nl-Chapter 18 - Works of Mercy and Central Importance of Love

The Retrospective Blessing of Good Works

1. Observe all forms of human misery, pain, and need, and let your heart grow ever more compassionate at the sight of the suffering that surrounds you everywhere.

2. When you feel a generous and noble urge to do good deep within your being, let this impulse take hold and manifest itself. It is the soul communicating its message because it has found its body willing and ready. (334, 3-4)

3. Be mindful that acts of love take precedence among your endeavors, and never regret having been charitable; for through this virtue you will experience the greatest satisfactions and feelings of happiness in your existence, and at the same time attain all the wisdom, strength, and elevation that every noble soul yearns for.

4. Through mercy toward your fellow human beings, you will purify your soul and in this way settle old debts. You will ennoble your human life and elevate your spiritual life.

5. When you eventually reach the gate at which you will all one day knock, your bliss will be very great, for you will hear the welcoming call extended to you by the Spiritual World, which will bless you and call you to the work of renewal and spiritualization. (308, 55-56)

6. I tell you: Blessed are those of My workers who are able to feel in their hearts the suffering of those who have lost their freedom or health, and who visit and comfort them. For one day they will meet again—whether in this life or another—and you do not know whether they will then have more health, greater freedom, and more light than those who brought them the message of love to a prison or a hospital. Then, in their gratitude, they will show their appreciation and reach out their hand to the one who extended it to them at another time.

7. That moment when you brought My Word close to their hearts—that moment when your hand stroked their forehead and you made them think of Me and feel Me—will never be erased from their souls, just as your face and your brotherly voice will not be forgotten in their minds, which is why they will recognize you wherever you may be. (149, 54–55)

8. Just as the breath of the wind and the sun caress you, so, My people, shall you caress your neighbors. This is the time when the needy and the suffering abound. Understand that the one who asks you for a favor grants you the grace to be of service to others and to work for your salvation. He gives you the opportunity to be merciful and thereby become like your Father. For man is born to scatter the seed of goodness throughout the world. Understand, then, that whoever asks of you is doing you a favor. (27, 62)

True and False Charity

9. O disciples, your highest task will be acts of love! Often you will perform them in secret, without boasting, without letting the left hand know what the right has done. But there will be occasions when your acts of love are meant to be seen by your fellow human beings, so that they may learn to participate in them.

10. Do not worry about the reward! I am the Father who rewards the works of His children with justice, without forgetting a single one.

11. I have told you that if you give a glass of water with true love, this will not go unrewarded.

12. Blessed are those who say to Me when they come before Me: "Lord, I expect nothing as a reward for my works; it is enough for me to exist and to know that I am Your child, and already my spirit is filled with happiness." (4, 78–81)

13. Do not harbor selfish desires by thinking only of your own salvation and your reward; for your disappointment will be very painful when you find yourselves in the spiritual realm, because you will discover that you have not, in reality, earned any reward.

14. To help you better understand what I am trying to tell you, I will give you the following example: There are, and always have been, men and women who have made it their mission to perform acts of charity among their fellow human beings, and yet, when they came to Me, they could not present any merits to Me for their spiritual bliss. What was the reason for this? Can you imagine that they were victims of an injustice on the part of their Father? The answer is simple, disciples: They could reap no good for themselves because their works were not sincere. For when they stretched out their hand to give something, they never did so out of a true feeling of compassion for the one who suffers, but rather by thinking of themselves, of their own salvation, of their reward. Some were motivated by self-interest, others by vanity, and this is not true mercy, for it was neither heartfelt nor selfless. I tell you that he who has no sincerity and love within himself does not sow the truth and does not earn a reward either.

15. Apparent charity may bring you many satisfactions on earth, arising from the admiration you arouse and the flattery you receive; but the superficial does not enter My Kingdom; only the genuine enters there. There you will all arrive, unable to conceal the slightest blemish or impurity. For before you can appear before God, you will have laid aside the robes of honor, crowns, insignia, titles, and all that belongs to the world, in order to appear before the Supreme Judge as simple souls who give an account to the All- e Creator of the task entrusted to them. (75, 22-24)

16. Whoever wishes to be of service to his neighbor out of love devotes himself to goodness in any of the many ways that life offers. He knows that he is a human being who must be ready to be used by the divine will for very high purposes. I want you, O disciples, to gain knowledge so that you may free from their errors those who have lost the path to upward development.

17. True love—that which transcends the human emotions of the heart—is the fruit of wisdom. Behold how I sow wisdom into your imagination through My Word, and thereafter I await the fruit of your love.

18. There are many ways to do good, many ways to comfort and to serve. All are expressions of love, which is one—the love that is the wisdom of the Spirit.

19. Some may walk the path of science, others that of the spirit, and still others may be guided by emotion, yet the sum total of all will result in spiritual harmony. (282, 23-26)

Spiritual and Material Acts of Love

20. If you are materially poor and for that reason cannot help your neighbor, do not grieve. Pray, and I will cause light to shine and peace to reign where there is nothing.

21. True love for one's neighbor, from which compassion is born, is the best gift you can bestow upon those in need. If, when giving a coin, a loaf of bread, or a glass of water, you do not feel love for your fellow human being—truly, I tell you, then you have given nothing; it would be better for you not to part with what you give.

22. When will you, O humanity, come to know the power of love? To this day, you have never made use of that power which is the source of life. (306, 32–33)

23. See not enemies, but brothers in all who surround you. Demand punishment for no one; be forgiving, so that you may set an example of forgiveness and no remorse may arise in your spirit. Seal your lips and let Me judge your case.

24. Heal the sick; restore reason to the confused. Drive away the spirits that cloud the mind, and ensure that both regain the light they have lost. (33, 58-59)

25. Disciples: That principle I taught you in the "Second Era"—to love one another—applies to every action of your life.

26. Some say to Me: "Master, how can I love my neighbors, since I am an insignificant being whose life is filled with physical labor?"

27. To these, My child-disciples, I say: Even in this physical labor, which seems meaningless, you can love your neighbors if you perform your work with the desire to serve your fellow human beings.

28. Imagine how beautiful your life would be if every person worked with the thought of doing good and united their small effort with that of others. Truly, I tell you, there would be no more misery. Yet the truth is that everyone works for themselves, thinks of themselves, and at most of their own.

29. You must all know that no one can be self-sufficient and that each person needs others. You must all know that you are deeply bound to a universal mission that you are to fulfill together—not united by earthly obligations, but by a shared spirit, by inspiration and ideals; in a word: by love for one another. The fruit will then be for the good of all. (334, 35–37)

30. I say to you, My disciples, in My Law of Love: If you cannot perform perfect works like those I performed in Jesus, you should at least strive in your lives to come close to them. It is enough for Me to see a little good will to follow Me, and a little love for your neighbors, and already I stand by you and reveal My grace and My power on your path.

31. You will never be alone in the struggle. Since I do not leave you alone when you are weighed down by the burden of your sins—do you think I will abandon you as you walk your path under the burden of the cross of this mission of love? (103, 28-29)

The Comprehensive Meaning of Love

32. At all times, My teaching has made it clear to you that your innermost essence is love.

33. Love is the essence of God. All beings draw from this power to live; from it sprang life and all creation. Love is the origin and the goal in the destiny of all that was created by the Father.

34. In the presence of that power which moves, illuminates, and animates all things, death vanishes, sin evaporates, passions fade away, impurities are washed away, and all that is imperfect is perfected. (295, 32)

35. I have revealed to you My existence and the reason for yours. I have revealed to you that the fire that gives life and animates all things is love. It is the source from which all forms of life have emerged.

36. Behold: You are born of love, exist through love, find forgiveness through love, and will be in eternity through love. (135, 19-20)

37. Love is the source and the reason for your existence, O people. How could you live without this gift? Believe Me, there are many who carry death within themselves, and others who are sick, simply because they love no one. The healing balm that has saved many has been love, and the divine gift that raises to true life, that redeems and uplifts, is likewise love. (166, 41)

38. Love! Whoever does not love carries a deep sadness within: that of not possessing, of not feeling, the most beautiful and highest thing in life.

39. This is what Christ taught you through His life and death, and what He bequeathed to you in His divine Word, summed up in the sentence: "Love one another with the love with which I have loved you."

40. The day will come when those who have not loved will free themselves from their bitterness and prejudices, come to Me, and rest, where they will return to life when they hear My loving Word of infinite tenderness.

41. Truly, I tell you, in love lies My power, My wisdom, and My truth. It is like an immeasurably long ladder that manifests in various forms, from the human beings at the lowest levels up to the highest spirits who have attained perfection.

42. Love, even if it is in your own way, but love always. Do not hate, for hatred leaves a trail of death, while through love one forgives and all resentment is extinguished. (224, 34-36)

43. I tell you: Whoever does not reveal his love in its highest form and with absolute sincerity does not love. He will have no true knowledge and will possess very little. Whoever, on the other hand, loves with all his soul and all the strength given to him, will carry within himself the light of wisdom and feel that he is, in reality, the owner of all that surrounds him; for what the Father possesses is also the property of His children. (168, 11)

44. Love will give you the wisdom to understand the truth that others seek in vain on the rugged paths of science.

45. Allow the Master to guide you in all your actions, words, and thoughts. Prepare yourselves according to His kind and loving example, and then you will reveal Divine Love. Thus you will feel close to God, for you will be in harmony with Him.

46. When you love, you will succeed in being gentle, as Jesus was. (21:10–12)

47. He who loves understands; he who learns possesses will; he who has will is capable of doing many things. I tell you, he who does not love with all the power of his soul will have neither spiritual elevation nor wisdom , nor will he accomplish great deeds. (24, 41)

48. Do not let your heart become conceited, for it symbolizes the fire of eternity from which all things came forth and where all things are renewed.

49. The Spirit uses the heart to love through the body. If you love only according to the law of matter, your love will be fleeting, for it is limited. But if you love spiritually, that feeling resembles that of the Father, who is eternal, perfect, and unchanging.

50. All life and all creation are related to the Spirit, for it possesses eternal life. Do not limit yourselves; love Me and love one another, for you possess that divine spark of "Being" which knows no bounds in love—which is God Himself. (180, 24–26)

51. Ascend the path that leads you to the summit of the mountain, and with each of your steps you will better understand My teachings and increasingly perfect yourselves in the interpretation of the divine message.

52. What is the language of the Spirit? It is love. Love is the universal language of all spirits. Do you not see that human love also speaks? Often it needs no words; it speaks better through deeds, through thoughts. If human love already expresses itself in this way—how much more so will its language be when you perfect yourselves in My laws? (316, 59-60)

53. When you reflect on the fact that I am Wisdom—that Wisdom springs from love. When you recognize Me as a Judge—that judgment is founded on love. When you regard Me as powerful—My power is based on love. If you know that I am eternal—my eternity stems from love, because love is life, and life makes souls immortal.

54. Love is light, is life, and is knowledge. And this seed I have given you since the beginning of time—the only one that I, as a perfect farmer, have sown in the fields that are your hearts. (222. 23)

The High Power of Love

55. O men and women of the world, who in your pursuits have forgotten the one thing that can make you wise and happy: You have forgotten love, which inspires all things—love, which can do all things and transforms all things! You live amidst pain and darkness; for since you do not practice the love I teach you, you cause your own physical or spiritual suffering.

56. To discover and understand My messages, you must first be kind and gentle from the heart—virtues that have existed in every soul from the moment of its creation; but to be able to feel the true, exalted sensation of love, you must spiritualize yourselves by cultivating your good feelings; yet in life you have wanted everything, except spiritual love. (16, 31–32)

57. At all times you have had guides who have taught you the power of love. They were your more advanced brothers, with greater understanding of My Law and greater purity in their deeds. They set an example of strength, love, and humility when they exchanged their lives of error and sin for an existence dedicated to goodness, sacrifice, and active charity.

58. From childhood to old age, you have clear examples of all that can be achieved through love, and of the sufferings caused by a lack of charity; yet you—more insensitive than the rocks—have failed to learn from the lessons and examples that daily life provides.

59. Have you ever observed how even wild beasts respond gently to a call of love? In the same way, the elements, the forces of nature, can respond—everything that exists in the material and spiritual worlds.

60. That is why I tell you that you should bless everything with love, in the name of the Father and Creator of the universe.

61. To bless means to satisfy. To bless is to feel the good, to speak it, and to pass it on. To bless means to imbue everything around you with thoughts of love. (14, 56–60)

62. Truly, I tell you, love is the unchanging power that moves the universe. Love is the origin and meaning of life.

63. I am now ushering in a time of spiritual resurrection for all — a time in which I will bring to bloom that blessed seed of love which I poured out upon the world from the height of a cross, thereby announcing to you that if people love one another as I taught you, "death" would be banished from the world, and in its place life would reign over humanity and manifest itself in all their works. (282, 13–14)