Mark McCurties was seven years old when he became unwell. “Out of nowhere, I began to develop an abnormal curvature of the spine,” he told me during a recent interview. “I could hardly move and I became hunched over. It was very painful.”
Mark attended a Christian Science Sunday school, and by that time his family had witnessed some impressive healings relying on prayer, so there was an expectation this condition could also be quickly healed. “I talked to a Christian Science practitioner and he assured me that God wanted only good for me,” Mark said. “In less than two weeks, my health was completely restored. I went back to being a normal, happy, active boy.”
Mark now works as a Christian Science practitioner and is a member of the Christian Science Board of Lectureship. The First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Victoria is sponsoring his in-person talk, “The Joy of beginning with God,” on Sunday, November 17th at 2:00 pm PCT at 1205 Pandora Avenue. A Zoom link will be provided for online attendees at victoriachurch.ca.
Here are a few highlights from my conversation with Mark.
MJ: You had a remarkable experience as a boy. It reminds me of what Jesus said in the Gospel of Matthew, that all things are possible with God.
MM: Yes, exactly. You can’t take an infinite God and put Him into a box. Pretty much every problem on the planet is related to limitation—limited health, limited finances, limited opportunities, etc. The world says, ‘You only get so much goodness, joy, health—but it’s finite and fickle.’ Christian Science makes it clear that God is infinite, that He has an unlimited amount of goodness for everyone. Jesus helped people to experience this in a practical way during his ministry, and the same healing is still possible today.
MJ: Your upcoming lecture is titled “The Joy of Beginning with God.” What does that mean to you?
MM: In one sense it is a commitment to begin every day praying to God, thinking about God, to begin every activity by acknowledging God. But it can also mean that everything begins with God or is caused by God, and is therefore subject to His wisdom, goodness, power, and grace.
MJ: What does Christian Science mean by “spiritual causation”?
MM: If you asked 100 people what it means to be spiritual you’d probably get 100 different answers. In the Bible, the word “spiritual” is an adjective that is connected to Spirit (a name for God) and implies something that comes from God or is caused by God. So, the term “spiritual causation” refers to God’s causative power.
MJ: How does this relate to healing?
MM: Healing in Christian Science always includes discovering new things about God. The more we learn or discover about the good God is causing, the more we can actually start to experience that goodness in practical and healing ways.
MJ: Is there a metaphor you’ve found useful when thinking about spiritual causation?
MM: I’ve always loved the idea of a ray of light and its relationship to the sun. Each ray of light is individual, yet they all have the same source—the sun. One ray can’t decide to be a little darker, less warm, or quit working for the day. Just the same, God is the cause or the source of who and what we are. Therefore, God’s children can fully shine with goodness—the health, strength, and joy that comes from God. This is the kind of spiritual reasoning that helped to heal me as a little boy.
Matt Jackson has been fascinated by how science and religion relate to each other for as long as he can remember. He is a member of the Christian Science church in Victoria, BC, and has been a professional writer and editor for 27 years.
You can read more articles on our interfaith blog, Spiritually Speaking at https://www.timescolonist.com/blogs/spiritually-speaking
*This article was published in both the print and online editions of the Times Colonist on Saturday, October 9th 2024
