Science and Health - Christian Science Christian Science Search all of Christian Science Search Science and Health Science and Health Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures is Mary Baker Eddy’s primary work, which contains the full explanation of Christian Science and its biblical foundation for spiritual regeneration and healing. Explore all of Mary Baker Eddy's writings and the Bible with the Concord digital study tool .

Contents Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures Works of Mary Baker Eddy Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures Manual of The Mother Church Miscellaneous Writings 1883–1896 Retrospection and Introspection Unity of Good Pulpit and Press Rudimental Divine Science No and Yes Christian Science versus Pantheism Message to The Mother Church for 1900 Message to The Mother Church for 1901 Message to The Mother Church for 1902 Christian Healing The People’s Idea of God — Its Effect on Health and Christianity The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany Poems Christ and Christmas i Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by MARY BAKER EDDY President of Massachusetts Metaphysical College and Pastor Emeritus of The First Church of Christ, Scientist, Boston, Massachusetts ® Marcas Registradas Published by The Christian Science Board of Directors Distributed by The Christian Science Publishing Society Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America ii Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1875, by Mary Baker Glover In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington Copyright renewed 1903, by Mary Baker G.

Eddy Copyright extended, 1917 Copyright 1890, by Mary Baker G. Eddy, renewed, 1918 Copyright 1894, by Mary Baker G. Eddy, renewed, 1922 Copyright 1901, by Mary Baker G. Eddy, renewed, 1929 Copyright 1906, by Mary Baker G. Eddy, renewed, 1934 The design of the Cross and Crown seal and the facsimile signature of Mary Baker Eddy are trademarks of The Christian Science Board of Directors and are registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and in other countries. The stained glass design of the Cross and Crown seal is inspired by a window in The Original Mother Church edifice of The First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Boston, Massachusetts. This design of the Cross and Crown seal is a trademark owned by The Christian Science Board of Directors.

For information about reusing material, cover image, or other images from this work, please write: Permissions The Christian Science Board of Directors ℅ Office of the Publisher’s Agent, Mary Baker Eddy’s Writings 210 Massachusetts Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02115 Email: permissions@csps.com Printed in the United States of America iii Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. John viii. 32 There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so. Shakespeare Oh! Thou hast heard my prayer; And I am blest! This is Thy high behest: — Thou here, and everywhere. Mary Baker G. Eddy v vii Preface vii:1To those leaning on the sustaining infinite, to-day is big with blessings. The wakeful shepherd beholds 3the first faint morning beams, ere cometh the full radiance of a risen day.

So shone the pale star to the prophet- shepherds; yet it traversed the night, and came where, in 6cradled obscurity, lay the Bethlehem babe, the human herald of Christ, Truth, who would make plain to be‐ nighted understanding the way of salvation through Christ 9Jesus, till across a night of error should dawn the morn‐ ing beams and shine the guiding star of being. The Wise‐ men were led to behold and to follow this daystar of 12divine Science, lighting the way to eternal harmony. The time for thinkers has come. Truth, independent of doctrines and time-honored systems, knocks at the 15portal of humanity. Contentment with the past and the cold conventionality of materialism are crumbling away. Ignorance of God is no longer the stepping- 18stone to faith. The only guarantee of obedience is a right apprehension of Him whom to know aright is Life eternal. Though empires fall, “the Lord shall 21reign forever.” A book introduces new thoughts, but it cannot make them speedily understood.

It is the task of the sturdy 24pioneer to hew the tall oak and to cut the rough granite. Future ages must declare what the pioneer has accomplished. 27 Since the author’s discovery of the might of Truth in viii viii:1the treatment of disease as well as of sin, her system has been fully tested and has not been found wanting; but 3to reach the heights of Christian Science, man must live in obedience to its divine Principle. To develop the full might of this Science, the discords of corporeal sense 6must yield to the harmony of spiritual sense, even as the science of music corrects false tones and gives sweet con‐ cord to sound. 9 Theology and physics teach that both Spirit and matter are real and good, whereas the fact is that Spirit is good and real, and matter is Spirit’s oppo‐ 12site. The question, What is Truth, is answered by demonstration, — by healing both disease and sin; and this demonstration shows that Christian healing con‐ 15fers the most health and makes the best men. On this basis Christian Science will have a fair fight.

Sickness has been combated for centuries by doctors using ma‐ 18terial remedies; but the question arises, Is there less sickness because of these practitioners? A vigorous “No” is the response deducible from two connate 21facts, — the reputed longevity of the Antediluvians, and the rapid multiplication and increased violence of diseases since the flood. 24 In the author’s work, Retrospection and Introspec‐ tion, may be found a biographical sketch, narrating experiences which led her, in the year 1866, to the dis‐ 27covery of the system that she denominated Christian Science. As early as 1862 she began to write down and give to friends the results of her Scriptural study, for 30the Bible was her sole teacher; but these compositions were crude, — the first steps of a child in the newly dis‐ covered world of Spirit. ix ix:1 She also began to jot down her thoughts on the main subject, but these jottings were only infantile 3lispings of Truth. A child drinks in the outward world through the eyes and rejoices in the draught.

He is as sure of the world’s existence as he is of his own; yet 6he cannot describe the world. He finds a few words, and with these he stammeringly attempts to convey his feeling. Later, the tongue voices the more definite 9thought, though still imperfectly. So was it with the author. As a certain poet says of himself, she “lisped in numbers, for the numbers 12came.” Certain essays written at that early date are still in circulation among her first pupils; but they are feeble attempts to state the Principle and practice of 15Christian healing, and are not complete nor satisfac‐ tory expositions of Truth. To-day, though rejoicing in some progress, she still finds herself a willing dis‐ 18ciple at the heavenly gate, waiting for the Mind of Christ. Her first pamphlet on Christian Science was copy‐ 21righted in 1870; but it did not appear in print until 1876, as she had learned that this Science must be demonstrated by healing, before a work on the subject 24could be profitably studied.

From 1867 until 1875, copies were, however, in friendly circulation. Before writing this work, Science and Health, she 27made copious notes of Scriptural exposition, which have never been published. This was during the years 1867 and 1868. These efforts show her comparative 30ignorance of the stupendous Life-problem up to that time, and the degrees by which she came at length to its solution; but she values them as a parent x x:1may treasure the memorials of a child’s growth, and she would not have them changed. 3 The first edition of Science and Health was pub‐ lished in 1875. Various books on mental healing have since been issued, most of them incorrect in theory 6and filled with plagiarisms from Science and Health. They regard the human mind as a healing agent, whereas this mind is not a factor in the Principle of 9Christian Science. A few books, however, which are based on this book, are useful. The author has not compromised conscience to suit 12the general drift of thought, but has bluntly and hon‐ estly given the text of Truth.

She has made no effort to embellish, elaborate, or treat in full detail so in‐ 15finite a theme. By thousands of well-authenticated cases of healing, she and her students have proved the worth of her teachings. These cases for the most part 18have been abandoned as hopeless by regular medical attendants. Few invalids will turn to God till all physical supports have failed, because there is so little 21faith in His disposition and power to heal disease. The divine Principle of healing is proved in the personal experience of any sincere seeker of Truth. Its 24purpose is good, and its practice is safer and more po‐ tent than that of any other sanitary method. The un‐ biased Christian thought is soonest touched by Truth, 27and convinced of it. Only those quarrel with her method who do not understand her meaning, or dis‐ cerning the truth, come not to the light lest their 30works be reproved. No intellectual proficiency is req‐ uisite in the learner, but sound morals are most de‐ sirable.

xi xi:1 Many imagine that the phenomena of physical heal‐ ing in Christian Science present only a phase of the 3action of the human mind, which action in some unex‐ plained way results in the cure of disease. On the con‐ trary, Christian Science rationally explains that all 6other pathological methods are the fruits of human faith in matter, — faith in the workings, not of Spirit, but of the fleshly mind which must yield to Science. 9 The physical healing of Christian Science results now, as in Jesus’ time, from the operation of divine Principle, before which sin and disease lose their real‐ 12ity in human consciousness and disappear as naturally and as necessarily as darkness gives place to light and sin to reformation. Now, as then, these mighty works 15are not supernatural, but supremely natural. They are the sign of Immanuel, or “God with us,” — a divine influence ever present in human consciousness and re‐ 18peating itself, coming now as was promised aforetime, To preach deliverance to the captives [of sense], And recovering of sight to the blind, 21To set at liberty them that are bruised.

When God called the author to proclaim His Gospel to this age, there came also the charge to plant and 24water His vineyard. The first school of Christian Science Mind-healing was started by the author with only one student in 27Lynn, Massachusetts, about the year 1867. In 1881, she opened the Massachusetts Metaphysical College in Boston, under the seal of the Commonwealth, a law 30relative to colleges having been passed, which enabled her to get this institution chartered for medical pur‐xii xii:1poses. No charters were granted to Christian Scien‐ tists for such institutions after 1883, and up to that 3date, hers was the only College of this character which had been established in the United States, where Christian Science was first introduced. 6 During seven years over four thousand students were taught by the author in this College.

Meanwhile she was pastor of the first established Church of 9Christ, Scientist; President of the first Christian Sci‐ entist Association, convening monthly; publisher of her own works; and (for a portion of this time) sole 12editor and publisher of the Christian Science Journal, the first periodical issued by Christian Scientists. She closed her College, October 29, 1889, in the height of 15its prosperity with a deep-lying conviction that the next two years of her life should be given to the prep‐ aration of the revision of Science and Health, which 18was published in 1891. She retained her charter, and as its President, reopened the College in 1899 as auxil‐ iary to her church. Until June 10, 1907, she had never 21read this book throughout consecutively in order to elu‐ cidate her idealism. In the spirit of Christ’s charity, — as one who “hopeth 24all things, endureth all things,” and is joyful to bear consolation to the sorrowing and healing to the sick, — she commits these pages to honest seekers for Truth.

27 Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures » Mary Baker Eddy Library Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures > Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures One of the 75 books by women whose words have changed the world. —Women’s National Book Association Mary Baker Eddy ’s primary work, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, is a 700-page book detailing her discovery of Christian Science, her system of healing, and her commentary on the Scriptures. It was the focal point for the expression of so many of Eddy’s ideas. “That work is the outgrowth of my whole life, as my dear husband used to say,” she wrote to a student. First published in 1875, Science and Health has sold over 10 million copies and is a best-seller today. Following a serious accident, Eddy had a profound healing experience that provided important insights into the spiritual nature of life and health—insights which she had been seeking for many years. She later called that experience a “discovery” and soon sought to understand, replicate, make notes on, and teach this discovery to students and patients.

As Eddy’s ability to prove the effectiveness of her discovery grew, she established herself as a healer and began to teach others how to heal. In 1868, she was asked to help a woman dying from pneumonia. The doctor in attendance had informed her that there was no hope for the patient, but Eddy immediately cured the woman. The doctor urged her to write a book about her system of healing and share it with the world. Science and Health is the result. Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures is available in 16 language translations and English Braille. Read Science and Health online (on ChristianScience.com). Questions? Science and Health, with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy on iBooks This book is available for download with iBooks on your Mac or iOS device, and with iTunes on your computer. Books can be read with iBooks on your Mac or iOS device. Description According to Wikipedia: "Mary Baker Eddy (born Mary Morse Baker July 16, 1821 – December 3, 1910) was the founder of the Christian Science movement. Deeply religious, she advocated Christian Science as a spiritual practical solution to health and moral issues.

She wrote Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, founded The First Church of Christ, Scientist of Boston in 1879, and several periodicals including The Christian Science Monitor. She took the name Mary Baker Glover from her first marriage and was also known as Mary Baker Glover Eddy or Mary Baker G. Eddy from her third marriage. She did much spiritual teaching, lecturing, and instantaneous healing. Her influence continues to grow through her writings." Print Length: 506 Pages Language: English Requirements: To view this book, you must have an iOS device with iBooks 1.3.1 or later and iOS 4.3.3 or later, or a Mac with iBooks 1.0 or later and OS X 10.9 or later. Customer Ratings Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures for iOS - Free download and software reviews - CNET Download.com From IndiaNIC: Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy First published in 1875 and read by more than eight million people, this nondenominational book has a 119-year history of healing and inspiration.

To attract a new audience, this time-honored message of healing has a powerful new cover, easy-to-read page layout, and word index. Named one of "75 Books by Women Whose Words Have Changed the World". Mary Baker Eddy (born Mary Morse Baker July 16, 1821 December 3, 1910) was the founder of the Christian Science movement. Deeply religious, she advocated Christian Science as a spiritual practical solution to health and moral issues. She wrote Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, founded The First Church of Christ, Scientist of Boston in 1879, and several periodicals including The Christian Science Monitor. She took the name Mary Baker Glover from her first marriage and was also known as Mary Baker Glover Eddy or Mary Baker G. Eddy from her third marriage. She did much spiritual teaching, lecturing, and instantaneous healing. Her influence continues to grow through her writings. What's new in this version: Bug Fixed The posting of advertisements, profanity, or personal attacks is prohibited. Click here to review our site terms of use. Thank You for Submitting Your Review, ! Note that your submission may not appear immediately on our site.

Close Update Your Review Since you've already submitted a review for this product, this submission will be added as an update to your original review. Summary: (10 characters minimum)0 of 1000 characters The posting of advertisements, profanity, or personal attacks is prohibited. Click here to review our site terms of use. Thank You for Submitting an Update to Your Review, ! Note that your submission may not appear immediately on our site. Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures – Fit for Life The healing power of appreciation Everyone loves to be appreciated – to have their good qualities recognized. The blog Little Things Matter, recognizing the importance and health-giving power of appreciation, wrote, “When you express your approval or gratitude by showing your appreciation for something [another has] done, you will not only enhance their lives, but you will enrich yours as well. You will feel more fulfilled because you have done something to make someone else’s life better.” Taking this a little further, when you realize that the good you and others express has its source in the divine, the results can be even more beneficial – in some cases, life-changing.

The Chicken Soup for the Soul series relates the true story of a junior high math teacher who had a class that was edgy and critical of each other after a week of studying new and difficult concepts. She asked her students to take a few pieces of paper and write the name of each student in one column and the nicest thing they could think of about that person in another column. That weekend the teacher compiled these lists of appreciation and gave each student his or her list on Monday. She wrote, “Before long, the entire class was smiling. ‘Really?’ I heard whispered. ‘I never knew that meant anything to anyone!’ “I didn’t know others liked me so much.” She continued, “No one ever mentioned those papers in class again. The exercise had accomplished its purpose. The students were happy with themselves and one another again.” Years later, one of the students died in Vietnam. At the funeral, the parents of the deceased young man asked to talk to the teacher. They told her that he kept that list in his wallet all those years afterward and even into the military service. It had been found in his wallet when the parents were given his personal effects.

As they told this to the teacher, various other students from that class who attended the funeral, showed their lists and spoke of how much this appreciation meant to them years later. I have often remembered this story in my healing practice. When individuals have struggled with feelings of loneliness, unworthiness, frustration or being unloved, I have talked to them about how they are appreciated by God as one of His uniquely loved children. This is true about all of us – God, divine Love, is the Father and Mother of each of us. Christian Science discoverer Mary Baker Eddy searched the Scriptures and found the spiritual relationship between God, Spirit, and man in His spiritual image and likeness, to be based on a divine Principle, or the unchanging law of good. This law enforces itself in man as ever-unfolding goodness. In her monumental book on spirituality and health, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Eddy helps the reader identify those qualities God expresses in all of us – qualities such as harmony, beauty, health, goodness, holiness and vitality. There are many lovely spiritual qualities that each of us inherits from God. These ideas are not static, but a part of our being.

Wisdom, grace, patience and many other qualities are within us waiting to be acknowledged and lived. Eddy wrote, “God expresses in man the infinite idea forever developing itself, broadening and rising higher and higher from a boundless basis.” As we see these divine traits within us as coming from divine Principle, operating universally, we can come to the conclusion that if we include, by nature, one of God’s qualities, we inherently include all of them. Since we are God’s image, we must inherit and reflect each of His divine characteristics. Not one is left out. I remember struggling with a college writing class. Nothing I wrote seemed to please the professor. One night I decided to pray – to acknowledge that intelligence, creativity, insight and comprehension are divine qualities established in me and everyone by God. If God is intelligent, creative and comprehending I reasoned, so I must be, since I am His likeness. After really accepting and cherishing this, the right words came to me and I found myself writing very quickly. The result was not only a paper that the professor read in front of the class as exemplary, but a realization that God has created all of us with an infinite amount of talent and goodness waiting to be expressed.

And wow, today I am a writer…and much more when I think of what God has given me to be and do! I have seen this identification with divine qualities help many individuals overcome all sorts of limitations – from school problems, to work challenges, even to mental and physical illness. Try this: identify, acknowledge, accept and cherish the qualities that God naturally expresses in you. Realize that there is much more to you than physicality. God’s expression of good, guaranteed by divine Principle, actually defines you. This understanding helps us feel that we are not only appreciated, but deeply loved by God, as His expression of Himself. Taking personal bests to the next level They are World Series champions – the Chicago Cubs! Congratulations to the Ricketts family; to Theo Epstein, president of the team; Manager Joe Maddon and all the players and personnel. They truly took this ball club to “the next level” – a Nike slogan a few years ago. To me, it’s all about breaking through our own limitations and doing or being the best we can. This doesn’t just apply to professional athletes.

The readers of this paper have found in their own lives ways to “take it to the next level.” Maybe they are walking further each morning than they did the previous day, swimming farther, or lifting heavier weights. But I think there are many ways to take life to the next level. How about embracing a new level in the good emotions we cultivate and express in our lives? Maybe we can express more affection, compassion and gratitude than we have in the past. Why should we do that? Well, one reason is simply that it makes us feel good. Additionally, it’s quite possible that doing those things can have a significant impact on our health. Kory Floyd, an associate professor at Arizona State University’s Hugh Downs School of Human Communication has studied the effect of affection on one’s health. “Being affectionate is good for you,” Floyd says. “Affection can be a simple, non-pharmaceutical, cheap way to reduce stress.” Floyd has found that there are direct associations between being an affectionate person and a lower risk of depression and stress. “Highly affectionate people tend to have better mental health and less stress. They also react to stress better,” he stated.

The impact of affection and love on health has also been the subject of studies on cancer patients. Wendy Mclain, Fruitland Park Senior Health Examiner, wrote about The Love Study conducted by the Institute of Noetic Sciences. She reported that this study consisted of couples who had been together for a long time. One of the two had cancer. The healthy participant was asked to show their love toward the other while the receiver’s physiological state was measured. Immediately, health benefits came to the ill partner. According to Mclain, “They concluded the study demonstrated that focusing love selflessly on another individual has significant healing properties for the one who is sick.” Health researcher and author Mary Baker Eddy saw the importance of taking many of the emotions out of what she called the “physical” level and taking them to the next level, which she called the “moral”. In her best-selling book on spirituality and health, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, she emphasized the health-giving properties we acquire as we raise our life above fear, pride, envy, deceit, hatred and revenge, and learn to express the qualities of humanity, honesty, affection, compassion, hope, faith, meekness, and temperance.

She wrote, “Whatever guides thought spiritually benefits mind and body” (Science and Health, p. 149). As we all are inspired by the overcoming of limitations by athletes, we can also overcome our own limitations – even our dislikes, jealousies and anger, and bring out our “personal best” in all we do. The search for courage and healing October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Many individuals and groups are joining together to help raise funds and bring attention to efforts to combat this disease. Pink (the color signifying these efforts) is everywhere. Even pro football players can be seen wearing pink on their uniforms. I vividly remember turning on the television last year and seeing an audience full of women who have survived breast cancer. I applaud their courage, determination and victory! Margaret Price is one such survivor. I read her story on-line. After her diagnosis, she reasoned that her treatment must include a learning experience. She stated, “The whole process was a major learning lesson.” What she learned was that she was innately strong and with the love of her family and friends could handle more than she had previously thought. She credited prayer with helping her find this inner strength. “I have always believed in the power of prayer,” she wrote.

“My advice is to think positively, pray a lot and laugh a lot.” Prayer and spirituality are vital ingredients in the experience of many cancer survivors. On the Cancer Survivors Network, R. E. wrote, “Spirituality can be many things. Some may find it at a church or a synagogue while others find it in the comfort of a mountain stream or the spray of the ocean. When times are difficult or stressful I find great comfort in the presence of nature and the meditation of prayer.” When my friend Marian discovered a lump in her breast, she found spirituality and prayer not only helpful in surviving this illness, but powerful enough to heal it. Rather than seek medical treatment, she chose to rely completely on God, whom the Psalmist said “healeth all thy diseases” (Psalm 103). She told me that prayer for her, was also a learning experience – finding that God was the source of her life and that He was supreme and trustworthy. She explained that praying in this way didn’t mean she was idle – just hoping that she would recover. For her, prayer meant learning more about unending, all-powerful divine Life.

She studied her Bible each day and found great comfort in these words of Jesus, “Ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32). Along with the Bible, she studied another book, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy, to discover more of and understand better this freeing truth Jesus spoke of. As she gained a greater sense of the omnipotence of eternal Life, God, as revealed in the Bible, she found that illness was not something to fear, but to triumph over. She was greatly encouraged by these words in Eddy’s book: “Tumors, ulcers, tubercles, inflammation, pain, deformed joints, are waking dream-shadows, dark images of mortal thought, which flee before the light of Truth” (p. 418). She reasoned that as darkness often distorts reality, illness is a distortion of man’s eternal, spiritual identity – that our life comes from God and is never limited to a body. Marian found this understanding to be a refuge from fear, and she gained the courage to face this illness. Actually, her study became an adventure in learning more about her spiritual selfhood as a loved child of God.

And she also found that it healed the disease. She is well today. The courage and the spiritual understanding that enable us to face fear and overcome any illness are an innate part of our spirituality. They come from God and are just waiting to be discovered. We all have the relationship to God that heals. Being safe on campus Going off to college can be an extremely exciting time in one’s life. It opens the door to unlimited opportunities to learn and to grow. But unfortunately, college life can sometimes expose one to violence. According to a study led by Christopher P. Krebs, PhD for the National Institute of Justice, one in 5 women and one in 16 men are sexually assaulted while in college. In a college newsletter for students, the University of West Virginia offered various tips for preventing sexual assault, including staying with friends at parties, not accepting drinks from anyone, keeping your cell phone charged and with you, and making sure you have a ride home. These tips can help reduce one’s susceptibility to attack. I have found another way to reduce one’s vulnerability – becoming conscious of the protecting power of God. I spend a lot of my day praying for others – and seeing the healing results of those prayers.

I’ve learned a lot about successful praying through the study of two books: The Bible and Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, by Mary Baker Eddy. They have taught me that acknowledging the healing presence of God in any situation can bring protection. One line from Science and Health that I have found very effective speaks about God as Love. It states, “Clad in the panoply of Love, human hatred cannot reach you.” My wife, Bonnie, found this to be true when she was in college. She and a friend had decided to read their literature assignment by the local river. Sitting on a dock, dangling their feet in the water, they were engrossed in their reading and didn’t notice the approach of a stranger. Suddenly, Bonnie heard a sound and saw her friend stand up terrified. Then a large young man jumped on top of Bonnie, knocking her flat on her back and pinning her to the dock. Since she was just inches from the edge of the dock, and he was so much bigger than she, it seemed impossible to fight him off. His intent, she told me later, was clear. She began to pray, acknowledging God’s presence.

She remembered the Bible promise, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” (Ps. 46: 1). She told her friend to run and get help. When her friend did this, the man got up and ran away. As she walked back toward campus, the man walked up to her and apologized. In order to protect others, they reported this to the campus safety department. When the police heard a description of the man, they said they knew who he was. He was participating in a local police rehabilitation program for troubled youth. They promised to intensify their efforts to help him stop these destructive behaviors. Bonnie found that this prayer of acknowledging God as “a very present help in trouble” also aided her in overcoming the emotional aftereffects of the attack. What I have found in my ministry is that what is true for one is true for all. Everyone can find safety from violence, including the offenders. As we realize God’s loving presence on campus, or anywhere in the world, we can find that God is “a very present help” to everyone. What is Communion, really? Have you ever taken Communion?

If you are a Christian, you may have taken Communion at one time or even many times in your life. Although Christian theologians have various opinions as to what Communion is, all would agree that it observes Jesus’ giving bread and wine to his disciples at the Last Supper before his crucifixion. The Bible relates in the book of Matthew, “And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; for this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.” Communion is a holy rite for Christians. While some theologians feel that taking Communion–eating the wafer and drinking the wine–is tantamount to eating the flesh and drinking the blood of Jesus, others see it as symbolic of a commitment to following Jesus. And this could include feeling the presence of the Christ-spirit he taught and lived–a power which saves, restores and heals.

Greg Laurie, pastor at Harvest Christian Fellowship (one of America’s largest churches) in Riverside, California, wrote this for the website Jesus.org: “As we participate in Communion, we don’t want to overly mystify what it represents. We don’t want to think of the bread as flesh and the cup as containing blood. On the other hand, we don’t want to devalue Communion by thinking it means nothing. “The bread and the cup are not holy elements in and of themselves. But they do represent something that is very holy. So it is with great respect and reverence that we come to the Communion table, recognizing it is a symbol of what Jesus Christ accomplished for us on the cross .” This week my church and other Christian Science churches throughout the world will observe Communion Sunday. It is celebrated in these churches twice a year on the second Sunday in January and July. The lesson-sermon is the same in all Christian Science churches each week, and consists of passages from The Bible and from Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures written by the discoverer of Christian Science and founder of its church, Mary Baker Eddy.

This week being Communion Sunday, the lesson-sermon is titled “Sacrament,” and accounts of The Last Supper, Jesus’ struggle in the garden of Gethsemane, the crucifixion and the resurrection will be read from the Bible. Selections from Science and Health relate Jesus’ example to our own struggles and how prayer can help us overcome our challenges with temptation, fear, betrayal and even illness. Also read during the service will be the account of Jesus meeting his disciples at the Sea of Galilee after his resurrection. About this, Eddy wrote, “This spiritual meeting with our Lord in the dawn of a new light is the morning meal which Christian Scientists commemorate. They bow before Christ, Truth, to receive more of his reappearing and silently to commune with the divine Principle, Love.” I was in my early twenties when I attended my first communion service. After the reading of the lesson-sermon, we were all invited to kneel in silent prayer. As I began to kneel, I was aware of all the others in the congregation doing the same. No longer did we seem to be young and old, rich and poor, but instead there was a sense of community and equality.

I found the silence during the silent prayer very peaceful, and afterward, when we all prayed the Lord’s Prayer together, there was a unity of faith and a re-dedication to God. It was very stirring and uplifting, as I felt the touch of the Christ — the truth Jesus taught and lived that saves and heals. I have found that to be the same in the many communion services I have attended since then. Eddy wrote, “Our Eucharist is spiritual communion with the one God,” and while this union with God can occur anytime and anyplace, there is something comforting and inspiring about kneeling and praying with others. Communion has been defined as “a close relationship with someone or something” (Merriam-Webster). My experience has taught me that spiritual communion with God — acknowledging His presence, praying to Him, listening for His message to speak to our hearts, is available to everyone, at any time, — Christian or not, religious or not. The Christ — the tender presence of God — envelops everyone, at all times. It guides, guards, comforts and loves every one of us. But I have also found for myself and many others that it is felt more when acknowledged.

You may want to take a few moments today to engage in spiritual communion with God — thinking of His love, being thankful for the good you have and feeling the redeeming power of the ever-present Christ, Truth. Then let that divine Love bring a sense of humility, wonder, awe and even divine healing into your life. Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures (Authorized Edition) by Mary Baker Eddy on iBooks This book is available for download with iBooks on your Mac or iOS device, and with iTunes on your computer. Books can be read with iBooks on your Mac or iOS device. Description Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures is Mary Baker Eddy’s primary work and the definitive textbook on the system of healing that she discovered in 1866 and named Christian Science. First published in 1875, Science and Health has sold over 10 million copies and is still a best-seller.

It has been cited by the Women’s National Book Association as “one of the 75 books by women whose words have changed the world.” For over 135 years, readers have testified that reading and studying this book has not only given them a spiritual sense of the Bible and a clearer recognition of their permanent relationship to God, but has also resulted in physical healing and spiritual uplift. Letters from readers that testify to such healing from simply reading the book can be found in the last chapter of Science and Health This is the only ebook edition authorized by The Mother Church, The First Church of Christ, Scientist. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Mary Baker Eddy (1821–1910) was an influential American author, teacher, and religious leader. She is noted for her groundbreaking ideas about spirituality and healing, which she based on the Bible, particularly Christ Jesus’ words and works. This system of healing, which she denominated Christian Science, puts into action all that she learned from her Bible study. Her ideas are fully articulated in her major work, the best-seller Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, first published in 1875.

In 1879, she founded the Church of Christ, Scientist, in Boston, Massachusetts, which today has branch churches and societies around the world. She established her church “to commemorate the word and works of our Master, which should reinstate primitive Christianity and its lost element of healing.” In 1908 she launched The Christian Science Monitor, a leading international newspaper, the recipient, to date, of seven Pulitzer Prizes. At her passing, hundreds of tributes appeared in newspapers around the world, including The Boston Globe, which wrote, “She did a wonderful—an extraordinary work in the world and there is no doubt that she was a powerful influence for good.” Customer Reviews Science and Health, with Key to the Scriptures eBook by Mary Baker Eddy - 9781455331628 | Kobo Show more Show less According to Wikipedia: "Mary Baker Eddy (born Mary Morse Baker July 16, 1821 December 3, 1910) was the founder of the Christian Science movement. Deeply religious, she advocated Christian Science as a spiritual practical solution to health and moral issues.

She wrote Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, founded The First Church of Christ, Scientist of Boston in 1879, and several periodicals including The Christian Science Monitor. She took the name Mary Baker Glover from her first marriage and was also known as Mary Baker Glover Eddy or Mary Baker G. Eddy from her third marriage. She did much spiritual teaching, lecturing, and instantaneous healing. Her influence continues to grow through her writings." Buy the eBook

Question: Who wrote "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures"?
Answer: Mary Baker Eddy