Don Rafael Gambra Ciudad (21 July 1920—13 January 2004)
Patriotism is a natural sentiment, deeply rooted in the human spirit, which springs, in a way, from the divine precept of honoring and loving one's parents, the most easily and spontaneously observed of all precepts. If it does not transgress its true nature, patriotism is also a fulfillment of the precept to love one's neighbor, that is, those around us, our fellow human beings; a way of feeling in communion with others, a sentiment opposed to individualism, which allows us to live within a collective tradition and to love the common faith that permeates and enlivens it. The natural affection for one's homeland is, in itself, an impulsive and, as it is born of love, unifying sentiment; in any case, an open sentiment that, unlike irrational and closed passions, cannot engender negative attitudes or hatred.
Translation my own. Excerpt from Eso Que Llaman Estado, Rafael Gambra Ciudad, Ediciones Montejurra, 1958, p.178
