Jesus set a high standard indeed for his followers. He realized, of course, that what he required of his disciples was more than human. The Lord, then, defines perfection in terms of selfless and strong love. This love he conceives in terms of acts of kindness and of prayer.
Nothing is said about affection or mutual attachment.
This love resides in the will, and seems to require a very deliberate and determined commitment rather than a melting sensibility. In short, it has nothing in common with the kind of sensuous love that is so much spoken of and in evidence so widely in the media today in our country. Fortunately, Jesus also spoke on other occasions and in a different context about other characteristics of the charity that he preached and practiced. The love that he fostered and taught his followers to practice did not exclude by any means those whom we find congenial, attractive for qualities of mind and soul, and possessing the charm of virtue and grace. Yet at no time did he allow such attractiveness to deflect him from his single-minded dedication to the Father's will.