Laying our “earthly all on the altar of divine Science”

What I found in We Knew Mary Baker Eddy, Vol. II was a sense that those who knew her as she really was, understood that her discovery was the “reappearing of the diving healing” (S&H 55:22).

Quite a few years ago a church friend told me that she struggled with the Bible lesson on Sacrament because the references on communion were always the same.  I realized that I felt somewhat the same.  I knew that Christian Scientists were to “bow before Christ, Truth, to receive more of his reappearing and silently to commune with the divine Principle, Love” (S&H 35:12-14) but I wasn’t sure that I was doing this, or even that I knew how to do it.

Your direction to read Vol. II carefully caused me to go to JSH online and look up Laura Norse’s poem “In Transitu” mentioned on page 221 and to study the two beautiful hymns, which were based on that poem.  Norse’s references directly from the Bible and our textbook on the subject of communion have been a greater treasure to me than that of the California couple who found the ten million dollars of gold coins on their ranch this week!

I could see how important it is to consider together the paragraphs in Science and Health by Mary Baker Eddy, on pages 35:10-18 and 55:15-26.  Christ truly reappears to us only as we serve our human probation by doing works of “divine healing” and laying our “earthly all on the altar of divine Science.”

Minnie Scott’s reminiscence of how Mrs. Eddy herself did this in the face of persecution is a wonderful example of this.  Page 377 of We Knew Mary Baker Eddy, Vol. II states that, during the Next Friends suit, she directed her workers to turn “unreservedly to God” and pray “O divine Love, give me higher, holier, purer motives, self-abnegation, inspiration, and spiritual love.”

This leads me to answer your second question.  I know only as I am willing to lay my “earthly all on the altar of divine Science” can I go forward in truly serving God by demonstrating His healing power.  Also, only in proportion as all Christian Scientists do this, our Cause will prosper.  Stanza 1 of Laura Norse’s poem challenges us all to rise to this occasion, to help mankind to cease groping in darkness, to “watch for His appearing.”