St. Nikolaj Velimirović's Prayer for the Enemy
I did say, three weeks ago now, that I was going to post less during Lent and attempt to hew more closely to spiritual content in the fasting season. Last week’s post was a bit of an eyebrow raiser in that respect, because the hidden premise of it was that I do not possess enough self-control to stay off the internet, and God has had to wrest my attention and consumption in directions that are actually helpful in spite of my flaneurism. “Might as well do somethin’ while you’re doin’ nothin’,” as a wise man once said.
So, the internet taketh, and now it giveth, in the form of a prayer posted by a friend of mine, Thaddeus Patrick. Thaddeus is a reliable source of deep saintly lore, and this particular piece, written by Serbian saint Nikolaj Velimirović, is a doozy. In fact, “doozy” is not reverent enough for what this is, nothing less than a controlled burn for the overgrown forests of the heart. Reading it will doubtless reorient your mind and lead you to contemplate deep wounds accrued throughout your life and thank God for them. I know it did for me.
This is par for the course for St. Nikolaj, who we mentioned last week. He was nicknamed "The Serbian Chrysostom” for his piercing wisdom and natural ability to articulate earthshaking truths with simple language. St. Nikolaj was a prisoner of the Nazis during WWII and came to America after the war, where he taught at Saint Tikhon’s Seminary in Pennsylvania. All worth keeping in mind as you read the following prayer.
Also, while the prayer naturally leads us to contemplate the more dramatic enemies of our life, it is worth remembering the words of Jesus in Matthew 10:36: “A man’s enemies will be those of his own household.” This prayer is for those who have caused us great hurts and great contests, but it is also for those we have to contend with on a daily basis. The child who won’t go to sleep. The coworker whose style or temperament doesn’t match our own. The guy at church who listens to too much Rogan. This prayer is for them too; the Nazis and the restless seminary students. May it be as illuminating for you as it was for me. Good strength.
The following is found in Prayers By the Lake:
Prayer LXXV
Bless my enemies, O Lord. Even I bless them and do not curse them.
Enemies have driven me into Your embrace more than friends have. Friends have bound me to earth, enemies have loosed me from earth and have demolished all my aspirations in the world.
Enemies have made me a stranger in worldly realms and an extraneous inhabitant of the world. Just as a hunted animal finds safer shelter than an unhunted animal, so have I, persecuted by enemies, found the safest sanctuary, having ensconced myself beneath Your tabernacle, where neither friends nor enemies can slay my soul.
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 flagellated me, whenever I have hesitated to flagellate 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.
Bless my enemies, O Lord. Even I bless them and do not curse them. Whenever I have made myself wise, they have called me foolish. Whenever I have made myself mighty, they have mocked me as though I were a dwarf. Whenever I have wanted to lead people, they have shoved me into the background. Whenever I have rushed to enrich myself, they have prevented me with an iron hand. Whenever I thought that I would sleep peacefully, they have wakened me from sleep. Whenever I have tried to build a home for a long and tranquil life, they have demolished it and driven me out. Truly, enemies have cut me loose from the world and have stretched out my hands to the hem of Your garment.
Bless my enemies, O Lord. Even I bless them and do not curse them. Bless them and multiply them; multiply them and make them even more bitterly against me—so that my fleeing to You may have no return; so that all hope in men may be scattered like cobwebs; so that absolute serenity may begin to reign in my soul; so that my heart may become the grave of my two evils twins: arrogance and anger; so that I might amass all my treasure in heaven; ah, so that I may for once be freed from self-deception, which has entangled me in the dreadful web of illusory life.
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.
May our Lord illuminate the righteous path He has laid before each of us and compel us to walk it dutifully and with joy.