There are two places mentioned in scripture that Jesus’ followers express dismay at the difficulty of His teaching: consuming Him in the Eucharist (Jn 6:66) and His ban on divorce (Mt 19:10). If there were another that they secretly complained about, it probably would have been this one. That’s because it comes natural to hate one’s enemies with our fallen human nature.

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Too many Christians measure things by natural justice. But Christ reminds us “even the pagans” love their friends and family (Mt 5:46-47). We could go further and say even the animals ‘love’ their offspring and pack. Christ didn’t come and sacrifice Himself so that we may become good animals and pagans.

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Only by the supernatural (divine) life won by Christ on the cross, distrubted through the sacraments in faith, can we accomplish the “hard” teachings of Christ – which in today’s culture include loving one’s ememies, never personally attacking (Mt 5:22), not lusting (Mt 5:28), and avoiding all extramarital sex (Lk 16:18, Mt 19:9).

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Christ would never command the impossible. Although living the truth is impossible in our post-lapsarian state, it becomes not only possible, but mandatory in the new dispensation of grace won for humanity on the cross.