Source: https://www.bertha-dudde.org/en/proclamation/4868

4868 Neighbourly love....

March 29, 1950: Book 55

What you do to the least of My brothers, you do unto Me, and thereby you demonstrate your love for Me and for your neighbour. For a deed of neighbourly love also testifies to your love for Me and will enrich you far more than you have given up. And who is your neighbour? Every needy human being who approaches you with a request for help is your neighbour, regardless of whether he voices it or whether it remains unspoken. For you will recognise yourselves when your help is needed and appropriate as soon as the spark of love in you flares up and you are affected by your fellow human being's adversity. Yet you can live in abundance and accomplish a deed of neighbourly love without sacrificing anything, but it will not be regarded as such if you lack love, if you help in order to dispose of an irritating petitioner or to shine before your fellow human beings. So many motives can prompt a person to render help, yet I only value a deed of merciful neighbourly love impelled by your heart. And you will experience the fact that, when love grows cold in people's hearts, help for other people will only occur due to organisation and deeds of love will effectively become routine, which certainly can alleviate people's adversity but which cannot be classed as deeds of neighbourly love, as the fulfilment of My commandment of love, and which therefore cannot have any redeeming effect either. The right hand should not know what the left hand is doing.... it should be a quiet giving; yet material gifts alone cannot be described as deeds of neighbourly love. Every other help, every kind look and every caring word can be valued as a deed of love if it comes from the heart. People's spiritual and psychological adversity is often even greater than their earthly adversity, there you should actively help by giving encouragement and comfort in suffering, by lifting people up spiritually, by conveying My Word and leading them back to faith, where it is necessary. All this is part of the commandment of neighbourly love, and I only expect a soft and compassionate heart for you to be able to fulfil My commandment of love for Me and your neighbour and also awaken love in your neighbour's heart, who thereby can be guided on the right path and you will have acquired a double reward. However, you should not help for the sake of reward but only for love of Me, then all your deeds will be blessed....

Amen

Translated by Heidi Hanna