I Appeal to You
... through Bertha Dudde  - 24.11.1941 

2165   Prayers for souls in the beyond which had not acquired love on earth ....

An unredeemed soul’s path of suffering is impossible to described to people, and yet they should know that it must endure an inconceivably hopeless state because this knowledge is intended to impel people into helpfully supporting such souls, hence they are constantly admonished not to forget these souls. They will thank those people a thousand fold who ease their agony by praying for them. Souls in the beyond which leave people behind on earth with whom they were lovingly connected have an advantage compared to those which did not acquire love for themselves on earth. Loving thoughts and devout wishes follow the former, or such souls receive strength through heartfelt prayer, which can substantially improve their situation. Every loving thought is soothingly experienced by the souls and awakens love again, which then will manifest itself towards equally suffering souls. However, souls which lived without love on earth must starve and suffer unspeakably. They are quickly forgotten or they are only thought of unkindly, and this has appalling consequences on their state in the beyond. Every kind thought of people on earth for the souls in the beyond alleviates their torments, every bad thought increases them and the souls themselves are unable to defend themselves or enforce people’s love for them.

Now the soul is perceptively affected by love or heartlessness which either ease or impede its struggle towards ascent. Souls which entirely lack people’s love on earth have to completely depend on themselves in utterly dark surroundings and suffer indescribable hardship. These souls should be particularly considered on earth in prayer so that they, too, feel the blessing of intercession, so that they feel the strength of love within themselves and thus an inner change takes place. For as soon as a loving thought fleetingly touches such lonely souls they notice it and turn towards the place of origin of this thought, they come close to the person who mercifully thought of them and observe him and his characteristics, his actions and his train of thought. They will never harass a person who is good to them either, although they themselves are rarely capable of good feelings. Yet they dwell on the reason why their state of suffering eases when they are close to these people and they sense noticeably relief through the prayer on behalf of the struggling souls in darkness. And they learn to recognise that love is the only means for improving their situation. And once the soul has gained this realisation then it will also become gentle and helpful towards other souls and they will have escaped the bitterest hardship. People on earth would be able to redeem infinitely many souls from their hardship if they tried to imagine the helplessness of these souls. For if they feel a spark of love within themselves their great suffering should move them and arouse their will to help these souls. People should include these poor souls which lack the strength to help themselves in their prayer, they should call upon God for grace and mercy for these souls, they shall give them their love and never think heartlessly of a deceased as not to increase his pain. For then the soul will be in greatest danger that it will become completely hard and that every good inclination in it will die .... But the souls should be redeemed and people on earth can contribute an awful lot towards achieving it ....

Amen