Source: https://www.bertha-dudde.org/en/proclamation/0762

0762 Idle life.... fear of death....

January 28, 1939: Book 16

The idleness of life is always to be considered where life is not utilized properly, and many an error will be the cause of this. The soul will find itself in greatest distress when the time on earth passes without any spiritual success. Then a feeling of fear will take hold of the soul, it will see the end of its earthly life approaching ever closer and unconsciously sense the agonizing state afterwards.... And this is then expressed in the feeling of fear of death. And yet again, this fear of death is often the last means of realization. If the human being has achieved all earthly goals, if he cannot find any real satisfaction and complete fulfilment of his wishes afterwards.... if he feels an emptiness in his innermost heart despite his earthly well-being, then he will endeavour to get to the bottom of the cause of this unsatisfactory feeling and he must realize that the thought of life after death will not allow him to find inner peace. He must realize that everything he has striven for so far will come to an end, and this thought does not give him a feeling of security, but rather one of uneasiness, because in his deepest heart he cannot give himself a certain answer as to what awaits him after death. And this pondering and brooding often causes him to immerse himself in spiritual questions.... that he suddenly learns to recognize the transience and worthlessness of everything earthly with a bright spirit and pays far more attention to the unfathomable. Then his spirit becomes lively to the same extent as his desire for the earthly subsides, and this has brought about the fear of death, and the soul was granted assistance by the good spiritual forces struggling for it. The thought of death can therefore have an unspeakably beneficial effect on those who always and easily found fulfilment in worldly desires. They paid no attention to the world and its dangers and were constantly its conquerors.... yet they are powerless and powerless in the face of death, and fear is rooted in the recognition of their own state of weakness, which then drives the will to seek a way to overcome the horrors of death. And this path is the bond with the eternal creator, to whom life and death are subject.... Death does not frighten those who have recognized it, for their soul has found the path to eternal life.... death means darkness and night.... The lust and desire of the world shrouds the spirit in darkness, and this state is equal to eternal death. Only he who overcomes the desire for the world will pass from night to light.... he will awaken from death to life, and he will undoubtedly overcome the horrors of death. That is why detachment from the world is the very first condition for freeing the spirit from the shackles of matter, and every step through earthly life will then mean advancement of the soul and result in higher spiritual development. The human being will then be able to say at the end of his days: My life has truly not been idle.... if he has reached the goal of standing in the light of truth and need not fear the horrors of death....

Amen

Translated by Doris Boekers