Are We Really Supposed to Pray for Our Enemies?

Jackie Angel affirms that, yes, we really are supposed to pray for our enemies. The devil would like nothing more than for us to have hatred for one another.

Jesus’ words on loving your enemies, from the Sermon on the Mount, are clear:

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you salute only your brethren, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?” (Matthew 5:43-47)

St. Paul’s words on the matter from his letter to the Romans:

“Bless those who persecute you, bless them and do not curse them…. never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God; for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’ No, ‘if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals upon his head.’ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:14, 19-20).

The Catechism also speaks of our duty to love our enemies:

“This same duty extends to those who think or act differently from us. The teaching of Christ goes so far as to require the forgiveness of offenses. He extends the commandment of love, which is that of the New Law, to all enemies. Liberation in the spirit of the Gospel is incompatible with hatred of one's enemy as a person, but not with hatred of the evil that he does as an enemy” (CCC 1933).

Jackie also shares a story about an enemy of hers who would gossip about her in high school. She decided to pray for him for six months. At the end of that time, they became friends.

If you have anger in your heart toward someone, go to confession about that. The devil wants us to have hardened hearts. Loving your enemies instead will change you and the world for the better. So pray for your enemies, that God’s grace will become abundant in their hearts. Show people what it looks like to be Christian.

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[chall]

I was struggling with this issue today. Thank you God for using Jackie as your instrument of grace to me today.

[elliestretchprays]

Be perfect as our Heavenly Father is perfect. And bless those who persecute you

[zacharyvila]

"Do I not destroy my enemies when I make them my friends?" - Abraham Lincoln

[debbied]

Thank you for this very important topic. This is a difficult topic for me because the person who persecuted me was a priest. He made me feel unwelcomed and “less than” for several years before I left. Here is someone in our faith who is not even practicing what he is preaching. He is racist, divisive and defames the character of others. As a Black Catholic I am literally a minority in the Catholic Church and find it difficult when a priest like this does not believe in diversity or that the church is universal (hence the name Catholic) . Actually I have prayed for him in the past, but let’s not forget self healing and proper boundaries as well.

[g.Raider]

Just FYI, forgiving doesn't mean never setting boundaries. Sometimes the damage is too great for anything to be the same after forgiveness, and you still need to keep your distance. I have learned to forgive and pray for the kids who mentally and narcissistically abused me as a child, but too much damage has happened for me to trust them without excessive proof, and I have not received that.
That being said, this is also a weakness because I have a history of it poisoning my ability to take criticism and trust God with my sins in confession. So thanks for giving me the reminder today, Jackie! I will be in confession in about 90 minutes.

[Elijah_Al-Naysaburi]

When we say " enemy ", that's mean they are enemies, they do something wrong " right ", so we should pray to leave the wrong not pray for increase powers .
Blessings . 💗💗💗

[mollymcgreevy]

Exactly what I needed to hear today. Thank you, Jackie

[LisaGemini]

This is great because I've been estranged from two of my sisters. While we aren't enemies, it hurts me that we don't talk to each other. This gave me a wonderful idea about praying for their hearts to be softened. Thank you so much and God bless you, Jackie. I don't know how anyone could dislike and gossip about you. HUGS.

[edgrabowski]

I do pray for those who persecuted me and stole a lot of money from me .

[surlyrabitt]

yes pray for mercy for enemies with all our hearts

[susankipper]

Praying for one's enemy is essential. It should be part of the prayers of the faithful at every Mass.

[wolf]

Le sigh. Needed this. I've been really angry at someone who was mean to me. But time to love and pray!

[jessicaj]

It actually feels good to pray for someone who has wronged you

[Richie]

Jesus Christ has always set exceptional standards of kindness towards the oppressed and has given God's message of love to the one's who disliked him as well.

[majaraskovic]

Amazing! This topic is so so timely for me this week. I’m grateful to God for this message!

[joannsarsosa]

This is definitely, the hardest commandment to follow. But thanks for reminding that as a real Christian with a goal to be saints, we should reject negativity in our hearts. Praying for this person who seems to be always showing negativity instead of encouragement in the workplace. I really hope that I can rejuvenate the peace in my heart towards hers and that she will know Jesus through me.

[teresasilva]

This video made me smile. A couple of days ago I told to a friend (who's also a coworker) that when I have trouble dealing with a client or someone I don't like I just start praying mentally. And now I know I'm not the only one 😊

[robertdelgadocapetillo]

You know what you guys, and to this channel I'm sorry for my negative comments. Thanks be to God that I was never the only one with these, uh forgiving issues.

I still need to work on it though.

[RAG]

This was a very clear, kind, and inspiring video. I very much enjoyed this video. I can also say that after praying for someone who has hurt, provides such peace.

[christinas]

Thank you so much. You presented this so beautifully. I really needed this reminder of who I’m called to be as a Christian. God bless☺️