522. First, though, let me state what divine mercy is. Divine mercy is a pure mercy toward the whole human race with the intent of saving it, and it is constant toward every individual, never withdrawing from anyone. This means that everyone who can be saved is saved. However, no one can be saved except by divine means, the means revealed by the Lord in the Word. Divine means are what we refer to as divine truths. They teach how we are to live in order to be saved. The Lord uses them to lead us to heaven and to instill heaven's life into us. The Lord does this for everyone; but he cannot instill heaven's life into anyone who does not refrain from evil, since evil bars the way. So to the extent that we do refrain from evil, the Lord in his divine mercy leads us by divine means, from infancy to the end of life in the world and thereafter to eternity. This is the divine mercy that I mean. We can therefore see that the Lord's mercy is pure mercy, but not unmediated: that is, it does not save people whenever it feels like it, no matter how they have lived.

10310. 'Will be cut off from his people' means separation from heaven and the Church, and spiritual death. This is clear from the meaning of 'being cut off from his people' as separation and spiritual death, dealt with in 10288. The fact that it is a separation from heaven is clear from what has been stated immediately above in 10309; and the reason why it is a separation from the Church as well is that they alone are true members of the Church who have the Church within them, and they have the Church within them who have an affection for truth for its own sake and an affection for good for its own sake, thus who are governed by love towards the neighbour and love to God. For good and truth are the neighbour, and so is God since good and truth are God's and so are God as He exists with such people. Those who are not like this are not true members of the Church, even though they may be within the Church.