Source: https://www.bertha-dudde.org/en/proclamation/3139

3139 Ceremonies and outward appearances are a hindrance....

May 30, 1944: Book 41

It is a purely spiritual process when the human being's soul unites with its spirit, and therefore this process need not be outwardly marked by gestures or ceremonial actions in any way. As soon as the soul seeks union with the spiritual kingdom, as soon as it unites with God in prayer or tries to make contact with the beings of light through thoughts which it sends into the spiritual kingdom, it detaches itself from the earthly environment, it no longer pays attention to the body and thus frees itself from everything earthly, because this is an obstacle to an intimate union. And so every external action, every ceremony, must also be regarded as an obstacle that impairs the intimate connection with God or the spiritual world. For as soon as it is performed purely mechanically, it is worthless and unnecessary, but if the human being's thought is involved, then the spiritual connection loses its depth. The will may be good, but the human being himself reduces the supply of strength which arises from this connection. The spiritual does not tolerate earthly inhibitions, i.e., the spiritual effects are corresponding. Man never needs to make known to the outside that he establishes the spiritual connection; it is enough that the fellow human being knows about his striving and tries to follow him again in such a way that he quietly goes into himself and communes with God or the spiritual beings. For he must know that the spiritual world only finds pleasure in spiritual actions, that even the physical ceremony of kneeling down is meaningless to the spiritual world, because it is not the sign of humility before God but humility itself which pleases Him and also earns the person His grace. God, however, does not need external proof but He looks into the heart, and the external actions often lack the inner life; but people themselves are often satisfied with these ceremonies and have only performed them for their fellow human being, which does not bring any spiritual advantage to the soul. And therefore the human being should always make an effort to completely detach himself from earthly customs and forms, he should use every free minute to establish intimate contact with the spiritual world, he should leave the earthly world outside and not take anything over from it, but only the soul should wander into the spiritual kingdom so that divine gifts of grace can flow to it through this union at any time....

amen

Translated by Doris Boekers