Sermon: Am I really supposed to pray for and bless my enemies?
Tongues prayer unfolds in a very different register.
Since I am what people call “a man of the cloth”, I listen to people tell me their problems. I listen to all kinds of people: men and women, rich and poor, old and young. No two people are the same. That much is obvious.
Even so, their sorrows and their joys are often the same. It doesn’t matter how rich you are, you can still get sick and die. It doesn’t matter how poor you are, you can still feel happy because someone loves you.
Enemies are another thing that everybody has in common. Again, it doesn’t matter: men and women, rich and poor, old and young. It makes life hard because your enemy is the one making it hard. This is where the words of Jesus Christ usually sound unreasonable. “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Mt 5:44). Am I really supposed to pray for them? Am I supposed to ask God to bless my enemies—instead of cursing them and asking God to destroy them?
Loving your enemies is the hallmark of being a Christian, of being like Christ. One of the saints put it this way: “Before you will ever learn to love, you must first learn to forgive. Don’t be surprised that you find it impossible. Ask God to teach you how to do it.”
Finally, remember the words of Saint Paul: “Never try to get revenge: leave that, my dear friends, to God. As scripture says: ‘Vengeance is mine. I will pay them back’, the Lord promises. Moreover, if your enemy is hungry, give him something to eat; if thirsty, something to drink.” (Rom 12:19)
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