Prayers for our Enemies

"Lord Jesus Christ, Who didst command us to love our enemies, and those who defame and injure us, and to pray for them and forgive them; Who Thyself didst pray for Thine enemies, who crucified thee: grant us, we pray, the spirit of Christian reconciliation and meekness, that we may heartily forgive every injury and be reconciled with our enemies. Grant us to overcome the malevolence and offences of people with Christian meekness and true love of our neighbor. We further beseech Thee, O Lord, to grant to our enemies true peace and forgiveness of sins; and do not allow them to leave this life without true faith and sincere conversion. And help us repay evil with goodness, and to remain safe from the temptations of the devil and from all the perils which threaten us, in the form of visible and invisible enemies. Amen. "


"O Lord, our God, pre-existing before all ages and remaining forever; who are as great in compassion as you are in uncontainable power; who because of your ineffable mercy bowed the heavens, came down on earth and became man for the salvation of sinners; who put on and immortalized our nature and ascended with it to the place from which you descended; hear from heaven and become merciful to all those who cry out to you with a broken heart. You, O Master of all, lend you ear and hear us. We know your undefeatable love for your creation and your inexhaustible goodness. Hence, we throw ourselves into the ocean of your compassions and entreat you: turn not your face from us nor cast us away from your countenance neither hand us over to those who are so furiously attacking us. Look upon us with your compassionate eye. Show us how to rise above both the visible and invisible enemies. Place in us a power from on high; encompass us with your almighty right hand; keep us under the protection of your wings; fortify us with love for one another and grant us unshakable peace. But before all and above all, instill in us your fear and your love that your holy name may also be glorified in us. Upon you alone we look, on you alone we have placed our hopes, and to you we send up the glory, together with your Father, who is without beginning, and the life-creating Spirit, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen."

"
Bless my enemies, O Lord. Even I bless them and do not curse them.
Enemies have driven me into Thy 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 does, so have I, persecuted by enemies, found the safest sanctuary, having ensconced myself beneath Thy 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 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.

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 Thy 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 Thee 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 evil 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."

Lord, I offer Thee these prayers from the saints as an odor of spiritual fragrance for those who currently persecute me and those I love.   Humbly, I beseech Thee, to hear my prayers, and those of all Orthodox Christians, for freedom, safe deliverance, and victory over those who attack us, both as persons and as a church, in body and spirit,  in truth and deceit, and may our persecutions lead us ever closer to Thee, who art all good and deserving of all glory, honor, and worship In The Name of the Father, and The Son, and The Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages, Amen.

I got drafted!

Ok...for some people, the title to this blog entry may bring back nasty flashbacks of the sixties and anti-Vietnam war protests, and some may start reciting the "Alice's Restaurant Masacree" (with full orchestration and five part harmony and stuff like that and other phenomenon), but in my case, it is true.  I truly did get drafted....just not by the US military.  I was drafted by the priest where I attend church to do something very important.
A little background: I attend an OCA church that is overwhelmingly Russian (or at least old Soviet).  I honestly think I am the only regular adult parishioner who can not speak Russian.  So, because I can walk, and it is Orthodox, I walk to this church every Saturday and Sunday for Vespers and Liturgy.  I follow along with the services in the Svit prayerbook; it's the only way I could follow!  Where I get lost is the sermon; Father gives it in Russian, and all I can do is smile and nod politely.  However, Father noticed a chance for me to give also, and has made me do so.
Since about Thanksgiving time, I have given the epistle reading in English.  How overwhelming.  Who am I to say anything about God through the writings of St Paul?  However, since I was asked to, how can I say no?  So, I didn't.
At first, I thought that there was no purpose to this other than to show those who couldn't speak Russian that they are welcome also.  Let's face it; in the Northeast, church attendance is down, and churches are closing.  The current church I attend would have closed if Father had accepted an offer to go to Poland to a university there about eight years ago.  He decided to stay and keep the church open.  If he hadn't made that decision for me those years ago, I wouldn't have been drafted.
However, a recent talk by a man who grew up in the parish shed some new light on this for me also.  He talked about growing up here and going to church here and how in his youth, it was so crowded on holidays that police were needed for traffic control; in fact, the two blocks surrounding the church were shut down for safety reasons.  He talked with zeal about his favorite memories from this church growing up.  Then it dawned on me: he was speaking in English!  OK, I understand THAT shouldn't have been a "revelation" since I like to think I have excellent command of the English language myself.  Yet, it wasn't until I thought about the fact he WAS speaking in English to a bunch of Russian immigrants in the USA that I realized how important I am now to keeping this church open and alive.  It isn't that I can speak English; it's that many Americans (myself included) can not speak Russian.  This isn't a Russian Church; it's an Orthodox Church.  This isn't a "Russian" community; we are God's children.  All God's children must be made welcome in His house of worship.
I realize now how I am to be that welcoming person for the non-Russian speaking person who wants to come here.  I am to be as welcoming to them as I was welcomed by all here, because I was welcomed.  No one told me I did not belong because I was unable to speak Russian.  No one told me to go seek those who spoke my language.  No one told me to leave.  Everyone has shown me they want me to stay.  Father has given me work to do.  How can I say no?
I only pray I do not let my parish, my priest, and God down, as I have so often in my life.  Please pray for me also; I need them more and more.