Mrs. Eddy’s Christmas message

December 22, 2023 | 59 comments

Mrs. Eddy wrote this note to her household helpers during Christmas, 1909:

MY HOUSEHOLD

Beloved: — A word to the wise is sufficient. Mother wishes you all a happy Christmas, a feast of Soul and a famine of sense.

Lovingly thine, Mary Baker Eddy

May we all enjoy a “feast of Soul and a famine of sense,” this Christmas season!

59 thoughts on “Mrs. Eddy’s Christmas message”

  9. With great love I thank God for giving everyone the mind of Christ within. As Scott Preller said on today’s daily Lift, have we noticed? Blessings to all. Thanks Evan for Spirit View .
    much love,
    Nancy

    Reply

  10. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).
    Happy Christmas celebrations to everyone and prayers for the world for peace.
    How wonderful to have our daily inspiration of Spirit View. Thank you so much Evan for your caring and sharing. Much Love to All.❣️

    Reply

  12. Thank you Evan for this lovely Christmas message from Mrs.
    Eddy reminding us to keep it in mind throughout Christmas,
    and forever. Fed by “the bread of heaven”, a feast of Soul, and
    a famine of sense”, we thank our heavenly Father for “His
    unspeakable gift” of His beloved Son He sent to us because of
    His great love for us, to redeem us from all our woes.

    I read an article by Barbara Vining a while ago in which she
    said she was making room for a manger in her heart. I thought
    what a beautiful idea that was. We can then humbly cherish the
    “Babe of Christian healing”” in our heart, protect it, and let is
    grow in us and make it our own.

    A very happy and blessed Christmas and fruitful New Year dear Evan
    and everyone. Thank you for all the sharing and articles etc. we have
    had to feast on and share during the year.

    Reply

  13. Thank you Evan for the gift of Spiritview —a feast for the Soul everyday! Happy & Merry Christmas to all !

    Reply

  18. Set myself an assignment – all the ways Jesus was recognized and ID’ed from this week’s lesson. Enjoying how you all are seeing him as well.

    Reply

  19. Merry Christmas all Spiritview family!

    I am grateful each morning, Evan, for your Truths to support us during that day. I am grateful for all Jesus our dear master gave us. I am also grateful for Mrs. Eddy’s revelation of the comforter.

    Reply

  20. “My prayer, some daily good to do
    To Thine, for Thee,
    An offering pure of Love, whereto
    God leadeth me”.
    (hymn 253 by our Leader)
    Christmas blessings to all. X

    Reply

  21. What a beautifully warm and wonderful message of Love and Soul expressed here this morning!
    Thank you All! I had just read that very dear message from Mrs. Eddy last night on the very last
    page in a little book a Sunday School teacher had kindly given me so many years ago.. but like Mrs. Eddy’s message … is still as relevant and heartfelt as when she wrote it. A delightful way to embrace Christmas and it represents the True meaning of what Christmas means to us Every Day.
    So much Love to you, dear Evan, Kathy, your family and our universal Spirit View family!

    Reply

  23. Thank you Evan, I loved the idea of wishing everyone a “feast of Soul and a famine of sense.” I found that very touching in thinking about Mrs. Eddy’s relationship with her household workers and how they called her Mother. The message is brief but really encompasses everything in those few words.

    Much love and many blessings to Evan and to all who partake and contribute to SV, whether through sharing resources, comments, healings, struggles or just reading, learning, praying and growing together. I am very grateful.

    Reply

  24. Thank you all for the wonderful Healing statements this morning. which truly are more prayers Of faith!
    Last evening we watched a movie entitled T&e Christmas Candle produced in 2013.
    It had a deeper meaning to me then. Maybe others would get as We know that the healing’s came from faith and Understanding not from the candles.
    This morning as I ring the bell for donations to The Salvation Army.
    I will endeavor to see each and every person as a perfect idea of God. That is what we are!
    Happy Christmas to all!

    Reply

  25. May we all radiate the light of Christ, which we share daily here with this precious SpiritView fellowship, and in the world.
    I love the messages shared by this beautiful community. I am so so very grateful to Evan for providing this, his evident listening to our One Mind.
    Having read the comments so far, I wrote in my prayer journal, “I want to make room in my heart to welcome in the New Child, Christ, the uplifting and inspiring thought from our heavenly Father~Mother Love. I pray to feel Christ dwelling forever in my heart, and see the healing Christ everywhere in the world, bringing peace and comfort. May love and compassion guide me today.”
    Most blessed and happy Christmas to you all!
    And Love!

    Reply

  26. DRAWN TO THE MANGER by Dilshad Khambatta Eames:
    There are infinite ways to pray—to yield,
    To deepen our consciousness of God.
    So often I’m led
    To the purity of the manger—the manger of humility and love,
    Where every knee and every heart bows to the Christ,
    Where a higher law of justice prevails.
    There’s such a natural attraction to this place . . .
    This gathering . . .
    Not only did it draw Mary and Joseph, looking for a place to rest,
    But other listening hearts—
    The lowly shepherds . . .
    And wise men bearing gifts.
    All of us are called to this place
    Of life . . . transcending time and space.
    It’s inevitable, this gathering—the natural activity of the Christ—
    Where the carnal mind cannot enter.
    In fact, the carnal mind cannot even conceive of such a place.
    And in this meek and joyful manger, the babe of Christian healing . . .
    Appears.

    “About Christmas” (Some thoughts from the writings of Mary Baker Eddy):
    https://www.cslectures.org/Articles/Christmas.htm

    Reply

  27. Thank you so much Evan for the amazing gift of SpiritView throughout the year! Wishing you and the entire SpiritView family a very Merry and Blessed Christmas! Love to all!

    Reminder…
    CHRISTMAS EVE TALK:
    “Being Drawn to The Christ” by Michael Mooslin, CS
    Sponsored by: Third Church Christ Scientist, New York City USA
    “Please join us in person on Christmas Eve, Sunday, December, 24th at 583 Park Ave and 63rd Street, New York City. The talk will begin at 7:30 PM Eastern Time preceded by inspirational Christmas music at 7:15 PM. You can also join us ONLINE at thirdchurchnyc.com. We will provide live simultaneous Spanish translation.”
    https://thirdchurchnyc.com/

    Reply

    1. Yes “J” I would love to watch and listen to it. You know, in Germany then it is 1.30 am on 25th December already.

      I just found in Facebook tue article by Paul Stark Seeley from the 19th December 1942 issue, I think it was the Journal with the title “Christmas is God’s answer”.
      Perhaps ,ou coul find it and give us the link to it here, dear “J”?
      Love and happy happy Christmas to you!♡

      Reply

      1. Hi Uta, I believe they’ll have a replay of the Christmas Eve talk, but not sure when it will be available. Here you go on the excellent article. This was the only version I was able to find. (For easier reading, you can highlight the article, cut and paste the article into an email to yourself. Highlight it again and choose a larger size font, then send to your email address.) 🙂

        “Christmas Is God’s Answer” by Paul Stark: Seeleyhttps://sentinel.christianscience.com/layout/set/print/issues/1942/12/44-51/christmas-is-god-s-answer

        Reply

  28. Thank you Evan and all who contribute to Spiritview. I start my day with all of you. Blessings to you all this Christmas season and every day.

    Reply

  29. What a privilege it is to be able to come together throughout the year at this blessed meeting place, where we share a”feast of Soul, and a famine of sense”, and our efforts to more earnestly follow the Christ example.
    The words of hymn# 597 are so fitting:

    Where charity and love abide,
    We know that God is there,
    And Christ has gathered us as one
    To love the living God.

    Where charity and love abide,
    Christ’s love lives in our hearts,
    And we, through works and words sincere,
    Love all as he loved us.

    Where charity and love abide,
    We faithfully keep watch,
    That strife, confusion, may not hide
    Our unity in Christ.

    Where charity and love abide,
    We find our life through Christ,
    And know a joy immense and good,
    Forever one with God.

    May Evan and all who bring their light, inspiration and love to this spiritual family gathering be blessed with a holy, heavenly, and healing Christmas!

    Reply

  31. Wishing all my Spirit View family a Happy Christmas, filled with healing prayers.
    Thank you all for the wonderful comments and referrals to healing articles this past year all were so inspiring.
    New Year ‘s blessings and prayers to you all!
    Love and hugs Renis Ducharme from Phoenix AZ
    To my Brother Gene Stirling you have always been a shining example of true giving of self to me.

    Reply

  32. I too am most grateful for Evan and Spuritview!
    I am inspired by the love Evan expresses in his blogs and the comments shared by all those who respond. What a gift to all of us. “a feast of Soul and a famine of sense”
    Thank you, with much ❤️ love!

    Reply

  33. A special time for celebrating and recognizing the Christ in others , and in ourselves !!
    In the pure joy of this season that shows us the entire world is our family !!!
    Our brothers and sisters in Christ ✨

    So grateful for our way shower and Mary Baker Eddy ❤️
    and for all the meek and pure in heart disciples of La Mesa , Sue , Nancy , Vienna , Jim , Ron ,Lucy ,Cathryn , Marilyn , Elana , Allison
    and special gratitude to you this season Daryll

    Reply

  34. and a special gratitude to you Sunny and Brian ( and Ally )
    Carol and Jack ,
    ❤️Christi and Irene and everyone else that’s unnamed here at La Mesa and for Church family here at S.V and around the globe

    Reply

  36. I am so grateful for this SV family and wish you all a plethora of happiness Christmas and every day, to have a feast of God’s Love and a “famine of sense.” 🙂

    Reply

  37. Thank you Evan and all Spiritview participants. I’m most grateful for the wonderful inspiration we have here and the community of love that is expressed here. It is a powerful help in our progress, in our understanding. MBE says in Science and Health, Page 505, “Spiritual sense is the discernment of spiritual good,” and further on, ” This understanding is not intellectual, is not the result of scholarly attainments; it is the reality of all things brought to light”.
    From hymn 412: “The Christ is here, all dreams of error breaking, unloosing bonds of all captivity.” How glorious!

    Reply

  40. The lovely graphic and wonderful enlightenments inspired…

    Hearts descended
    Upon the night of blue
    With angel thoughts
    Revealing Christ’s Love for you…

    Camels journeyed
    Wise men adored
    The heavenly light whispered
    Peace/ Love from Christ and Lord.

    Reply

  41. Dear Carol – I have just had a peek to see if there wre any more offerings, and your lovely
    poem is beautiful – thank you. I always love the beautiful and poetical way you
    describe things. You obviously live in a beautiful place, and it is lovely that you appreciate
    the beauty you have around you, and all of God’s creatures. Enjoy your Christmas scenery and have a peaceful and joyous Christmas, and a New Year filled with more and more of the beauty of the Lord. I realise that you may not see this but I felt led to respond.

    For anyone else who may have a last peek – extra good wishes for a happy Christmas to
    tyou.

    love to all.

    Reply

  42. Oh dear Maggie,
    Thank you so much for your very sweet and kind message! I am so glad for your
    comment and it means much to me. My little humble abode seems quite missing
    by a lot of “material” standards, but you are right – God’s creatures and the beauty
    of the scenery is extra special and cozy and I cherish that. There are many geese
    in the field right now and birds at the feeder and deer provide gentleness and peaceful
    serenity which I love.
    I keep peeking in here a lot and know most are busy with family and such, but love
    the inspiration and Thank you again so much for sharing your loving response to what
    I had written. I am so very grateful that you were “led” to respond, as I was feeling a
    bit down because I think I’ve misunderstood someone (- I tend to do that sometimes)
    and this helped bring my spirit up again.
    I hope you, too, have a lovely Christmas as well as anyone else who peeks in.

    Reply

    1. Thank you so very much, dear J for these excellent and helpful articles. They
      do give the messages of the True meaning of Christmas. The material “sense”
      version that Evan and Mrs. Eddy mentions above is “in our face” constantly
      with ads of the so-called “perfect” holiday, but the “feast of Soul” throughout
      the articles is so much better and everlasting and not just for a day or week
      or “season”. Thank you for taking the time to search and share these treasures.
      Thank you also, for the reminder of the 3rd Church event and the link again,
      and am looking forward to hearing that online. I’m sure another feast of the
      Soul.

      Reply

      1. Hi Carol, thank you so much for your comments. The holidays can sometimes bring out many different emotions…some positive and joyful; and some sad and even depressing. I was feeling a little bit of all of those emotions this morning and was looking for some additional inspiration to get thinking back on track. Thought others might be able to relate to the articles too. I’m looking forward to hearing the 3rd Church of NYC online Christmas Eve talk too.

        Reply

  45. Dear Evan, am ever dearly grateful for your so loved and inspiring healing SpiritView Blog.
    And I’m looking forward to SpiritView with all it’s loving, heartwarming, very interesting and helpful comments from the wonderful SpiritView family in the new year! Thank you all very much and with Love!♡
    And a blessed Christmas and a happy New Year full of spiritual progress to us all and the whole world!

    Reply

  46. DEAR S V family–Not having checked out SV for 2 days I read all today and suddenly realized how I I have placed my thought on “things to do ,” I pulled up for the first time (in those neglected days) and suddenly realized how much I was neglecting prayerful thought and how thoughtless I was to not placing God first . All the above loving comments brought me back to my true senses as to WHAT comes first.!! After climbing up and out of my own ego (after reading today’s beautiful SV messages )my embarrassment as to neglecting what truly comes first suddenly hit me.t, I read with My great gratitude reaches out to all the above. Dear SV readers- Evan and you have catapulted Reading SV to night for the first time in 2 days helped me climb up and out of thinking about my daily “busy” life and have taken my thought(s) back to what I should put first—gratitude to God, How grateful I am to Evan and every one of you. You have catapulted me up and out of physical activities, needs . and I am back on the right path. God FIRST!. The uplifts from dear C.S. followers, messages from our daily lesson—and a myriad of answers have so helped me tonight, that I am finally back on the proper track where God’s answers are first—and with the “boosts” from all you SV followers, your loving written inputs that reached my tardy thoughts===what boosts you all gave to me! My thought has been elevated . Now I am reaching out to where I should have gone first! Your beautiful comments and Evan’s reading has reminded me to go to God first for needed answers in my busy life style and much of it is due to all of you and dear Evan.. My gratitude cup overfloweth for the kindness nad outreaching love to all of you..

    answers to problems that have plagued me. Dear Father/Mother/God—forgive my casual
    putting material needs ahead of walking with you, minute by minute. Thank you DEAR Evan nd\and
    ALL the above dear ones who gratitude cups oer flowed with thanks to many. I am back on track.

    Reply

  47. Here’s expressing my infinite gratitude for this and all SpiritViews and excellent comments always. With much love, merry Christmas and happy Eternity to you all.

    Reply

  48. Hi J, Thank you for your comment and additional article – much appreciated. I can’t
    even imagine your feeling, “sad and even depress[ed]”, as you always express such
    positivity in all that you share and with all the pertinent articles. I, on the other hand,
    sometimes blur t out what mortal(little) mind tempts me to believe in at the time, but do
    try to sort it through to uplift thought into the Spirit(pal) (-trying to type spiritual with ( )
    around u a l, but the computer keeps putting down pal.) LOL Computers – gotta-love-em!
    The mortal sense of Christmas does sometimes seem to conjure up “feelings” of sadness –
    sometimes a nostalgic longing for childlike bliss where everything is joyous and where
    everyone else seems to be enjoying this love and sharing expressed in all the “traditional”
    ways.
    When family members are not “with” us and friends we once had have (also) passed on or
    have been divisive for political/pandemic/whatever reasons, a wanting of something more,
    where it seems the limited/mortal mind is never satiated, cries out – but this can only truly
    be fulfilled with the Christ Spirit that is everlasting and Eternal, not temporal and limited to
    gift giving of things material or manipulated as to self-gain, as is sometimes the case …
    what can “I” get out of it… perhaps, if I Give a gift, then I’ll Get a gift – way of thinking.
    Spiritual sense is so different and the Soul of what is really Real and for this understanding,
    which takes much dedication and persistence, especially in times of great challenges like it
    seems these days, is the Only way and I thank Spirit View and Evan and everyone here for
    helping to sift through the mortal into the Spiritual (which in Reality is All there is!).
    That Truly is the Real meaning of Christmas and I thank you all!

    Reply

    1. Thanks Carol. I was a little anxious about a get together, but it went well, and there was no drama. Enjoyed the Christmas Eve talk and hope you did too. 🙂

      Reply

      1. I’m glad your get together went well, J . Oh, yes, I very much enjoyed the
        Christmas talk and I see the replay is posted already on the Third Church
        site for those who may have missed it and Uta, who had inquired about it. https://thirdchurchnyc.com/ (Not sure if the link will post, but is above).
        It was very informative on historical background, a lot I was unaware of,
        which was very interesting and again, thank you for letting us know about
        it. I wasn’t aware that the three wise men took a year to get to Jesus and
        he was a child when they did. It was a lovely way to spend Christmas Eve,
        so thank you again for sharing it with us.

        Reply

  49. A grateful heart a garden is and my garden is always overflowing because of everyone in Spiritview giving their loving thoughts and s. Of course, not to mention Evan listening to God to give this to us and all. . I’ve never commented, but follow every day and read the articles shared. And as Rose said, however one contributes or prays silently after reading the comments. I certainly include all in my daily prayer. Mot growing up in Christian Science, I feel my Sunday school is learning from all of you, periodicals, etc. and my fellow Christian Science nurses. Not to forget our pastor and Prose Works! This website and all of you is the gift of Christmas to be opened every day!

    Reply

  50. Many Thanks to you, Evan. Blest Christmas morn.
    A very Happy Christmas to all and yours,
    and JOY to the world!
    et.

    Reply

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