In my estimation Christ Jesus is the ultimate hero for all mankind. His life was humble yet heroic. His meekness strength. His sacrifice remarkable. His compassion and love inspiring. His works unmatched. And, he knew how important and powerful prayer is.
Mary Baker Eddy, who discovered Christian Science and founded an international church, gave six important points, or religious tenets (four of which include acknowledgement of Jesus). The first tenet reads, “As adherents of Truth, we take the inspired Word of the Bible as our sufficient guide to eternal Life.” And, the sixth tenet is: “And we solemnly promise to watch, and pray for that Mind to be in us which was also in Christ Jesus; to do unto others as we would have them do unto us; and to be merciful, just, and pure.” (see Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 497)
Clearly the Holy Bible is the foundational book for students of Christian Science, and prayer and the Golden Rule are central to the practice of this Science. A sincere deep appreciation of Christ Jesus and his teachings are essential to truly demonstrating this Science. Jesus, when with his disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane, stated, “Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation.” (see Matthew 26 or Mark 14) He had asked them to be alert and watch with him; they fell asleep. Watching thought and praying to see others in their true light as children of God is sometimes challenging. Keeping this promise to watch and pray for the Mind of Christ requires discipline and obedience, which also can be hard to do. Yet, I believe most people desire to not enter into or be protected from temptation. Most people desire to be treated fairly. Most people wish to be kind.
“The Golden Rule is the principle of treating others as one wants to be treated. It is a maxim that is found in most religions and cultures. It can be considered an ethic of reciprocity in some religions, although different religions treat it differently. The Golden Rule of Leviticus 19:18 was quoted by Jesus of Nazareth (Matthew 7:12; see also Luke 6:31) during his Sermon on the Mount and described by him as the second great commandment. The common English phrasing is ‘Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.’” (www.wikipedia.org )
“The golden rule is a philosophy for leading one’s life that suggests that other people should be treated fairly and with respect. Essentially, people act for the good of others, because they would like to be treated in the same way.” (www.pagecentertraining.psu.edu )
For me the Golden Rule is a form of watching thought and demonstrating harmonious action, often through prayer-based guidance. This Rule is or should be central to the work of Christian Science nurses throughout the world and at Wide Horizon. And, certainly prayer such as described below is also key to the boundless ministry of Christian Science nursing.
Mrs. Eddy wrote, reiterating Jesus’ directive in the Gospels, “In order to pray aright, we must enter into the closet and shut the door. We must close the lips and silence the material senses. In the quiet sanctuary of earnest longings, we must deny sin and plead God’s allness. We must resolve to take up the cross, and go forth with honest hearts to work and watch for wisdom, Truth, and Love. We must ‘pray without ceasing.’ Such prayer is answered, in so far as we put our desires into practice. The Master’s injunction is, that we pray in secret and let our lives attest our sincerity.” (see chapter “Prayer” in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 15)
She also declared, “The song of Christian Science is, ‘Work – work – work – watch and pray.’” (see Message for 1900, p. 2)
Let us all sing this song!
D. Brian Boettiger
Leave a Reply