Source: https://www.bertha-dudde.org/en/proclamation/3301

3301 Exhortation to love....

October 21, 1944: Book 43

The human being's innermost being must be permeated with love if it wants to enter into a close connection with Me which will earn it extraordinary strength.... He must give extraordinarily in order to be able to receive extraordinarily. This willingness to give must be an inner urge, without any external influence, without compulsion and without the thought of repayment. Love for one's fellow human being must drive him to give of himself, be it in an earthly or spiritual way. For the fellow human being whose essence has not yet become pure love is always in need of reception. Only when he has love will he lack nothing, for then he will be exceedingly well provided for by Me. But as long as he is still unable to receive My emanation of love and strength directly he has to be helped by his fellow human beings, and this is true neighbourly love, that the human being hands out what earthly or spiritual possessions he has himself, that he gives what he receives from Me in abundance in order to help those who can only be given meagrely due to their own fault. And the more the human being gives out the more he will receive from Me, for he noticeably draws Me to himself through his active neighbourly love and thus enters into the most intimate bond with Me, which earns him strength and grace to a great extent, because My love permeates him as well as I am near him.... But likewise, what keeps away from Me will be powerless.... Anyone who does not kindle love in himself cannot expect love either, anyone who does not want to give himself cannot receive anything, and his life will be powerless and lightless.... And because he himself does not help his fellow human being he will not be helped in this spiritual adversity either. Admittedly, My love constantly approaches these people in the form of My word, so that again and again he is reminded of the necessity and blessing of the activity of love, that again and again My commandments are presented to him in order to motivate him to be lovingly active. Yet he has to accomplish the change to love himself, he has to ignite the spark within himself since no-one else can do this for him, yet the smallest act of neighbourly love already brings him blessings, it will make him happy and stimulate him into further activity of love. The only path to Me is love.... Only in love can a person draw close to Me, and only through love does he draw Me to himself, only through love does he follow Me, and through love alone can he become perfect.... But anyone who is permeated by love for Me can only progress in his development because My strength and love will never leave him. He has, as it were, wrapped an unbreakable bond around Me which can no longer loosen, for love becomes more and more dense; he absorbs My spiritual substance into himself, i.e. his spirit unites with Me, he joins Me in order to never ever detach himself from Me again.... And only love can achieve this.... Love is the most delicious thing that can touch a person's heart, because it is My emanation and everything that comes forth from Me has to make everything happy. But whether the human being feels happiness depends on his ability to love, on his will for good. For as soon as he carries this will within himself the spark of love is also ignited in him, as soon as he has the will to do good he is urged from within to do good, thus to give love, and he establishes contact with the original source of love.... he receives because he is willing to give away.... And thus he has united himself with Me through his good will. But every human being can muster the will to do good, yet he must muster it without coercion or influence.... He can only be guided, i.e. pointed to the divine through My word.... And then he can act according to his free will.... And therefore love cannot be allocated to a person but he has to kindle it in his heart himself, yet the strength goes to him according to his will. But without love no human being can enter into union with Me and therefore no one can become blessed without love either....

Amen

Translated by Doris Boekers