February 29, 2020

Dear members and guests,

I'm so glad to be able to send along to you the study references for this year's Association a little earlier than in recent years.  They are unquestionably the most vital part in all of our preparation for this meeting.

You could say they are as close as we can come to Mrs. Eddy’s “voice” speaking to us, not in a personal way but as the one who has made the unique and timeless discovery of spiritual reality behind her words. We tend to preface her quotes with “Mrs. Eddy writes”, but try thinking of her standing and speaking in front of our Association gathering. When you hear her saying, “Here, then, is the awakening from the dream of life in matter, to the great fact that God is the only Life;” these are no longer some familiar words of metaphysical doctrine; they’re on fire with her own spiritual experience. When she tells us, “Never was there a more solemn and imperious call than God makes to us all right here for fervent devotion…” who wouldn’t feel it so stirring they can’t help thinking of their own next step of more obedience and a world of reasons for it. 

I think you’ll find that working with the study references can move and lift thought up even before you come to Association, and you will see how this contributes enormously to our one day together and to the healing that naturally flows out from its God-given unity, love, and inspiration. 

See you sooner than it seems (less than two months now). 

With much love, 
Skip

Allison W. Phinney, C.S.B.