414. The reason one's country is more the neighbour than one's community is that it is composed of a number of communities, so that love directed towards it is wider and higher. Moreover, loving one's country is loving the well-being of the people. One's country is the neighbour because it is a kind of parent; it is where one was born; it has fed and feeds one; it has protected and protects one from injury. One should do good to the country one loves according to its needs, some of which are natural, some spiritual. Natural needs are concerned with its secular life and order, spiritual ones with its spiritual life and order.

[2] There is a law engraved on the hearts of men that one's country should be loved, not as a person loves himself, but more than oneself. This law commands, and this is what every righteous man declares, that if one's country is threatened with destruction by an enemy or any other danger, it is a noble act to die in its defence, and a soldier should take pride in shedding his blood for it. People say this because one's country ought to be loved that dearly. It needs to be known that those who love their country and do good to it as the result of their good will, after death love the Lord's kingdom, since this is then their country; and those who love the Lord's kingdom love the Lord, because the Lord is all in all to His kingdom.

240. There are two abilities within us, gifts from the Lord, that distinguish us from animals. One ability is that we can discern what is true and what is good. This ability is called "rationality," and is an ability of our discernment. The other ability is that we can do what is true and what is good. This ability is called "freedom," and is an ability of our volition. Because of our rationality, we can think what we want to think, either in favor of God or against God, in favor of our neighbor or against our neighbor. We can also intend and do what we are thinking, or when we see something evil and are afraid of the penalty, can use our freedom to refrain from doing it. It is because of these two abilities that we are human and are distinguished from animals.

These two abilities are gifts from the Lord within us. They come from him constantly and are never taken away, for if they were taken away, that would be the end of our humanity. The Lord lives in each of us, in the good and the evil alike, in these two abilities. They are the Lord's dwelling in the human race, which is why everyone, whether good or evil, lives forever. However, the Lord's dwelling within us is more intimate as we use these abilities to open the higher levels. By opening them, we come into consciousness of higher levels of love and wisdom and so come closer to the Lord. It makes sense, then, that as these levels are opened, we are in the Lord and the Lord is in us.