Cherishing Spiritual Healing

Dear Friend,

I have learned so many spiritual lessons at camp this summer, and there’s still a week to go! Last session I made a trip to Grand Junction to visit my cousin and his wife. We had some wonderful discussions about spirituality and relationships. I was reminded how important it is to get “I want” out of my vocabulary and instead to trust what God wants. He knows what we truly need both individually and collectively.

Sometimes my “I wants” seem pretty reasonable. Recently I really wanted a good night sleep. The next day’s activities called for early rising and mental alertness. However, I was awakened in the night by a camper needing help. I confess that my first thought was, “Oh no.” Fortunately my best and true self came through, and I was quickly up providing needed physical and spiritual comfort. I remembered that “Giving does not impoverish us…” (from Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures). The camper soon settled down and went back to sleep, but I stayed awake for a while longer praying.

The other day I mentioned to you that the thought of perhaps some day making myself available to pray for others was kind of scary. Well, I had volunteered to pray for the camper; so now I had to face this fear. The Bible says, “perfect love casteth out fear.” It occurred to me that I needed to love the healing practice of Christian Science with all my heart. I began by being grateful for all the healings I’ve had, for the Christian Science practitioners who have on so many occasions prayed for me and my family—sometimes in the middle of the night or while they were on family vacations. I thought of the Christ communicating exactly the healing ideas needed to practitioners and patients everywhere 24/7. I loved the courage and expectancy of good expressed by those seeking spiritual healing and the joy and confidence with which Christian Science practitioners welcome every call. I fell asleep rejoicing in the ever-presence of the divine Love that heals. I awoke the next morning refreshed; the camper awakened well.

I hope that I never again let myself be afraid of being called to the Christian Science practice. There simply can’t be anything scary about something so God-governed. Being a practitioner may not be what God has planned for me (I’m going to try not to outline what I do or don’t “want” in this regard), yet regardless of my vocation, I intend to do a better job of cherishing spiritual healing in support of all those seeking and providing it. This deeper, more intimate love of the Christian Science practice may be one of the most important things I take home from camp this year.

Thanks for the thoughts about the practice that you’ve shared with me recently. I’m looking forward to hearing more about your summer activities and inspirations!

With love,
Maria

Postscripts: After finishing this letter, I remembered that in Miscellaneous Writings, Mary Baker Eddy says, “In different ages the divine idea assumes different forms, according to humanity's needs. In this age it assumes, more intelligently than ever before, the form of Christian healing. This is the babe we are to cherish. This is the babe that twines its loving arms about the neck of omnipotence, and calls forth infinite care from His loving heart.”

"Flood-tides of Love"

Dear Michael,

I really enjoyed reading the beginning of "Christian Science Practice" with you last night (one of my favorite chapters in Mary Baker Eddy's Science and Health with key to the Scriptures). As we read, I was reminded me of one the most wonderful healings I've ever witnessed. It occurred when I was a senior counselor at Cedars Camps--I think it was the summer that we were there together (when we baked cookies on our day off, and you embarrassed me by singing "I just met a girl named Maria" in the shower). I was in charge of the Bobolink cabin--home to energetic nine-year olds. One Sunday afternoon, a little girl was dropped off by her parents with a long list of things they didn't think she would be able to do--ride horses, play running games, sleep on the top bunk. Casey struggled with asthma, and it seemed like the next two weeks were indeed going to be very trying for her--breathing was difficult and getting her to sleep that first night took time, prayer and lots of hymn singing.

The next morning we went to visit Marjorie at PAL house. (PAL stands for "Practitioner's Are Loving.") Wasn't it wonderful to have a Christian Science practitioner on site to help pray with campers and counselors when needed! Marjorie agreed to pray for Casey and referred me to Science and Health where it says, "The way to extract error from mortal mind is to pour in truth through flood-tides of Love." And, "The tender word and Christian encouragement of an invalid, pitiful patience with his fears and the removal of them, are better than hecatombs of gushing theories, stereotyped borrowed speeches, and the doling of arguments, which are but so many parodies on legitimate Christian Science, aflame with divine Love." (We read this second quote last night.) With her prayers, Marjorie would be pouring in the truth--affirming Casey's unlimited abilities as God's daughter. My job was to help with the "flood-tides of love" and "pitiful patience" with Casey's many many fears.

All the counselors and even Casey's cabin mates helped pour in the love. Her friends so naturally and patiently encouraged her to participate in camp activities. Horseback riding seemed to be Casey's biggest fear. I wondered if we'd ever get her to the corral. She simply refused to even consider getting on a horse. Looking forward to some quiet time alone in the cabin, I asked "What do we do now God?" The idea came to use my period off to go horseback riding with Casey--a shower and nap could wait. Casey agreed to give it a try; and the ride was a turing point in her experience. Nights got easier, and she actively participated in games, dances, and campouts. At the end of the session, Casey rode solo in the horse show, was sleeping soundly on the top bunk, and all traces of asthma were completely gone--washed away by prayer and those sparkling, purifying "flood-tides of Love."

So, dear husband, as we pack this week for our upcoming camp adventures, I want to remember to put "pitiful patience" and "flood-tides of Love" on top of the long underwear, water bottles, and sleeping bags--on top and ready to pull out and put to immediate, moment by moment use. And, this time around, it's OK by me if you sing in the shower.

I love you! Hugs and kisses,
Maria

Awake and Centered

Dear Cousin,

I love our dialogs about healing! Recently, you mentioned that in one of his books, Catholic scholar John Dominic Crossen suggests that when Jesus was accused of casting out a demon by Beelzebub either he or his subject was in a trance. I was intrigued by your related question, “From your observation do you think that in Christian Science healing a very centered, quiet (connected) mind is part of healing for either the practitioner or the patient or both?”

At first I thought the question was going to be hard to answer, but surprisingly it wasn’t. I must preface my answer by saying that I am answering only from my personal perspective and limited experience as a healer--for someone else it may look and feel completely different. I find that the state of mind in which the most healing takes place, both for me as a patient and as a practitioner, is almost the exact opposite of a trance. Rather, I feel very much awake, alert and in tune with my surroundings, even if a short time before I was completely exhausted. When I truly enter the heart of prayer, I become acutely aware of God's presence in every thing, situation, and thought around me. I think I've shared with you my experience of God feeling "so there" at a pop concert and this being a turning point in a healing (see my May 5th blog “Bows of Promise”). Yes, my thought did become really centered, as in focused on witnessing and expressing only God's love, but not in any meditative sense. I'm not sure it was even something I was aware of doing at the time.

However, the conscious process of becoming mentally and physically centered and quiet can be a useful exercise, quieting fears and getting thought headed in the right direction--using the letter to help lead one to the spirit. I believe Jesus sometimes used various human methods in his healing work in response to where his audience was in their spirituality--what they were ready to accept: putting clay on the blind man's eyes, causing demons to enter swine and drown themselves. Perhaps this was so the people wouldn't be afraid that the demons were running around looking for other bodies to enter. Maybe Crossen’s perceived trance was a similar concession--just wild guesses. I think thought is always quieted and becomes more awake to our unbreakable connection to Mind in the healing "process." For the patient especially, this may be more an effect of healing rather than a cause of healing.

I'm generally a "pray as you go and on the go" person; however, there was a time last week when I could tell I needed to just take some time to put on the brakes, get quiet and pray. The previous two weeks had been extremely full. I helped coordinate many of our high school’s graduation events immediately followed by teacher in-services. Heidi graduated from Middle School and headed off to a youth meeting in Boston, and Michael made two trips out of town including a Cub Scout camping trip with Lincoln. Professionally, I thrive when things are busy. I especially enjoyed graduation week because God’s timely hand in the details was so evident; however, by last Tuesday I was a zombie. It wasn’t so much the activities that had finally caught up with me, but everything else. Mentally there were health challenges to face, intuitions to pray over, confidences shared to cherish, and dilemmas to be worked through. These issues clamored for attention, completely preoccupying my thought. I decided to take Wednesday morning off from work for extra rest and prayer time. As the hour I should be at work rapidly approached, I still felt tired and stressed. My mental exercises in the name of prayer weren’t getting me very far. Only when I was willing to take my thought in a totally different direction did I began to get the truly invigorating answers I needed. Instead of trying to pray about each problem, I prayerfully explored a friend’s kind reminder that God continually gives me all the inspiration, direction, energy and concentration I need to do whatever task is at hand. As I cherished my God-insured ability to do the work before me (became awake to God’s doings) the fatigue disappeared. Even though all the personal issues hadn't been resolved, they no longer weighed upon my thought. I actually got to work sooner than expected and had a very productive finish to the week.

So I guess in this case, I did set aside time and made a conscious effort to quiet my thinking. However, only as I was willing to stop efforts to steer my thought or meditate on certain “truths,” did I get the inspiration needed to transform my experience.

I look forward to hearing more about your perspective on this topic!

With love,
Maria

Postscript: My morning at home made me think of the 23rd Psalm, "He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness..." In "The Message" this phrase is translated, "you let me catch my breath and send me in the right direction."