Source: https://www.bertha-dudde.org/en/proclamation/1412

1412 World events cause as well as means to remedy the spiritual distress....

May 10, 1940: Book 23

Recognizing the plight of a spiritually degenerated humanity, you will also be able to understand world events, which are both the cause and the means to remedy this plight. There is an extraordinary low insofar as no efforts whatsoever are being made by people to prepare themselves for a spiritual life after their earthly demise. And the consequences of this indifference are unforeseeable. It is irresponsible if a person does not endeavour to save his soul. For his carelessness will result in his spiritual abilities remaining undeveloped and thus the human being will live without being able to record the slightest spiritual progress, and his life will not have been lived appropriately. In contrast, the spiritually striving person is offered a natural balance; he lives his life consciously and therefore it will not be without joy either, only these joys are shaped differently than those of the earthly striving person. He finds comfort and edification in the divine word, he only now finds the right purpose in life, and he does not lack anything external because he does not strive for it.... He possesses inner contentment, he is not frightened by earthly hardship, for he desires other than earthly goods. Therefore, world events will not affect him to the extent that they disturb his inner peace; rather, these world events will help to strengthen his faith. But where there is no such attitude, world events are the cause of complete spiritual decline. Man never wants to regocnize the spiritual, he does occasionally get in touch with those who know, but only out of self-interest. He only hopes to gain knowledge that he can utilize well on earth, but never considers his soul. He believes that he can penetrate an area without prior knowledge and a spiritual attitude, but this requires work on himself and activity of love, and this view is erroneous. For whatever experiences he gathers will never allow him to reach his goal. He cannot utilize this good, he lacks the key that first unlocks the spiritual realm for him; he receives something that is not comprehensible to him and is therefore completely unimpressed by it. But he will not be able to use what he has received because spiritual knowledge is only comprehensible if it is striven for from the heart, i.e. if the human being makes himself worthy of receiving it. The hardship on earth should now awaken that drive in man which only strives for the spiritual.... adversity should educate people in such a way that spiritual interest awakens in them and the desire to educate themselves in spiritual knowledge for the sake of truth.... Then this adversity will also be a blessing for people and the spiritual low will be remedied, for this is God's only purpose, that the human being regocnizes his task on earth and fulfils it....

Amen

Translated by Doris Boekers