By Elaina Simpson, C.S.
Hello! For this evening, I thought we’d read together a little bit about angels. I’ll touch on the Christian Science perspective of angels using the books for reference and I’ll talk about some of my own experiences as supporting examples. In her book Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy (discoverer and founder of Christian Science) provides a glossary in the back of the book, with a spiritual interpretation of biblical terms. This helps us see the Bible spiritually, in an inspired way. Here is the spiritual definition angels: “ANGELS. God's thoughts passing to man; spiritual intuitions, pure and perfect; the inspiration of goodness, purity, and immortality, counteracting all evil, sensuality, and mortality.”
(Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy, p. 581) We know here, that angels are thoughts that pass to man (me and you) and that they are always perfect, pure, and good. So to use an extreme example, the suggestion, “You are an idiot!” is certainly not an angel thought, because it’s not good and therefore does not come from God. Angel messages uplift, bless, and make us feel loved and at peace. If one was brought up in Christian Science, you may have heard the term “angel message” from friends or family. This is jargon, but a sweet assurance that these angels are messages. This term comes from what Mrs. Eddy writes in Science and Health, showing that angels are synonymous with messages. Referring to Jacob, she writes, “...an angel, a message from Truth and Love, appeared to him…” (SH 308:16) You’ll also read in the Chrisitan Science Bible Lesson this week, “This angel or message which comes from God, clothed with a cloud, prefigures divine Science.” (SH 558:9–10) Angel and message are shown to be synonymous here.
If anyone has ever struggled to believe in little baby humans fluttering around in the sky or in heaven, I certainly don’t blame you. Angels are always thoughts, ideas, that bless. It’s never a human or material concept, as God is Spirit and gifts us all things that are spiritual and good.
In her article on “Angels” Mrs. Eddy writes on this:
“When angels visit us, we do not hear the rustle of wings, nor feel the feathery touch of the breast of a dove; but we know their presence by the love they create in our hearts. Oh, may you feel this touch, — it is not the clasping of hands, nor a loved person present; it is more than this: it is a spiritual idea that lights your path! The Psalmist saith: ‘He shall give His angels charge over thee.’ God gives you His spiritual ideas, and in turn, they give you daily supplies. Never ask for to-morrow: it is enough that divine Love is an ever-present help; and if you wait, never doubting, you will have all you need every moment.”
(Miscellaneous Writings 1883–1896, Mary Baker Eddy, pp. 306:22–5) I love the idea that angels have “charge over thee…”, that they come with dominion and power. These messages show us our divine power and authority in God. Yes angels are a “message” but that doesn’t imply that because we are in need of a message, that we are somehow separate from the divine Mind. These messages only prove and demonstrate our oneness with the divine Mind. I’ve experienced these messages in bigger and smaller ways. Some of these angel ideas blessed financially in times of need, some resulted in physical healings, and some showed me more about man’s spirituality and oneness with God. I’ll give two examples regarding animals and protection.
When I was a kid, I could tell that our cat wanted to go outside. As I put my hand on the knob, I paused as this simple idea came to mind... It wasn’t in human words, and it wasn’t heard verbally. It was just an idea that made me feel like I shouldn’t allow the cat to go outside. Thinking that thought was silly (not recognizing it for an angel message), I opened the door slowly to check. There was a raccoon twice the size of the cat sitting right there. The raccoon was beautiful, but I’m not sure both of them spooking each other would have been a good thing. I closed the door and both animals were safe.
On another occasion, my then boyfriend, now husband and I were driving in a wooded area, on our way back to campus after a dinner out. It was dark, and all of the sudden I felt a need to stop. I asked him to please “break and stop for deer.” (He often shares angel messages too, but in this case, this was my co-pilot duty.) This is kind of a silly thing to say to someone out of the blue, there were no deer in sight nor had I seen any, but it was a strong thought. He stopped the car and right in that moment, a mama deer and her beautiful fawns walked gracefully across the street. This was a lesson for me to stay obedient to these messages, and that they bless.
These angel messages are here for us all. Staying in tune with them and obedient, we feel protected, loved, guided and cared for. We can ask ourselves the question; “Will you open or close the door upon this angel visitant...?”
(SH 224:22) ______ Have a great evening,
Elaina
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