Source: https://www.bertha-dudde.org/en/proclamation/5352

5352 Darkness of the spirit.... work of love.... distance from God....

April 5, 1952: Book 59

The further people distance themselves from God, the darker their spirit is and the less able they are to muster the understanding for spiritual teachings. And the degree of distance from God is always determined by the degree of love they possess. Where love, the divine in the human being, is not developed, God Himself cannot work with His spirit, therefore there can be no light and no power of knowledge. It is difficult to proclaim the gospel there, for it echoes in people's ears and does not reach the heart, it sounds to them like an empty sound because the heart, being incapable of love, rejects it and only the ear hears it and thus it remains without impression. Once such a person has accomplished a deed of love and is subsequently given spiritual instructions he will already be willing to accept them. And that is why the human being should first be stimulated to work with love through good example, by bringing fellow human beings in need of help closer to him, by drawing his attention to hardship and misery and urgent help. As soon as compassion begins to stir, the spark of love is not completely buried, and it can flare up with the activity of love, which can then make him inwardly happy and move him to further works of love. A person who has accomplished a deed of love is now also soft-hearted for a short time, and then spiritual instructions or conversations can fall on good ground. But a person who is devoid of all love, no matter how highly developed his intellect, will never confess or even think about it. He would not be able to recognize spiritual truths as such because this requires the heart, not just the intellect. The distance from God will become ever greater the closer the end comes because the activity of love will also become ever weaker where ego love predominates and ego love determines people's thinking and wanting. And it will become increasingly darker on earth, for the spiritual light will only break forth in a few places, and no other light can conquer the darkness than only pure truth, which has its origin in God, the eternal light. Therefore, it is the truth which enlightens the human spirit and which alone should be preached to people. Truth alone is able to convince where there is an earnest will to find enlightenment.... Truth signifies light and the power of realization for the one who seeks the truth. For he already turns his face towards God and will also learn to recognize Him through the truth imparted to him, whereas this remains incomprehensible to the one who does not desire it because he still turns his back on God and is therefore unable to recognize anything divine. Darkness holds him captive and will not release him in the beyond as long as the soul does not try to escape it of its own accord. But then it is considerably more difficult to reach the light, although it is not impossible. For the soul's defensive will is widely recognizable and prevents the spiritual light from becoming effective until the soul's desire for light is awakened, which, however, can take an infinitely long time because free will is also respected in the beyond and only love is valued there as well....

Amen

Translated by Doris Boekers