“Have you prayed for your enemies today?”
This question was asked sometime ago by Fr. Joseph Krupp who serves in the diocese of Lansing, Michigan. It is a topic that I do think about from time to time. The short answer is very much “yes”. Not that I would really consider myself to have any true enemies in any sense of the word.
Over the years during my lifetime I’ve had conflicts and disagreements with various people. Conflicts over matters of life, politics, and in some rare cases the core of Catholic teaching. Sometimes those disagreements have gotten way more out of hand. Rarely reaching the point that those disagreements have gotten out of hand to the point of fracturing relationships. Over time some of those have been mended though the amazing power of prayer. Some of those conflicts have been resolved in ways not even I could see or expect.
The classic example for me is ages ago I managed to get into a major conflict with one of the residents in our complex. All of this because of the way I was riding my trike. It got a little more intense with the cops being called on me. It would be understandable if I had held on to fear, worry, and resentment over what had taken place. However I felt the nude from the Lord to keep that woman in prayer. It took a few months but things settled down. Now years later we are good friends. I check in on her when I can to make sure she’s doing well and to pray when things are not.
Questions like the one Fr. Joe asked are a great way to remind us of how important it is to pray for those we disagree with. We truly never know where God will take things. A reminder that our prayers should not be limited to those we care about. Or even from the people who seek prayers for things going in their lives. God calls us to love one another. Even if we disagree with them. -
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