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Question Title	Posted By	Question Date
pray for or against our enemy	Anthony	Saturday, January 3, 2009
Question: Hello bro Ignatius, Happy new year to you and many thanks for the great job you have been doing on this site may God bless you richly. My question is are christians meant to pray for their enemies or pray against them?what is the position of the church as regards to enemies and what does the bible say concerning them.I know of a church(non catholic) that prays for death of their enemies like witches and wizards and people that hate them. God bless.
Question Answered by Anthony: We are to love our enemies (Luke 6:35) which means that we are certainly to pray for them. Enemies of the faith we are to pray for their conversation. To pray for their death is patently wrong. The Catechism states: 2303 Deliberate hatred is contrary to charity. Hatred of the neighbor is a sin when one deliberately wishes him evil. Hatred of the neighbor is a grave sin when one deliberately desires him grave harm. "But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven." In times of war we may pray for the defeat of our enemies and for our success in battle when we have a just cause. God Bless, Bro. Ignatius Mary Footer Notes: This forum is for general questions on the faith. See specific Topic Forums below: Spiritual Warfare, demons, the occult go to our Spiritul Warfare Q&S Forum. Liturgy Questions go to our Liturgy and Liturgical Law Q&A Forum Liturgy of the Hours (Divine Office) Questions go to our Divine Office Q&A Forum Defenfing the Faith Questions go to our Defending the Faith Q&A Forum Church History Questions go to our Church History Q&A Forum

Question Title

Posted By

Question Date

pray for or against our enemy

Anthony

Saturday, January 3, 2009

Question:

Hello bro Ignatius,
Happy new year to you and many thanks for the great job you have been doing on this site may God bless you richly.

My question is are christians meant to pray for their enemies or pray against them?what is the position of the church as regards to enemies and what does the bible say concerning them.I know of a church(non catholic) that prays for death of their enemies like witches and wizards and people that hate them.
God bless.

Question Answered by

Anthony:

We are to love our enemies (Luke 6:35) which means that we are certainly to pray for them. Enemies of the faith we are to pray for their conversation. To pray for their death is patently wrong.

The Catechism states:

2303 Deliberate hatred is contrary to charity. Hatred of the neighbor is a sin when one deliberately wishes him evil. Hatred of the neighbor is a grave sin when one deliberately desires him grave harm. "But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven."

In times of war we may pray for the defeat of our enemies and for our success in battle when we have a just cause.

God Bless,
Bro. Ignatius Mary

Footer Notes: This forum is for general questions on the faith. See specific Topic Forums below:
Spiritual Warfare, demons, the occult go to our Spiritul Warfare Q&S Forum.
Liturgy Questions go to our Liturgy and Liturgical Law Q&A Forum
Liturgy of the Hours (Divine Office) Questions go to our Divine Office Q&A Forum
Defenfing the Faith Questions go to our Defending the Faith Q&A Forum
Church History Questions go to our Church History Q&A Forum