Source: https://www.bertha-dudde.org/en/proclamation/6785

6785 Each person bears responsibility himself....

March 17, 1957: Book 72

Every human being bears the responsibility for his earthly life himself. It cannot be taken from him, even if a loving fellow human being would like to intercede, because he has to make the decision himself, which is the purpose of his earthly life. Only loving intercession can impart strength to him to make the right decision, even though this is still no guarantee because the human being's will is and must remain free. But love can do much and will only remain without effect in the rarest of cases.... and that is when the inner resistance against God is still so strong that His adversary has greater power over the human being. If you humans seriously think about it then your sense of responsibility should make you strive for perfection on this earth, for then your thoughts would be more directed towards the time ahead of you, towards life after death.... For you humans know that you will have to die, and only complete unbelief in life after death will let you pass away indifferently.... But as soon as there is even the slightest belief in life after death you will also have to ask yourselves how it will be and what you have contributed to it in order to make it bearable for you.... On earth you can always stick to others, you can pass on your responsibility to others and then again be the beneficiary of what others have done for you.... But you alone must answer for yourselves, for your soul, and no human being can take the responsibility away from you.... and your soul will be judged according to your deeds.... or else: it will create its own fate which it will have to accept in the kingdom of the beyond and which there, too, can only be changed, thus improved, by its own will. And no matter how indolent the human being was in earthly life, he will now have to work on his transformation himself if he wants to improve his lot, but he can be greatly supported through loving intercession by receiving strength. And therefore it is an unexpected blessing when good thoughts follow a deceased person, when a deceased person has still acquired friends on earth who send loving thoughts after him.... These are not hopelessly lost. And if the soul now also applies this supply of strength correctly, that it now directs its will to what it neglected to do on earth: to help in serving love.... Then it will also slowly ascend.... But no other being can ever do for it what it must do itself: turn its eyes towards Jesus Christ.... For the soul must have found Him, it must consciously call upon Him for help, and this is also the greatest responsibility in earthly life, that the human being must take the path to Jesus Christ if he wants to enter eternal life after his death. This responsibility cannot be taken from him either, even if intercessory help can be provided.... but he has to make the decision himself, if not on earth then in the kingdom of the beyond. And therefore no person on earth should rely on his fellow human beings where his soul's own development is concerned..... Everyone has to work on himself, everyone has to make use of Jesus Christ's help for it, everyone has to accomplish the change of will himself so that he turns away from God's adversary, who has dominated him until now, and fully consciously turns to God in Jesus Christ.... Only then can his soul enter into eternal peace, and only then will the human being have lived responsibly on earth.... and then he will be and remain blissfully happy forever....

Amen

Translated by Doris Boekers