Source: https://www.bertha-dudde.org/en/proclamation/3915

3915 Need of the fellow human being drive to the activity of love....

October 26, 1946: Book 49

This should be your constant motivation to work with love, that you see your fellow human being's need and that your heart is touched by it, so that the flame of love lights up in you and you have the desire to also glow through your fellow human being's heart, so that his need is alleviated spiritually and earthly. For what you do not do out of love is worthless for your upward development. You have to do good deeds for your neighbour without expecting a reward, only driven by the feeling of wanting to help and to reduce the hardship. Anyone who performs works of neighbourly love for the sake of reward is still too much in self-love and his soul has not yet recognized the purpose of life.... to shape itself into love. Anyone who is active in love for the sake of reward has already received his earthly reward and cannot expect a spiritual reward. But anyone who practices love driven by his heart does so without thinking of reward, even if the spiritual reward is certain to him; and this is true love which only gives without wanting to receive and which nevertheless receives more than it gives. And this is why great adversity has to sweep the earth in order to kindle true love in people's hearts, who are often too indolent to kindle the smouldering spark within themselves so that it becomes a bright flame. Much suffering and hardship could be alleviated on earth through right love activity, and the spiritual ascent would be assured for the souls. But people mostly pass by their fellow human being's misery carelessly, and thus there is no upward development but rather standstill and decline, and the earthly hardship becomes ever greater as a result. The spark of the divine spirit rests in every human being, and thus every human being is also created capable of love, yet if he lets the noblest part of himself wither away, only a distorted image of what was once perfect as God's creation will remain. For if the created being lacks love there is no longer anything of divinity in it, but the slightest emotion about the fellow human being's fate ignites the divine spark of love, and the being is saved for eternity if it pursues its innermost feeling and thus helpfully bestows its love upon its fellow human being. The small spark can become a bright flame, and the flame will merge with the eternal fire.... the human being changes into love, as is his destiny on earth. And if the great earthly adversity achieves this, it is of immeasurable value for the souls which still lack love, and it will be recognized as a great grace from God one day when earthly life has been successfully completed. Anyone who gives with love will never have to fear that he will spend himself, for he will be rewarded for his gift, both temporally and eternally; anyone who shares the little he possesses with someone poorer will not have to fear any hardship himself, for God shares with him and His gift is truly a thousand times more valuable.... He who gives with a loving heart will awaken love in return, and you do not know what that means, that love will increase in itself. Yet you snatch from satan what he already believes to possess, you restore to life what was dead, you direct strength where it is lacking and thereby exercise the greatest mercy on the soul of his fellow human being, who is now also capable and willing to love and does good for the sake of good. And if you understand this, you will also understand the great earthly adversity, you will see it as God's sending and endure it with surrender into His will, you will try to control it through loving activity and, as it were, also be active in redemption in the last days, for only love is the remedy, only love gives you freedom, strength and light....

Amen

Translated by Doris Boekers