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.

6819. Not only is an individual person one's neighbour but also a group of people; for the community whether small or large is one's neighbour, as is one's country, the Church, the Lord's kingdom, and above all others the Lord. All these are meant by the neighbour whom one should be moved by charity to benefit. They are also ascending degrees of the neighbour, for a community composed of a group of people is the neighbour in a higher degree than an individual person, one's country in a still higher degree than the community, the Church in a still higher degree than this, and the Lord's kingdom in a still higher degree than that. But the Lord is the neighbour in the highest degree. These ascending degrees are like a flight of stairs which have the Lord at the top.