Source: https://www.bertha-dudde.org/en/proclamation/7176

7176 Spiritual flattening....

July 28, 1958: Book 76

The spiritual flattening has taken on frightening proportions and people themselves are not aware of it, precisely because they do not take the maturing of their souls seriously. They live and everything happens according to the worldly point of view, i.e. impressions are only ever received and utilized from outside, and what should happen inside a person remains unnoticed because it cannot be seen by fellow human beings. People don't take their own spiritual development seriously but they are so overwhelmed with external impressions that they don't notice their spiritual deficiency and rather believe that they live correctly and in accordance with God's will because they are taught in this way. And this spiritual shallowness is such a great evil, for countless people suffer from it who are satisfied with customs and traditions, with ceremonies and ostentation which only keep the soul in ever denser darkness. But all of these people have been given the gift of understanding by God, all of these people can think in quiet hours about what is prescribed to them as alleged 'means for the salvation of the soul'. All these people have the opportunity to approach the father in silent childlike prayer for the right knowledge, for doubts will creep into all these people from time to time as to whether they are serious about fulfilling God's will.... Yet only a few use their intellect and with God's help also attain the right knowledge.... The majority, however, let others think for them and blindly and unthinkingly follow the leaders who act just as conscienceless and live a superficial christianity devoid of all seriousness. But one day people will not be able to pass on the responsibility to their 'leaders', everyone will have to answer for himself, for every human being will be shown ways and means to tread the right path which, however, can only ever be found if a person is truly serious and calls upon God for truth, light, i.e. true knowledge. The spiritual shallowness is already so deep that people are no longer able to recognize the thickest nonsense as such or that they feel comfortable to move in it. And this spiritual flattening could only come about because God's adversary was able to force his way in wherever there was a lack of prayers in spirit and in truth.... He succeeded in building up an illusory world which seemed to people to be a fully adequate substitute, into which they preferred to take refuge rather than into their 'quiet chamber' where they could have prayed in 'spirit and in truth'.... People seek pomp and splendour and do not know that satan is always hiding behind it.... People enjoy what they can offer to the eye but they do not look inwards into their heart where they could truly discover far more of the glories in intimate union with their God and father, Who only wants this intimate union with Him in order to then pour out His gifts of grace in abundance. And this intimate connection can be established everywhere but will never take place where the eye is directed towards earthly objects of all kinds.... You humans should make better use of your intellect, you should turn away in disgust from the works of satan who seeks to blind people and who has also succeeded in making them unreceptive to a true light, because the dazzling light has taken away their ability to recognize a gentle light.... You should only ever call upon God for true light, but do so by praying in spirit and in truth, which He will truly also answer and no longer let the person walk in darkness who earnestly desires light....

Amen

Translated by Doris Boekers