BD.2776
June 16, 1943

THE WILL TO LIVE - FEAR OF DEATH

The will to live in man has become very strong as long as the maturity of his soul is still very low. This is understandable because the world holds him captive and promises him the fulfillment of all his desires. For people who lack the belief of a life hereafter, it is very difficult to give up earthly life. But if they believe in this, they see life on Earth entirely different.

A strong believer looks on earthly life as a station in between, as a school through' which he has to go to be taken into that kingdom where real life begins. And through that faith he receives strength to overcome all obstacles and difficulties, while often the unbeliever cannot face them and throws away his life, thinking that he can make a definite end to it.

Whoever has a strong faith will give up his life with an easy heart, if it is required of him. Because his eye is directed to that life after bodily death, and his longing is for reunion with GOD because he feels that is the only true life.

As long as man strives only for treasures on Earth, his endeavor to progress is hindered. His desire is only for the world, and the thoughts that he one day must part from this world is intolerable and depressing. And from this you can determine his spiritual state because the love of the world greatly harms his love to GOD and the fellowman. Such a human being is still spiritually immature. His soul has not yet found union with the spirit within. He still lacks insight and knows nothing in his earthly life that he can compare with it.

This makes every thought of death unbearable; he wants to live to enjoy it. He wants the things of this world and neglects spiritual treasures. This is a low acceptable spiritual condition and should be condemned. Man is in great danger of losing both his earthly life and his spiritual life.

Thus if man does not use his earthly life to find reunion with GOD, he lives in vain and must therefore give up his life sooner, so as not to fall into greater love for the material which means spiritual death. This earthly life is a Grace. It is given to man for the higher development in order to be able to enter into the spiritual kingdom.

As long as it is unbearable for man to think of dying, he does not have the right insight of his real earthly assignment. The will to live is so strong in him that he will do everything to protect it and to lengthen it. He believes he has it in his own hands and has fear of losing it prematurely. Only when he considers the beyond with faith in relation to the immortality of the soul will he begin to lose his fear of death, then man will recognize that his earthly life is only a first step to the real life that shall last forever.

AMEN