Source: https://www.bertha-dudde.org/en/proclamation/1481

1481 Physical pleasures.... infirmities of old age....

June 19, 1940: Book 24

It is obvious frivolity to look at life on earth only from the point of view of what is beneficial to the body. It is difficult to begin to make such people understand the true purpose of earthly life, for they will never want to exclude physical enjoyment and will therefore be inaccessible to other views and teachings, since the content of life is sufficient for them if it consists of earthly pleasures. But the awakening of an erring person will be terrible. For the body will soon no longer be able to cope with the demands of earthly life, it will regocnize its weaknesses and infirmities with increasing age, and nothing will remain of the earthly life that was taken so seriously that will endure when its outer form, the physical shell, begins to become frail. He must now realize that even the most beautiful earthly pleasures lose their appeal when the body no longer possesses its youthful vigour. So life must now also seem dull and empty and useless to him as long as he is only concerned with his body. And again it is a gift of favour when man's body approaches decay faster and faster, because only now there is hope that man gets in touch with his spirit and takes contact with the powers which lovingly take care of man who has now become thoughtful, present to him the uselessness of the previous way of life and try to move him to seriously occupy himself with the spiritual, with the higher development of the soul. The human being is still given ample opportunity to suppress or fight physical desires if he is willing, i.e. if he subordinates himself to divine laws and only allows this will to prevail. However, it is far more meritorious if a person fights earthly pleasures while he is still young and full of zest for life, for the sooner he will attain knowledge, realization, for then his striving will have become active in fullest freedom of will, he will not have been forced to renounce them through physical hardship but will renounce these pleasures of his own accord, and his spirit will have done so, which can now unite with its own kind, as well as its soul, which is determined to think and want differently, will thank it with all intimacy, for only it knows about the right purpose of earthly life, it also regocnizes the dreadful plight of the imperfect spiritual beings torn away from this life, but which first has to be brought before the human being's eyes if he is to be able to free himself from the power which hinders him on the path upwards....

Amen

Translated by Doris Boekers