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You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.
It seems that we have arrived at a world where neighbor is narrowly defined, and enemy broadly. Neighbor, as those with whom one has almost complete ideological agreement. It is no longer necessarily to family or tribe or nation that we feel compelled to show generosity. It is only those useful who are useful to us in our cause and who validate what we believe to be true. In proof of which we can see how clearly such modern ideologies can cut through and divide families. Enemies then become anyone who might potentially prove us wrong, or who might object to the way we feel that the world ought to be run.
We claim for ourselves and our political beliefs the prerogative of allegiance that really ought only belong to Christ. It is proper for belief in Christ to divide people, even families from one another, at least initially. But this is the result of a belief that is vastly different from political beliefs because it is ordered not to the destruction of enemies, but to loving them, and to their ultimate conversion. It divides only for the sake of the greatest possible eventual unity.
making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth (see Ephesians 1:9-1).
Because we fail to see our common humanity and God directed destiny we fail to regard every creature made in the image of God as our neighbor, although that is what they are. And so Jesus tells us, "love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you". He says this to eliminate the potential objections against loving people who either seem to be doing nothing for us or actively working to undermine us. He is trying to help us remove the selfish utilitarianism from our motives.
Even if we had a properly broad definition of neighbor we would still end up with some number who seemed to be our enemies, fighting against us, or even potentially against God. We would then tend to lump these together to excuse ourselves from the demands of charity toward them. But if God himself loves his enemies should we not do so as well? And if those who hate or live in a way that is opposed to God deserve love how much more those whose opposition is only against us as individuals?
For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life (see Romans 5:10).
Ultimately we are not called to help our enemies win elections. We are however called to love them unto God and to eternal life with him. But we can not do this well or consistently if we have blind spots that make us fail even in basic civility toward them. So we ask ourselves, where are our blind spots? Or, are the people whom, if they received a blessing, we would find it repugnant, just because of who they are? God himself is the one who makes the sun to rise on them and the rain to fall on them. How then can we think ourselves important enough to wish to see them excluded from any good things, natural or supernatural?
So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.
God is lacking nothing, and works constantly in his creation to draw all things back to himself. We share in this perfection of his when we help become a part of that gravity. Our perfection is lacking when our kindness and compassion is limited or constrained. Our perfection is complete when we love all others whom God loves because he himself loves them. This is no idle sentiment, but is synonymous with being merciful, just as the Father as merciful (see Luke 6:36).
"The Bible tells us to love our neighbors, and also to love our enemies; probably because they are generally the same people."
- GK Chesterton
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