We sometimes fail to see what Jesus is saying within the context of his overall message. Jesus, tells us to “be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.” It is important to remember that he prefaces that statement with examples of loving others. What is this love that calls us to love our enemies? Could this be the perfection he is asking us to embrace, the perfection of love? Aileen O’Donoghue writes that her “enemies” are rarely true enemies; they’re just usually people who either are difficult to get along with or who annoy me. And yet, when I hear this passage, I think, Really? Jesus wants me to love that jerk? Yes, he does. It’s hard at first to even consider it. However, if someone is critical and irritable to others on the outside, chances are that he or she is also critical and irritable to themselves on the inside. Even braggarts, who seem self-satisfied and egotistical, are probably much more insecure than they will ever let on. Why else would they need to point out their apparent superiority? Thinking about this, and recognizing that happy, well-adjusted people are rarely difficult, has become my way, when I’m being difficult, of finding the compassion necessary to start transforming irritation to love and prayer–for others and for myself. Fr. James McKarns closes our reflection by noting that love implies that we respect others and even nurture a string positive attraction to them. How is this balanced with the abhorrent and repulse nature of those who kill innocent people, like Osama bin Laden. He tells us that what helped him apply Jesus teaching was the second part about praying for those who persecute us. We are not expected to totally excuse all offensive acts or invite our offenders to lunch, but if we sincerely pray for someone, then we are offering Christian love. George Watson, a famous post-Civil War evangelist, said, “When the heart is made pure, it is then in condition to be filled with the Holy Spirit, the abiding Comforter, whose presence floods the soul with unmixed love.” The perfection we are asked to pursue is all about perfecting the indwelling love of the spirit. This should be our daily effort; to empty ourselves so we can be filled with his love, to then go and share it with others.