Second collection of Association responses to Moji’s request for specific prayer on healing contagion.  

I was so grateful for Moji’s request because it made me discipline my thought and really refute the news reports about this outbreak.  Here are some thoughts that have helped me pray about it:

I love the declaration in Sect. 4 of last week’s lesson that “Evil is destroyed by the sense of good.” (S&H 311:13-25)  That paragraph is so helpful, pointing out how “belief strays” into a sense of the absence of soul, but the law of Soul “prevails over material sense through harmony and immortality.” And another citation (S&H 76:22-26) speaks of “the perfect harmony and immortality of Life” that constitutes the real, “indestructible man, whose being is spiritual.”  So many events and situations in the world argue that man and good can be destroyed, but God, the All-in-all, shows us only the sense of good, of harmony and Life, and we can rest there, in the sense of divine Love that dissolves fear.  

In this week’s lesson, I’ve been thinking about the statement that “Mind…is the central sun…the life and light of all its own vast creation; and man is tributary to divine Mind.” (S&H 209:5-8)  In the dictionary, I found that tributary can mean subordinate, controlled; and also a branch of a stream flowing into a larger stream or river.  So I’ve been thinking about how we’re all rays of Mind’s light, or streams that flow into the river of infinite, all-powerful Love.  And we can’t veer off into some other place, or be touched by another force; we have no option but to be that stream, that light, connected to God and flowing with God.

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While it can’t be merely said, the actual understanding, that all things known as disease are unreal does heal.  In the presence of illimitable light, there is no darkness.  

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Excerpts of Wednesday readings from a First Reader
The Bible
Deut 33:27-29
The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms: and he shall thrust out the enemy from before thee; and shall say, Destroy them.
Israel then shall dwell in safety alone: the fountain of Jacob shall be upon a land of corn and wine; also his heavens shall drop down dew.
Happy art thou, O Israel: who is like unto thee, O people saved by the Lord, the shield of thy help, and who is the sword of thy excellency! and thine enemies shall be found liars unto thee; and thou shalt tread upon their high places.

II Chron 32:8 (to 1st.)
With him is an arm of flesh; but with us is the Lord our God to help us, and to fight our battles.

Ps 46:1-3
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;
Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof.

Ps 23:4-6
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.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
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.

Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, by Mary Baker Eddy
SH 12:31-4
In divine Science, where prayers are mental, all may avail themselves of God as “a very present help in trouble.”  Love is impartial and universal in its adaptation and bestowals.  It is the open fount which cries, “Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters.”

SH 153:25-8
We weep because others weep, we yawn because they yawn, and we have smallpox because others have it; but mortal mind, not matter, contains and carries the infection. When this mental contagion is understood, we shall be more careful of our mental conditions, and we shall avoid loquacious tattling about disease, as we would avoid advocating crime. Neither sympathy nor society should ever tempt us to cherish error in any form, and certainly we should not be error’s advocate.

Disease arises, like other mental conditions, from association.  Since it is a law of mortal mind that certain diseases should be regarded as contagious, this law obtains credit through association, — calling up the fear that creates the image of disease and its consequent manifestation in the body.

SH 176:24-32
One disease is no more real than another.  All disease is the result of education, and disease can carry its ill-effects no farther than mortal mind maps out the way.  The human mind, not matter, is supposed to feel, suffer, enjoy.  Hence decided types of acute disease are quite as ready to yield to Truth as the less distinct type and chronic form of disease.  Truth handles the most malignant contagion with perfect assurance.

SH 368:14-19
When we come to have more faith in the truth of being than we have in error, more faith in Spirit than in matter, more faith in living than in dying, more faith in God than in man, then no material suppositions can prevent us from healing the sick and destroying error.

SH 518:15-19
The rich in spirit help the poor in one grand brotherhood, all having the same Principle, or Father; and blessed is that man who seeth his brother’s need and supplieth it, seeking his own in another’s good.

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The front page of Sunday’s New York Times included a story largely focused on those caring for the victims of the Ebola crisis.  Where some recent press has been so descriptive on symptoms and suffering, this piece had a different take.  The featured individuals were the nurses and supporting staff, and it immediately reminded me of the lovely passage in Science and Health, by Mary Baker Eddy, about Florence Nightingale.  Just an excerpt: 

“It is proverbial that Florence Nightingale and other philanthropists engaged in human labors have been able to undergo without sinking fatigues and exposures which ordinary people could not endure.  The explanation lies in the support which they derived from the divine law, rising above the human.”  (S&H 385:1-7) 

The entire passage is beautiful!  I found that the recent reporting really urged me to expand my prayers not only to the crisis but to those that seemed right on the front lines.  I love how Mrs. Eddy’s statement was an immediate support.  It also gave me great gratitude for the CS Monitor and its unique and healing mission for the world.  I have felt more committed to turning to it for support with these daily, and global needs. 

I wanted to think too, that the wonderful prayers going out from the Association family urged better reporting for all newspapers and media.  Even though it’s a few days later, the front page of the Times still sits on my coffee table, the “matron nurse” photographed with beauty and grace, alongside the quiet tears that rest on her cheekbones. 

Tonight I asked God to point me to a place where I recall Skip giving us direction on “contagion” a few years back.  I don’t recall the specific crisis that elicited the letter or website email, but I did recall a couple citations had been shared.  I felt determined to find it, even though the piece of paper was small, and I did!  Here is what Skip wrote on contagion:
“S&H 154:3-23
 S&H 384:6-29
 S&H 176:31-32
and pray and work accordingly.” AWP

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My immediate response to your e-mail was to pray, “…and may Thy Word enrich the affections of all mankind, and govern them!” (Man 41:19) and that “divine Love alone governs man,…” (Man 40:4)
 
I am so moved by Moji’s loving response to you and all Association members.  I, too, rejoice in the gratitude expressed by Association members in working together to deny the mortal, material picture seemingly rampant in Africa.  It came to me so clearly to, “…relinquish all theories based on sense-testimony, give up imperfect models and illusive ideals; and so let us have one God, one Mind, and that one perfect, producing His own models of excellence.”  (S&H 249:1)  How Mrs. Eddy did this especially on her daily drives seeing God’s perfect children, as did Jesus’ healings with multitudes around him; as I can do as a transparency of Truth, and seeing only God’s models of excellence – perfect, pure, protected, loved, cared for.
 
Related to the specific current belief, I remind myself, “Human hypotheses are always human vagaries, formulated views antagonistic to the divine order…” and that “All these mortal beliefs will be purged and dissolved in the crucible of Truth…” (Mis 78:29-5)  I also remind myself that I am grateful that this is often voiced by doctors, as they lovingly, sincerely, and seriously devote their lives to healing the sick in the way they know best, and then acknowledge God (or whatever deity they believe in) as the true healer.
 
I pray for myself and us all, and especially all those dear ones in Africa to, “…feel the divine energy of Spirit, bringing us into newness of life and recognizing no mortal nor material power as able to destroy.” We are subject to the divine “powers that be.”  (S&H 249:6-9) Healing is now, and I again thank you, and all who are praying with Moji.