Source: https://www.bertha-dudde.org/en/proclamation/2101

2101 Graces of the work of redemption....

October 7, 1941: Book 30

These are the favours of the work of redemption, which Jesus Christ has acquired for men, that they are able to overcome their weakness of will, that they are no longer unable to resist the enemy of their soul, that power and favour flows to them unmeasured when they desire it, and that the slightest will towards God also lets them feel this power from God and that this is expressed in increased spiritual striving. The state of humanity before the redemption through Jesus Christ was pitiable.... it lacked any will to ascend, for people did not believe in life after death and only focussed on earthly advantages and physical comfort. They did believe in a God who could mould their earthly life according to His will, and so their pleas were only for the improvement of their earthly existence. No attention was paid to the soul and its moulding, and this resulted in a worldly-minded humanity to which spiritual striving was alien. This was the work of the adversary, who still had too much control over people's will, but who also drove them to be unkind to each other. For the sake of earthly well-being all means were right for people, and their thoughts and endeavours were evil and unloving. And at this time the lord descended to earth.... At this time lived the man Jesus, in Whose heart the desire for God was overwhelming and Whose goal in life was union with God.... Union with God was only possible in the most intimate love, and Jesus gave love to all people, He was inexhaustible in His love, and He took eternal love into Himself. Jesus saw people's weakness and that they lacked the will to do good.... He knew that only love could bring them salvation and He preached love to all people in order to snatch them from the power of the adversary. (But the will of the adversary was stronger and so he repeatedly forced the human will down).

By completely subordinating His will to God's will, by praying "Father, not My will but Yours be done...." Jesus Christ made God's will His own, He surrendered His will to God and took away the adversary's power over His will, and thus through His death on the cross He broke the adversary's will and likewise took humanity, for whom He died, away from the adversary's will, for the man Jesus suffered death on the cross in order to thereby set people free from their tormentor. And God accepted the sacrifice, and He gives increased strength to every person who wants to avail himself of the grace of the work of redemption and likewise surrenders his will to God.... For anyone who follows Jesus will also have the desire to flee from the one who wants to bind him. But if he does not recognize Jesus Christ, he belongs to those who are still bound by the will of God's adversary. He still has power over them and their own will is not strong enough to escape this power. He will always bend under his will and can therefore never be free. Jesus made the sacrifice for people who were too weak on their own (themselves?).... He opposed the will of the enemy with His strong will and the adversary could not withstand this will. For Jesus claimed the power from God, which flowed to Him through His intimate connection with God. And anyone who recognizes Jesus Christ as the divine redeemer will likewise be able to make use of God's strength, for this is the grace of the act of salvation, that the human being's will becomes strong in order to be able to resist.... that the human being receives the strength he needs to ascend. Jesus Christ has shown people the way that leads to the heights. This is also a grace, that man can take Him as an example so that he can live his life on earth according to His example.... in love and righteousness.... And anyone who is serious about following Jesus, who endeavours to shape his soul according to His example, who is constantly active in love, who patiently takes up his cross and only ever prays: "Father, Thy will be done....", will be strong and will escape the enemy of his soul. For by recognizing Jesus as the son of God and redeemer of the world, he has a right to the graces he has acquired from Him. The path upwards will become easy for him, he will never need to walk it without guidance, for the image of the saviour on the cross will always shine before him, and he knows that Jesus Christ died for him and that he has been spared immeasurable torment as a result. He knows that nothing will be too difficult for him because Jesus has given him strength through His death on the cross. He knows that his will will not waver when he asks Him for mercy, and he knows that the power of the adversary has diminished, that he can overcome him if he wants to, because the strength comes to him through his will. If this will is turned towards God, then the love of God takes hold of him and frees him completely from the power of the adversary. Before, however, man's will was so weak that he was not freed from that power. And Jesus took pity on this weakness of will.... He set His strong will against God's adversary and defeated him. And he who recognizes Jesus Christ will likewise defeat him because he consciously makes use of the blessings of the work of redemption....

Amen

Translated by Doris Boekers