Unselfishness. Goodness. Mercy. Love. Holiness. To me, these divine qualities describe the unquenchable spirit of all the doctors and nurses who are on the frontlines of the Ebola crisis. They are in West Africa, Texas, New York, New Jersey, wherever fear of contagion is present, and they need our unfailing prayers.

Readers of Science and Health will recognize these qualities as a few of the most elevated of mankind – they are evidence of the “kingdom of heaven” within spiritual consciousness. Everyone who lives and gives these inherent qualities has divine authority to repel the effects of fear and disease in themselves and others. They are angels here on earth.

The courage these healthcare professionals have to respond compassionately to the needs of the sick, pushing aside their knowledge of the risks and personal fear, is a shining example of the Golden Rule. I must stand with them in prayer. In this glowing circle of healing love, we all have divine authority to resist and repel this disease!

A couple of years ago I posted the following spiritual ideas when the news described dangerous influenza contagion throughout the US. Today, the type of contagion is different, but the divine authority to resist and overcome it remains – and reigns.

The recent news about the spread of influenza throughout much of the United States is a serious health alert. Since I live near Boston which has declared a public health emergency, I have taken this alert very seriously…as a call to all healers to be at their posts, marshaling their healing expertise to help friends, family, neighbors, and community combat this illness and protect themselves.

For me, this means turning to spiritual healing for treatment. And I have learned that the very first step is to eliminate fear in individuals and communities. Right now, with all the news filling the air with reports of illness, this is essential. Fear is in the mental atmosphere – kind of an ‘atmos-fear’ – and it does not help anyone seeking treatment, spiritual or medical. It must be diminished in our communities so that healing can take place.

So where to start with removing fear? In my healing practice I begin with affirming the ever-presence, allness, and power of Divine Love to shield and heal Her loved children from illness. When I say all, I mean the ALL that allows for nothing like fear or sickness. Either the Divine is All or isn’t….start at this point and be clear and unwavering!

This omnipresence of the Divine is the atmosphere of Spirit, not fear, the atmosphere of health and harmony, the atmosphere of Life that is the basis for total existence, here and now. This is made practical in the mental atmosphere of individual thought that is aligned through prayer with universal spiritual consciousness. This is a spiritual awareness that has an immediate effect of diminishing fear – and leads to dominion over fear’s physical effects. Praying this way is effective for both patient and healer.

Ask yourself: Do I believe that I live in the atmosphere of healing Love or do I think I live in the dark atmosphere of fear, danger and contagion?

A friend of mine had this choice to make just last week. Meeting a friend on the street and leaning in for a hug, the friend warned, ‘Oh don’t get too close as I am just getting over the flu…’ Later at a party there was more discussion of effects from flu and how hard it was to stay safe. My friend thought, ‘I don’t have to breathe in this atmosphere of sickness and futility – there is only the atmosphere of healthy Life. That is what surrounds and protects all of us!’ Pretty soon the discussion moved on to new movies and new restaurants.

But a few days later my friend awoke with a sore throat and stuffy nose. ‘Uh oh,’ she thought…but before she could finish the sentence with a dire prediction came this: ‘I have to take my mental stand here, right now! I live and have my being ONLY in the atmosphere of Spirit – not in contagion – and I have confidence that Love removes any physical effects from fear. This pure air of divine health is all that I breathe!’ She said it was like a mental door had slammed shut, barring any fear that she was susceptible to contagion, mentally and physically.

Mary Baker Eddy, in her book on spiritual healing Science and Health,proved through scientific experiments the importance of taking a firm mental stand:

“We should prevent the images of disease from taking form in thought, and we should efface the outlines of disease already formulated in the minds of mortals.”

Over the next few days, every physical reminder that there was the possibility of some bigger, lurking sickness was mentally challenged with the affirmation of my friend’s inseparability from the Divine allness of complete health. Within three days, the symptoms were gone.

So, how about you being a healer today? Everywhere you go, whether it is to the office, your kids’ school, the grocery store, the doctor’s office, make your choice to stand in the atmosphere of love and health, not in the atmosphere of fear. Know that the allness of Divine Love is embracing, shielding and healing each and every one of your neighbors.

“If only the people would believe that good is more contagious than evil, since God is omnipresence, how much more certain would be the doctor’s success…”

– Mary Baker Eddy