I have nothing to offer this week except for a short reflection on St. Nikolai Velimirovich’s prayer for his enemies. You can view the full prayer by clicking here, but the most notable parts of the prayer (in my opinion) are as follows:

Bless my enemies, O Lord. Even I bless them and do not curse them.

They, rather than I, have confessed my sins before the world.

They have punished me, whenever I have hesitated to punish myself.

They have tormented me, whenever I have tried to flee torments.

They have scolded me, whenever I have flattered myself They have spat upon me, whenever I have filled myself with arrogance…

Enemies have taught me to know what hardly anyone knows, that a person has no enemies in the world except himself.

One hates his enemies only when he fails to realize that they are not enemies, but cruel friends.

It is truly difficult for me to say who has done me more good and who has done me more evil in the world: friends or enemies.

Therefore bless, O Lord, both my friends and my enemies.

A slave curses enemies, for he does not understand.

But a son blesses them, for he understands. For a son knows that his enemies cannot touch his life. Therefore he freely steps among them and prays to God for them.

Bless my enemies, O Lord. Even I bless them and do not curse them.

Amen

This prayer beautifully encapsulates the attitude that our Lord Jesus Christ took towards his enemies when He commanded us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us (Luke 6:27-36). We are commanded to pray for enemies not for their sake, but for our own. For God, knowing the types of creatures that He has created, knows that we suffer much in our hearts when we are embittered and angered towards others. Thus, we are commanded to pray for those who hurt us for both our salvation and theirs. This prolonged prayer softens our hearts towards those who have hurt us so that we no longer have to bear the heavy burden of our anger and pride.

But the reality is, as St. Nikolai says, that we have no enemies in the world except ourselves. Every person we come across in our lives, whether they help us or oppose us, are placed there by God for our salvation. Our human adversaries are in our paths to help us let go of our pride and become humble. It is as St. Paul says, “For we are not contending against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6:12). Our true enemies are the demons and the spiritual struggles we must overcome with the help of the Holy Spirit (such as laziness, anger, pride, lust, etc.).

These spiritual struggles are not easy to overcome, and may seem daunting and even impossible at times to surmount. But what is impossible with men is possible with God. May God grant us His grace in this struggle.