Bless my enemies, oh Lord
Prayers of Holy Bishop Nicola Velimirovich
Bless my enemies oh Lord! I too bless them and curse them not
The enemies have led me to your embrace ever more so, than my friends. My friends have tied me to the earth, while my enemies have loosened me from the earth and have shattered all my worldly aspirations
My enemies have alienated me from the worldly realities and made me a stranger and irrelevant inhabitant of this world
Just as a hunted animal finds safer refuge than one not hunted, protecting myself from the enemies, I have found safer refuge, being sheltered under your tabernacle, where neither friends nor enemies can threaten my soul
Bless my enemies oh Lord! I too bless them and curse them not
Rather they than I, have confessed my sins in front of the world
They have flogged me whenever I hesitated to be flogged
They have tormented me whenever I had tried to avoid torments
They have rebuked me whenever I had flattered myself
They have hit me whenever I puffed myself with arrogance
Bless my enemies oh Lord! I too bless them and curse them not
Whenever I presented myself as wise, they called me foolish
Whenever I presented myself as strong, they mocked me as if I were a midget
Whenever I wished to direct others, they pushed me to the sidelines
Whenever I tried to enrich myself, they prevented me with an iron hand
Whenever I thought I could sleep peacefully, they woke me up from sleep
Whenever I tried to build a house for a long and tranquil life they brought it down and evicted me
In truth, my enemies have loosened me from this world and stretched my hands to touch the hem of your robe
Bless my enemies oh Lord! I too bless them and curse them not
Bless them and multiply them! Multiply them and make them be even harder on me
So that running to You has no return
That any hope in men be dashed like a spider's web
That absolute peace begin to reign on my soul
That my heart become the grave of my twin evil brothers: arrogance and anger
That I may store all my treasures in Heaven
And that I be enabled to become for ever free from self delusion which has caught me in the deathly net of this deceitful life
The enemies have taught me- what one learns with difficulty- that man has no enemies in this world except himself
One hates his enemies only when he fails to recognize that they are not enemies but hard and heartless friends
It is truly difficult for me to tell who benefitted me more and who hurt me more in this world: the enemies or friends
Therefore oh Lord bless both my friends and my enemies
