Source: https://www.bertha-dudde.org/en/proclamation/3355b

3355b Ability to know and love God.... restriction of freedom.... state of ignorance.... free will.... power of life grace of God....

December 4, 1944: Book 43

Due to its distance from God, into which it has fallen as a result of its past apostasy from God, the being as such is no longer able to recognize God and therefore also incapable of loving Him. And it would never lose this deficient state, it would always remain in the same lack of realization if God did not want to grant it a gift of grace in the last stage of its embodiment on earth.... the strength of life, together with free will, which enables it to learn to recognize God if it uses it correctly, thus to enter a brighter state. The beingness itself does not feel its lack as long as it is completely without knowledge. Yet it cannot feel bliss either, instead, evil instincts prevail in it which drive it to constant rage against itself, i.e. which make its dark spiritual state ever more impenetrable and the being is thereby fettered, thus deprived of all freedom. But the being feels the restriction of freedom as agony, but it does not understand that it is only the consequence of lack of knowledge, because every connection remains hidden to it. And it is this ignorant state which first has to be remedied if the being is to cover the ascent to the height, to complete freedom and fullness of strength. However, knowledge, the realization of God and His reign and activity, cannot be imparted to it against its will, instead, the being must use its freedom of will itself so that its nature will change fundamentally, so that it will emerge from darkness into light and thereby regain its final freedom. The whole existence in the embodiment as a human being is to be regarded as a grace, for it is granted to the being even against its will, i.e., the being's will has been directed by God until this embodiment, the being is in a certain state of compulsion.... in subordination to God's will, which is expressed in natural law.... to a degree of maturity which earns him freedom of will in his last embodiment, combined with the ability to recognize what is going on around him and the connection between everything created and its eternal creator. This grace is granted to every human being, but whether he uses it depends on his will; because free will once turned away from it despite the realization of the eternal deity, it is imperative that this will now also becomes active in order to rejoin it, which can only happen after the realization of the eternal deity, because this is the prerequisite for the beingness to also be able to love God. And without love the union can never take place. Every human being on earth is offered the opportunity to recognize God and to learn to love Him, yet as long as his will still opposes God the state of darkness, ignorance and lack of knowledge cannot leave him. He first has to break the shackles himself through his will, he has to try to break through the cover himself, only then can he use his ability and penetrate knowledge and truth.... into cognition. And only then will he be able to love God with all his heart and strive for unity with Him, Who will make him the most blissful being for all times....

Amen

Translated by Doris Boekers