Earthly honors and accepting rebuke

The Christian Science Board of Directors wished to present the Original Mother Church to Mrs Eddy as a gift.  She declined.  Clara Shannon gives an insight into Eddy’s response on page 198 of our book (We Knew Mary Baker Eddy, Amplified Edition Vol II): “To Calvin Frye and me, our Leader said that she would reject all earthly honors and adulation, that she did not forget that on one day Jesus went up to the temple riding on an ass and the people spread their garments and palm leaves before him on the way, and the next week he was crucified on Calvary.”

Clara gives a detailed description of Mrs Eddy’s visit to the new Mother Church edifice, including her overnight stay in The Mother’s Room.  She says of the visit: “I looked upon Mother’s visit to the Church as its real spiritual dedication and consecration to the Cause of Christian Science” (pp. 202-3).

We have spoken of self-justification recently.  Here is a record of Mrs Eddy’s explanation of that aspect of mortal mind: “At any time, if we make a mistake and do not detect it as a mistake, and we are shown that it is a mistake and rebuked for it, [yet] we justify ourselves in what we have done, this is taking sides with error and is a proof that we are being governed by error.  But if, when the error is uncovered to us, we see our mistake, accept the rebuke, and condemn the error in ourselves or to someone else, then we are governed by Truth, and rise, and have overcome the error, and become more spiritually minded.  We have gained a step in Christian Science” (pp. 215-6).

Joyce Voysey