Source: https://www.bertha-dudde.org/en/proclamation/8831

8831 Love thy neighbour as thyself....

July 18, 1964: Book 93

Every prayer you send up to Me in spirit and in truth will be fulfilled.... And so also your request will be fulfilled, since you have a very powerful intercessor, to whom I certainly deny no wish. This is no earthly request, after all it is the greatest proof of My presence in man that I can speak to a child and impart words to it, which no man has yet heard. But I need utmost concentration for this and will also create this for you.... And what you now hear, that take up, so that it remains with you, until the time has come.... Today now an address is sent to you, which is meant for all men, because only the few, who are Mine, know about the great importance of the divine love teaching, which I taught Myself on earth and tried to convince men of its importance. But without love you will miss your purpose of earthly life, for only a very short time is allotted to you for the transformation of your nature into love.... compared to the infinitely long time before, when you had to serve according to divine will. And in this short earth time certainly ample possibilities are given to you to carry out the reshaping into love. But know that I give you no commandment.... You must carry out this work of your own free will, then you will prove to Me your love for Me, which expresses itself in works of neighbourly love. Therefore also no compulsion exists from Me, and everything what is to be achieved through compulsion, that you can reject unhesitatingly, because I do not look at such works. You are to fight your self-love in free will; you must change this into unselfish neighbourly love, always remembering that I have said this: Love thy neighbour as thyself.... Therefore I have given you a standard by which you are to recognize, which measure of love you can attribute to yourselves and how far your self-love is allowed to go.... that you do not give more to yourselves than to your neighbour. This is very difficult and requires a strong will. But once you have achieved this, then the love you show to your neighbour will also make you happy, and to the same extent your love for Me also increases, which you prove to Me through your love for your neighbour. And when I again and again announce to you this My love teaching, then this is of such great importance and only proves again and again that you pay little attention to this teaching, that you are still arrested in selfish love, that it is difficult for you to reshape this selfish love into unselfish neighbourly love, and you still cannot become perfect without love. This is the only purpose of earthly life, and you pay so little attention to these commandments, and if you would only want to fulfil this one commandment, which however includes the other one in itself.... you would gain much, because where the heart is not hardened, where it still turns towards the fellow human being who is in adversity, there is also hope that it will become bright in him and he will slowly come to realize how difficult earthly life is, and he longs for a different stay, which, however, is not possible without the fulfilment of those commandments. I only ever want to draw your attention to the purpose of your earthly life; I only ever want to tell you that you can also lead a far easier life if you are active in love, for out of love the strength also grows for you, which is sent to you from Me, for then you are active together with Me, Who I Myself is love.... And My power must flow into you and let you overcome all resistances. Therefore I also address all of you who still resist Me: First seek to overcome your self-love, and you will feel a significant relief, for thereby you detach yourselves from the enemy of your soul, who wants to prevent everything that gives you light.... But you still walk in deepest darkness, and you can procure light for yourselves if you fulfil this commandment of Mine as most important.... if you make an effort to see your brother in your neighbour and to help him in every adversity and distress...._>Amen

Translated by Doris Boekers