Christ: friend of the friendless

A Christian Science perspective.

From the shores of Libya, where thousands of people risk their lives in unsafe boats to get to Italy and a new life, to hungry families in inner cities or in Syria and other war-torn countries, there comes a cry for deliverance from hopelessness and suffering. While many humanitarian efforts are in place, and some governments are able to help, conditions in those countries sometimes delay or even prevent the aid from arriving.

There is help, however, that is already present. It is the Christ – the spiritual idea of God, which Jesus taught and lived. In her poem titled “Communion Hymn,” Mary Baker Eddy, the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science, points to Christ as the help that will reach and satisfy all needs. She writes, “Strongest deliverer, friend of the friendless,/ Life of all being divine” (“Poems,” p. 75).

The saving power of Christ, Truth, can heal all people at all times in all nations. Under Christ’s care, hope is more than an option – it opens the door to perceiving spiritual reality as a power alive and well in each circumstance.

Christ Jesus’ life and ministry provide ample proof of this reality. He healed hopeless cases, even brought people back from death. He was fearless before the gravest ills and most corrupt conditions. He was also compassionate toward those with doubts about his Christly ministry. Even to his disciple Thomas, who doubted the resurrection, Jesus said, “Be not faithless, but believing” (John 20:27).

The Master Christian’s proof of God’s ever-presence speaks to us through the centuries. We know from the Gospel accounts that his ministry went beyond people of his own culture and background. Matthew’s Gospel recounts the story of the Canaanite woman whose daughter was “grievously vexed with a devil.”

Jesus’ disciples said, “Send her away; for she crieth after us.” In other words, “We’re too busy to deal with this woman whose views are foreign to our own.” But Jesus, after talking to the woman, healed her daughter (see Matthew 15:21-28). He understood that God provides for all of His children, and all are under His care, whether or not they know it. This promise of healing is just as real for people today, no matter what their circumstances.

How this healing comes about in our own time isn’t ours to define or to outline. But when we hear reports of great need, we can take a moment to pause and declare mentally that right there the “friend of the friendless” is present. Right there is the power of Christ, strengthening those in need, revealing help they can understand and receive. And also right there are open hearts and hands willing to work with them toward solutions that help and heal.

From an editorial in the Christian Science Sentinel.

You've read  of  free articles. Subscribe to continue.
Real news can be honest, hopeful, credible, constructive.
What is the Monitor difference? Tackling the tough headlines – with humanity. Listening to sources – with respect. Seeing the story that others are missing by reporting what so often gets overlooked: the values that connect us. That’s Monitor reporting – news that changes how you see the world.

Dear Reader,

About a year ago, I happened upon this statement about the Monitor in the Harvard Business Review – under the charming heading of “do things that don’t interest you”:

“Many things that end up” being meaningful, writes social scientist Joseph Grenny, “have come from conference workshops, articles, or online videos that began as a chore and ended with an insight. My work in Kenya, for example, was heavily influenced by a Christian Science Monitor article I had forced myself to read 10 years earlier. Sometimes, we call things ‘boring’ simply because they lie outside the box we are currently in.”

If you were to come up with a punchline to a joke about the Monitor, that would probably be it. We’re seen as being global, fair, insightful, and perhaps a bit too earnest. We’re the bran muffin of journalism.

But you know what? We change lives. And I’m going to argue that we change lives precisely because we force open that too-small box that most human beings think they live in.

The Monitor is a peculiar little publication that’s hard for the world to figure out. We’re run by a church, but we’re not only for church members and we’re not about converting people. We’re known as being fair even as the world becomes as polarized as at any time since the newspaper’s founding in 1908.

We have a mission beyond circulation, we want to bridge divides. We’re about kicking down the door of thought everywhere and saying, “You are bigger and more capable than you realize. And we can prove it.”

If you’re looking for bran muffin journalism, you can subscribe to the Monitor for $15. You’ll get the Monitor Weekly magazine, the Monitor Daily email, and unlimited access to CSMonitor.com.

QR Code to Christ: friend of the friendless
Read this article in
https://www.csmonitor.com/Commentary/A-Christian-Science-Perspective/2014/0213/Christ-friend-of-the-friendless
QR Code to Subscription page
Start your subscription today
https://www.csmonitor.com/subscribe