Source: https://www.bertha-dudde.org/en/proclamation/1390

1390 Knowledge of the spiritual necessary.... consciously working towards perfection....

April 24, 1940: Book 23

The course on earth requires a certain knowledge of the spiritual, for this stimulates his endeavour without forcing the human being to ennoble himself. Ignorance of it does not exclude that man also develops spiritually higher, only then the being must have extraordinary desire for God and be extraordinarily lovingly active. Both must lie dormant deep within him, i.e. the being in him must already be aware of its origin from God and, without any knowledge of the divine essence, unconsciously unite itself with God through deepest love and therefore cannot help but be good. But this already presupposes a rather high degree of maturity which is extremely rare in an earthly being. This is why people who lack all knowledge of the spiritual will usually be at a lower level; they will only ever regard their earthly existence as an end but not as a means to an end. Only the knowledge of the spiritual changes their view, and only then do they live consciously on earth.... aware of their task and also aware of the consequences of a right or wrong life on earth. He makes a distinction between right and wrong earthly life and this is the beginning of the striving for ascent....

These are often grave thoughts which can make a seriously striving earthly child waver if they are not dispelled from the spiritual side and a clear answer is given to the person. On the one hand, man believes himself to be free from guilt, and on the other hand, the feeling of unworthiness weighs him down, so he also regocnizes a certain guilt. Both the former and the latter are now an obstacle to the right realization.... For he who feels himself blameless does not utilize the opportunities offered to his soul.... he does not feel needy, therefore he does not accept what is offered to him.... And the feeling of unworthiness again makes him sometimes despondent and timid.... He does not dare to desire what is available to him in abundance. And so these reservations must first be dispelled. The earthly child must certainly regocnize his still low spiritual state, however, the spiritual working, which is made visible to him through spiritual teachings, must also take away his own despondency, he must now also make use of the spiritual strength and do everything to become worthy of this grace, which is the working of spiritual forces in the beyond for him. If he opens his heart to those teachings which inform him of spiritual working he will also immediately feel the strength and help of those beings and consciously accept them.... Yet this strength can hardly be conveyed to someone who is completely ignorant because he does not open himself and thus does not want to receive it. And everything divine has to be desired because receiving it without desire would judge the being and lead it to a state of maturity which is not the result of its free will.... But in order to desire something, the human being must have knowledge of it and then be free to ask for it or to reject it. This is why the concern of all beings in the beyond is to initiate the completely ignorant human being into everything spiritual, only then can he consciously work on himself and his perfection....

Amen

Translated by Doris Boekers