I Appeal to You
... through Bertha Dudde  - 10.01.1957 

6732   Tradition .... Sacraments .... Sacramental effect ....

It is surely not to your credit if you humans allow your thoughts, actions and will to be determined solely by traditionally accepted views, if you do not seriously form your own opinion whether and to what extent such views are justified and to what extent they must only be regarded as the result of human thoughts. People are expected to attain perfection on earth .... and this is such a serious matter that everyone should earnestly investigate it. In that case, however, he will also have misgivings as to whether the demands made upon him are justified, and he will begin to question whether those traditions actually originated in Me, whether they are based on pure truth or on a truth that became spoilt in due course. Because a serious will to attain perfection on earth will certainly to raise such doubts .... especially when it relates to very spoilt doctrines, for then I would place such doubts into a person’s heart Myself in order to guide him from a state of darkness into the light .... It cannot be denied that so-called ‘traditions’ contain much spoilt information, since so many customs and bad habits, as well as wrong doctrines, have been derived from My doctrine, which I Myself preached on earth, so that the pure Gospel of love .... the essence of My doctrine .... has been pushed into the background whilst human additions are claiming foremost attention.

And people allow themselves to be captivated by it, they make every effort to comply with the demands and dare not change old traditions and customs which are, however, of no benefit whatsoever for the development of their souls. Nevertheless, they cannot be excused since every human being is able to think and thus also has the duty to reflect on the doctrines which determine his fate in eternity. He should take his life on earth more seriously and not believe that I will be content with completely worthless performances .... which also include the ‘receiving of sacraments’, which are no sacraments at all ....because only what a faith awakened by love may receive from Me directly can have a sanctifying effect, thus when a union with Me has been established through love. Then a person will be so abundantly blessed by Me that he will be able to reach perfection on this earth .... Then all sacramental blessings will manifest themselves in the person ..... He will receive the baptism of the spirit .... in turn he will be a teacher and messenger to his fellow human beings; he will always be allowed to partake of the bread from heaven, of My flesh and My b1ood .... Closely united with Me he will be alive with wisdom and love since he will no longer be burdened by the guilt of sin which was forgiven him for the sake of Jesus Christ, Whom his loving heart recognised and now acknowledges before the world. He will be filled with My spirit .... because he has come alive through his love and his faith. However, he cannot receive these blessings by performing traditional duties.

It is certainly good to guide the thoughts of a child towards the purpose of its life on earth and its task .... but it should never be taught to perform lifeless rites, instead it should always be taught to love. And a person’s spiritual development entirely depends on his attitude to this doctrine of love .... He can only attain perfection through a life of love and only this will yield the sacramental blessings. Because every human being has to strive for his perfection entirely voluntarily, but he will be prevented to do so by demands and commandments which are supposedly My will. Since he should attain life .... he also has to be alive in his thinking, his will and actions. Every kind of formality, however, will destroy this life and something purely external cannot achieve an inner change. But every person is responsible for his soul himself, and he will have no excuse in the future that he had been wrongly informed, for every person who earnestly strives for perfection will also be given the opportunity to receive the pure truth from Me, providing he has the desire to gain Me and My kingdom and always wants to live in accordance with My will ....

Amen