Source: https://www.bertha-dudde.org/en/proclamation/0828

0828 Depressions.... suffering is the father’s love....

March 25, 1939: Book 17

An indescribable longing will awaken in you if you strive for perfection and think of the delights of heaven. And this desire will contribute towards removing the soul's fetters, for the desire for the world and earthly pleasures will decrease to the same extent, the desire for earthly possessions will dwindle and only that which signifies happiness for the soul will be desired. And if you are in this state all depression will also disappear, for all worldly things will no longer affect you, the soul will become free and disregard the body, and then nothing will be able to weigh it down which causes it pain in a less perfect state. And so accept this comfort and only work undaunted on yourself, then you will also overcome such hours where the pressure of earth still weighs too heavily on you. The father in heaven knows about the hardships of His children, and yet they cannot stay away completely; they should spur on what is tired and purify what is not yet clean. Keeping this in mind, every day will bring you its blessings, and you will come ever closer to the state of liberation. So often the soul lets itself drift, it sways to and fro and is not yet firm in itself, and then it needs such depressions to strengthen it and to stir up the desire for its creator. When it has overcome such moods, then it will again be light and clear within itself, and it lives with double concern for its liberation.

It sometimes remains incomprehensible to people how God's fatherly love often expresses itself in a way that touches people painfully, they cannot find an explanation for it because they are unable to judge what unspeakable misery their fate would be if only beautiful and joyful things always awaited them on earth and that this misery would be far more painful than the earth's suffering. The father’s infinite love is only ever willing to give and has never wanted people to suffer.... as long as they do not violate divine order, every suffering would stay away from them and they would only ever feel God's kindness and love. But if their own will impels them to violate divine order and thus they would have to endure unspeakable suffering in the beyond, because God has to be a just judge after all and cannot deny people's sense of justice out of love for them, He will try to convince people of their wrong thoughts and actions while they are still on earth.... He will try to influence them favourably and make them compliant with divine will, and this in every way.... through His word, which makes His will known.... through admonitions and constant references to the suffering and misfortune of fellow human beings and precisely through suffering which affects the human being himself.... but which can only be called minimal compared to the suffering which awaits the incorrigible human being in the beyond. Man on earth is not receptive to the exceedingly great love oft he lord.... The love of the world has taken such hold of him that he, blinded by its splendour and shine, does not recognize the warm, mild light of divine love.... for the adversary fights with violent means. He seeks to awaken the love of splendour and magnificence in the human being, and if the human heart succumbs to this love it will no longer feel the breath of divine love. And if the father in heaven still wants to bring Himself to people's remembrance, He can only do so through suffering.... for it is in suffering that people are most likely to find their way back to Him, and suffering can then become an unexpected blessing, where otherwise the love of the divine saviour on earth is not respected....

Amen

Translated by Doris Boekers