possible nickname as Good Mind. Then she said restful Mind. So there's definitely a Mind thing going on in this chapter.