Source: https://www.bertha-dudde.org/en/proclamation/8323

8323 Sermons of love.... Suffering and hardship shall awaken love....

November 7, 1962: Book 87

The fact that people pay so little attention to the commandments of love is not because they don't know about My will which only demands loving activity from them, but it is rather because they don't ignite the (smouldering) spark of love resting in them so that it becomes a flame.... It is because they are mostly only concerned about themselves, that their own ego is so important to them that they only turn their thinking, wanting and acting towards themselves, that they try to achieve everything for themselves that is available in terms of comfort. They are no strangers to the commandment of love for God and their neighbour, moreover, they also know from experience that a work of love has a beneficial effect on them, and they could therefore also give love to their neighbour out of their own impulse..... Then the spark of love would also flare up in them, and that also means establishing a connection with Me, their God and creator of eternity. My adversary, however, has great influence on every person who has not yet released himself from self-love, and he will always influence the person to prevent him from practising love.... For then he will also prevent him from any kind of bond with Me, Who am love Myself. Therefore, his influence can only be counteracted if My commandments of love are preached to people time and again, if the effects of a right life of love as well as the consequences of a loveless life are presented to them, if they are admonished to educate themselves to consciously put their ego aside and to increase their care for their neighbour in all unselfishness.... For this reason the preaching of My gospel of love is of great importance, even though it is not gladly heard by those who persist in their self-love and thus are still completely under the influence of the one who is devoid of all love. Yet without love no human being can fulfil his earthly task, without love no human being can achieve perfection on earth, without love no human being can become blissfully happy, for without love he is a dead being, even though he still lives on earth as a human being. But he will lose this physical life and then his soul will enter the kingdom of the beyond completely dead, it will be powerless and completely darkened in spirit and therefore also wretched. It is only on earth for the sole purpose of changing its nature into love again, as it had been in the beginning when the essence came forth from Me.... And if the human being does not achieve this change in earthly life then he has travelled the earthly path in vain and can also sink back into deepest darkness again.... But only love can bring him success, for love is light, and in the light he will also recognize everything and know about My infinite love and wisdom, and he will try to unite with Me Myself in love. And therefore I can only try to persuade people to love through suffering and hardship so that they feel touched by their neighbour's adversity and help him or experience love themselves which awakens reciprocated love. For I cannot force anyone to love.... These commandments must be fulfilled in all freedom of will, for forced love is not love.... Yet every human being is capable of love because I place a spark of My eternal god-spirit.... in every human heart. My primal element.... and because it therefore only requires the will to kindle this spark. However, the fact that love has completely grown cold amongst people in the last days is also a reason for the turning point which will take place on this earth, for without love no human being will progress in his development, without love the purpose of earthly life will no longer be fulfilled, and thus the earth will have lost its purpose for people for whom it was intended to serve as a maturing station.... And therefore it will experience a total transformation so that the spiritual substances bound in the creations will also receive new deformations and can cover the course of development. But the last deformation on this earth will always.... the existence as a human being.... must achieve a transformation into love if the final purpose on this earth is to be achieved, if the soul is to attain that beatitude again which is its destiny and which is only ever possible through the transmission of love on My part....

Amen

Translated by Doris Boekers