Source: https://www.bertha-dudde.org/en/proclamation/6989

6989 Blessing of sickness.... sudden recall grace....

December 9, 1957: Book 74

It is an essential factor in earthly life that you are aware of the task you have to accomplish as a human being. You should always be told that life itself is by no means important, that it is therefore not a matter of the body carrying out all its functions and being in good health, but that it is merely a matter of the soul inhabiting the body and that all bodily abilities should be used for the soul's benefit, that it finds its way out of its pitiful state and reaches the aim which is set for the spiritual. The soul can even mature far more quickly in a sick body, providing the human being takes his earthly task seriously. And if the human being only ever regards his body as the vessel which the soul needs for its further development, and if he therefore only tries to maintain this vessel, to care for it and make it resistant, then he will also live his life consciously, and then he need not fear that his body will fail before the soul has reached its possible maturity.... On the other hand, it is different with people who have no sense of responsibility towards their soul.... They can be in unusually good physical health and unexpectedly lose their life because they don't think about their soul and therefore have no further development to report, so that existence on this earth is completely without meaning and purpose and the soul is therefore deprived of its outer shell so that it still has the opportunity to ascend in the kingdom of the beyond. The health of the body is such a great gift of grace that it should also be utilized, but not in an earthly material sense but for the salvation of the soul.... But a sick body is likewise a grace for the human being who does not close himself off to God's influx of grace.... for it is, as it were, a barrier set by God against the world.... Overcoming the world is made easy for the human being and great help is given to the soul. Yet the human being must consciously submit to God's will and also regard his body's decrepitude as a gift of grace, because ultimately it is not the physical life but the life of the soul which is the purpose of the human being's life on earth. And therefore only the soul of this human being who knows about his actual task and wants to fulfil it will mature.... For God will help him in every way to progress his soul, and this often also includes states of adversity or physical suffering which, however, must then be regarded as a means of purification but not as a punishment or an obstacle to reaching the aim. And the hour is predetermined for every person when he departs from this earth.... because God has known about every individual person's will since eternity and He also knows what a soul can still achieve on earth and in which way it is more at risk.... so that a sudden recall in the midst of life must also still be regarded as grace. Anyone who only regards earthly life as an end in itself will also not be able to understand that a God and creator allows human lives to be destroyed whose natural hour of death is not yet to be expected.... But He knows about every human being's willingness to acquire life for the soul. And He also knows what is advantageous for each individual soul. The human being only needs to have the knowledge and faith in his earthly task, then his soul's greatest adversity will be remedied, for then the human being will also endeavour to help it to live. But the world is the soul's greatest enemy.... And it is a special grace of God when He tries to protect the soul from the world, when He creates obstacles for the human being to pay homage to it.... So then we can also speak of a 'blessing of sickness', which is such an obstacle for many a person who wants to live according to God's will and is often still weak to resist the temptations which threaten him on the part of the world. For God is love, and love always helps the weak so that it will not be endangered.... But people often misjudge God's love, yet anyone who strives towards Him can also know that he is safe in His love.... he can trust Him that everything God lets come over a person is good....

Amen

Translated by Doris Boekers