Gifts of Heaven · Volume 2 · Chapter 298

School of the Cross in the Hereafter

13 June 1843

Oh Lord! Since our dear friend and brother E.H.(*1) has not let anything be seen or heard of him since August 23, 1842, I humbly ask you, out of your great love, grace and mercy, to add an 'Amen' to the minutes of his 15 apparitions, which I now consider closed.

[1] Oh yes, I can do that! But do not expect Me to give you any unnecessary information about someone who still by no means may turn completely to Me, and prefers always to sink back anew into his old habit, which is a true "iron shirt full of rust," which cannot be removed from the body of the spirit as soon as you might like to think.

[2] But therefore I say also to you: Put away your carnal habits in time, otherwise you will fare no better than your friend, who now also hears and knows quite a lot of good things; but when it comes to acting accordingly, he does it like you and still some of your kind on earth, who quite gladly hear exalted and dignified speech about the cross – but only on their shoulders it must not come. If this is the case, even if only quietly by trial and error, then they flee from the cross soon enough and cannot easily be brought back under the yoke of the crossbar.

[3] But as long as someone does not take up the cross with great joy, there is no talk of a complete rebirth of the spirit either here or in the beyond.

[4] Whoever is weak with regard to the love of the flesh – be it man or woman – will be tempted in this weakness until he has banished the last drop of such impure love from himself. And as long as this has not happened, he cannot enter into his innermost being, since the kingdom of God awaits him.

[5] Who there is a reveller, is tempted by good bites. But as long as they taste extremely good to him and he always has a strong appetite for them, it will not get better with him in any way. He must voluntarily take his cross, which consists of efficient fasting, and under this cross, which is very heavy for him, he must, out of love for Me, acquire a complete aversion to the good and tasty bites if things are to get better with him.

[6] And so everyone in his weakness and worldly habit will one day find his secure cross, which will cause him much trouble in the spiritual world, if he has not completely or at least to the greatest extent victoriously brought it over himself in this world with admittedly much less effort.

[7] But the rich young man in the gospel is a loudly speaking proof of how difficult it is to win the kingdom of God when the heart is still burdened with worldly things.

[8] Behold, therefore it is also to the friend after whom you ask! He has taken some habits with him, from which he is not or only very long and very difficult to get rid of. He can certainly never be lost, you already know that. But how long he will continue to feed his significant weaknesses, is a completely different question.

[9] For, in the spirit, a man who shuns the cross can have everything he craves for as long as he wants to be free and independent. But such a spirit can not easily be corrected. But if he is once taught a better and firmer one first by frequent jokes, which spring from his weaknesses, it can certainly gradually become better with him.

[10] But if you could ask your friend now how he is doing, he would answer you with complete satisfaction. For according to his judgment he is doing exceedingly well. But certainly not according to the better judgment of heaven; for the latter is still quite far from him.

[11] But why does he no longer come to you in spirit? Because he considers you in some ways "foolish and stupid". He will not easily come to you any more either, since in his opinion he is better off.

[12] But if you pray for him in your heart, you will be of more use to him than if you would like to inquire further about his condition.

[13] This is how things are! Write them diligently behind your ears, and you shall draw benefit from them! Amen.

Footnotes (*1) died in Graz on 15 Sep 1841, age 75