WATCH

Cropped photo (detail) of

oil painting (late 1970) -- THE WATCH -- by Eva-Maria Hogrefe
WATCHING versus WATCHING OUT

COMMENT ON AN EDITORIAL WHICH APPEARED IN THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE SENTINEL, SEPTEMBER 23, 1905

Our Lord and Master left to us the following sayings as living lights in our darkness: “What I say unto you I say unto all, Watch” (Mark 13: 37); and, “If the goodman of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched, and not have suffered his house to be broken through.” (Luke 12:39.)

Here we ask: Are Christ’s  teachings the true authority of Christian Science?  They  are.  Does the textbook of Christian Science, “Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures,” read on page 252, “A knowledge of error and of its operations must precede that understanding of Truth which destroys error, until the entire mortal material error finally disappears, and the eternal verity, man created by and of Spirit, is understood and recognized as the true likeness of his Maker”?  It does.

a pair of swans holding a restful watch over their nest -- filled with eggs (see on the left)

If so-called watching produces fear or exhaustion 

and no good results, does that watch 

accord with Jesus’ saying?  It does not.  

Can watching as Christ demands harm you?  

It cannot.  Then should not “watching out” mean, 

watching a negative watch, alias, no watch, 

and gaining the spirit of true watching, even 

the spirit of our Master’s command?  

It must mean that.

BOSTON -- a view from the Public Gardens

Is there not something to watch in yourself, in your daily life, 

since “by their fruits ye shall know them,” which prevents an

 effective watch?  Otherwise, wherefore the Lord’s Prayer, 

“Deliver us from evil”?  And if this something, when challenged

 by Truth, frightens you, should you not put that out instead of 

putting out your watch?  I surely should.  Then are you not 

made better by watching?  I am.  Which should we prefer, 

ease or dis-ease in sin?  Is not discomfort from sin better 

adapted to deliver mortals from the effects of belief in sin than

 ease in sin? and can you demonstrate over the effects of other

 people’s sins by indifference thereto? I cannot.

--From Miscellany by Mary Baker Eddy, p. 232--

… start off like you are going to finish up.  If you compromise your work, the quality of your clients will go down.  And, finally, in life we are called upon to do many ordinary things, but the key is to do them extraordinarily well.

--Glenn Murcutt, Architect, The Christian Science Monitor 4/25/02--

A church & a Highrise

Man has a noble destiny; and the full-orbed significance of this destiny has dawned on the sick-bound and sin‐enslaved. For the unfolding of this upward tendency to health, greatness, and goodness, I shall continue to labor and wait.

--Mary Baker Eddy, No and Yes, p. 46—

There is no fear in love;

but perfect love casteth out fear.

--The Bible, I John 4:18—

“In Jesus’ youth, the Mosaic injunction: ’Love thy neighbour as thyself’ 

was the most important commandment in the Torah; 

for whosoever did not so love his neighbour 

would be unable to fulfill the commandment: 

‘Thou shalt love thy God with all thy soul and strength.’”

--Introduction to The Rubaiyyat of Omar Khayaam translated by Robert Graves--

The Jewish Rabbi, Hillel, who taught in Jerusalem during the late first century B.C., 

was asked by a skeptic to teach him the entire Torah while standing on one leg.  

Hillel’s response was, “What is hateful to yourself do not do to another. 

This is the whole Torah; go and study it, the rest is commentary.”

Jesus proved how kindness could be put into action.  His spiritual nature found expression in his humanity, exemplified by his preaching, teaching, and healing.  For example, as a guest at the house of his disciple Peter, Jesus gently attended to Peter’s feverish mother-in-law and healed her [see Matt. 8:14-15].  And how apparent his kindness was in his concern for a multitude of hungry people!  He fed them all [see Mark 8:1-9].  Or, think about his immeasurable kindness toward sinners: “Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost” [see Luke 15:1-6].

--An excerpt from an article by Eva-Maria Hogrefe, C. S.--