Since God possesses infinite perfection in all things, the maxim, “Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect,” if taken literally, would presuppose the possibility of attaining absolute perfection. If it were given to the creature to be as perfect as the Creator, the former would become equal to the latter, which is inadmissible. However, the people to whom Jesus spoke would not have understood this nuance; he limited himself to presenting them with a model and told them to put forth the effort to emulate it.

One  must therefore understand these words to  mean a relative perfection, which humanity is able to achieve and which brings it closest to divinity. What does such perfection consist of? Jesus said: “To love our enemies, to do good to those who hate us, and to pray for those who persecute us.” In this way he shows that the essence of perfection is charity in its broadest definition, because it entails the practice of all other virtues.

In fact, by observing the results of all vices – and even the simplest defects – one will realize that there is not one of them that does not alter the sentiment of charity to some degree, because they all have their origin in selfishness and pride, which are the opposites of charity. This is because everything that overexcites the sentiment of personality destroys or at least weakens the elements of true charity: benevolence, indulgence, self-denial and devotion. Taken so far as to loving one’s enemies, love for one’s neighbor cannot ally itself with any defect contrary to charity, and therefore is always an indication of a greater or lesser moral ascendancy. Hence it follows that the degree of perfection is in direct proportion to the range of such love. This is why Jesus, after having given his disciples the guidelines of the most sublime charity, said to them, “Therefore, be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.”