Source: https://www.bertha-dudde.org/en/proclamation/4604

4604 Wooing for the love of God....

April 3, 1949: Book 53

Anyone who wants to win God's affection must court His love, thus do everything that is pleasing to Him. He must deeply unite with Him, long for the closest union with Him and only ever listen to the expression of His will which is, as it were, placed in his heart. To be loved by God is a state of bliss that is incomparable and is also only consciously felt by a few people. God's love is indeed meant for all His creations but its strength will be differently effective depending on the relationship between the creature and the creator. And therefore the human being himself must shape the relationship such that he is able to feel the strength of divine love. God is always ready for love, and the human being should make use of this and acquire His love through heartfelt devotion and acceptance of God's will. He should let himself be drawn by Him, he should give up all resistance, he should open himself to God's emanation of love in order to then be able to receive what will make him unspeakably happy. And all this requires complete surrender of the world with all its joys and goods.... furthermore, it necessitates the surrender of everything of earthly value to the human being, the sacrifice of all pleasing things in order to exchange them for God's love, which alone wants to fill the human being's heart. What you love on earth you must give away if you want to receive Him into your heart and enjoy His presence. And if you are able to sacrifice, God will reward you for your love.... And if you separate yourselves from covetous possessions for His sake, His eye will rest upon you with pleasure and you will feel His strength of love. And you will not regret it, for what you give you will receive back a thousand times over. God's love is a most delicious gift which allows nothing else to arise beside it, and it is up to you to receive this delicious gift when nothing else seems desirable to you and you only strive to be blissfully happy in union with God. Then your heart will be shaped to receive Him Who can already give you the highest happiness on earth and one day in eternity.... Then His love will belong to you, which you will feel in its strength....

Amen

Translated by Doris Boekers