Praying for Your Enemies

Thursday of the First Week of Lent – February 26, 2015

ABBA ZENO told us, “If you want God to hear your prayer when you stand, stretching out your hands toward God, you must sincerely begin by praying for your enemies. When you do this, God will respect all you request.”
[Bernard Bangley, By Way of the Desert, p. 79.]

For Abba Zeno, prayer began with praying for others. More specifically, the beginning of prayer is sincerely praying for your enemies. You cannot pray for your enemies for long without the experience changing you.

Mostly, when you pray for your enemies, you learn that they are not truly enemies. They are simply other human beings who live life differently, see life differently, or believe differently that you do. They are wounded and broken, certainly, but so are you in different ways.

Praying for your enemies is a transforming practice. It likely won’t transform your “enemies” nearly as much as it transforms you.


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