1360 Charity.... earthly and spiritual need....

March 29, 1940: Book 23

Practicing the purest, most unselfish charity is unspeakably valuable for the soul's development. This activity on earth already brings it a high degree of maturity, and at death the soul regocnizes the blessed path it has travelled. A person should always be willing to serve and give.... He should always put the welfare of his fellow human beings before his own welfare; his innermost instinct should prompt him to do all works that serve the welfare of his fellow human beings. He should think of his body and soul, help him in earthly need and seek above all to remedy his spiritual need. Practicing love in earthly life is the noblest task of man and the true following of Jesus. For it includes everything that God requires of him.... The person who practices love will become gentle and patient, he will also be peace-loving and merciful, for if he loves his fellow human beings, all these virtues are inherent in him, for love is divine and therefore also ennobles the nature of man. If a person considers the poor state of soul of an erring person, he will take pity on him and let his active help become active.... he will give what the other person lacks and introduce him to the truth, for his power of cognition will always allow him to find the right thing to do in order to successfully overcome the misery of such an ignorant soul. Taking care of the fellow human being's soul's salvation is the greatest work of mercy, for it spares him the unspeakable suffering which awaits an imperfect soul in the beyond. And patience and love must always prevail, for this work is arduous and therefore requires the greatest love and patience if success is to be achieved. The path to the heights can only be travelled through love; love can never be eliminated, for God is love.... Seeking God without love will be without success, for eternal love can only be found through active neighbourly love.... Yet precisely love is so little respected and people's state of soul is therefore so low that these souls will inevitably suffer greatest hardship. And if the soul is to be spared this hardship in the beyond, then the human being must still be afflicted on earth so that love will unfold in him, so that one person will endeavour to make the earthly misery bearable for the other and thereby reduce the hardship of the soul. For the soul needs other means than the body for its well-being. Only the works of love benefit the soul; everything that the body denies itself in favour of the fellow human being will help it to rise. And therefore people should always endeavour to suppress their self-love and allow everything that seems desirable to them to go to their fellow human being. And thus, if a person strives for the maturity of his soul, he should also not neglect to help his fellow human being to mature his soul by willingly and joyfully giving him his knowledge of the truth.... by instructing him about God, His infinite love and mercy and about man's actual task on earth. And if he has succeeded in rescuing a soul from the darkness, he has been truly selflessly active in neighbourly love, and this earns him the most glorious reward, for the spiritual hardship among humanity is far greater than the physical tribulations. And therefore practice love so that you have a redeeming effect on earth....

Amen

Translated by: Doris Boekers

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