In the story of the rich man and Lazarus, the rich man being in torment, Abraham explains to him that “between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.”

In Science, we learn that people in Jesus’ parables represent types of thought. The rich man was a materialist, selfish and self righteous. Lazarus was a humble, poor beggar, seeking solace and finding none in materiality. Yet it was Lazarus, not the rich man, who was comforted. He found his comfort in spiritual reality, not the material illusion.

The great gulf between these two types of thought is the fact that they are opposites and have no connection with one another. Mrs. Evans used to counsel us that whenever someone, even a family member, would try to impose a false, limited belief on us, we should declare, “No connection!” You can’t serve God and mammon! The two don’t mix. Someone who is highly spiritually minded will feel repelled by a selfish, materialistic thought. A highly materialistic thought will have no clue about spiritual reality.

I find this very comforting, to know that the answer to all of life’s issues lies not in material remedies (if you can call them that!), but in spiritualization of thought, and the recognition of our spiritual reality. And we can do that right here, right now. “Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.”