Source: https://www.bertha-dudde.org/en/proclamation/3584

3584 Without grace no working in love....

October 21, 1945: Book 46

The human being's conscientious observance of My word is only possible if he appeals to Me for My grace, if he is aware of his weakness and appeals to Me for strength. The human being is unable to do anything on his own, for as an imperfect being he is deprived of his strength, i.e. he has rendered himself powerless through his past apostasy from Me. And he can only regain possession of strength once he has become perfect, that is, once he is in closest union with Me. Earthly life is certainly the means of maturing, however, the human being is still without the supply of strength as long as he is still in a state of imperfection, and he is imperfect until he has united with Me again through loving activity and prayer. For I also impart strength and grace to the imperfect as soon as it concerns Me. However, if a person believes that he can live or act well without acknowledging Me and appealing to Me for help, he will be in error, for even the seemingly good deeds he carries out will then be rooted more in self-love than in the right love for his neighbour, which I demand as a confession of love for Me. Anyone who is capable of love and performs good deeds with a feeling of love for his neighbour will not reject Me in his heart either, for then he will already have become similar to My nature and wisdom and the power of realization will be inherent in him.... He will already possess a degree of perfection which will secure him My supply of strength. And in thought he will also be united with Me, acknowledging Me as the most perfect being and as the creator to Whom he owes his existence and Who guides his destiny. For the loving human being carries knowledge within himself which My spirit imparts to him in the form of thoughts.... Yet the unloving person who only persists in self-love will hardly fulfil My commandments, even if he wants to appear to do so. He lacks strength and what he does are works of self-interest but not works of love for his neighbour. Every person needs grace and strength as long as he stays on earth and has not yet changed to love. He cannot ascend without help, for he has forfeited the state of strength himself as a being which believed it could distance itself from Me. And it must now inevitably return to Me voluntarily in order to be able to receive strength again through which it can work in love. The human being must turn to Me in prayer and thus bend his will to approach Me again, then I will send him strength by means of which he will be able to carry out the works so that they will excite My pleasure.... that he will be able to carry out these works with love.... For love alone makes them valuable and pleasing to Me. Every person has to make use of My grace or he will remain on the same level of development he entered at the beginning of his embodiment as a human being. Graces will also be offered to him but he will never be forced to accept or make use of them. The greatest grace, however, is prayer.... the opportunity to contact Me in order to request what he lacks. However, anyone who does not acknowledge Me and consequently does not pray to Me, who does not ask Me for help and strength, does not possess the necessary strength for ascent development either. He will neither be able to be lovingly active nor attain the right knowledge, and the maturing of his soul will not be possible on earth, for where I cannot work with My grace there is imperfection, and the being remains powerless and cannot accomplish anything of its own strength....

Amen

Translated by Doris Boekers