Abba Zeno said, ‘If a man wants God to hear his prayer quickly, then before he prays for anything else, even his own soul, when he stands and stretches out his hands towards God, he must pray with all his heart for his enemies. Through this action God will hear everything that he asks.’ —– Sayings of the desert

Jesus said: “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax-collectors do the same?” The love of enemies concept is what makes Christianity special. Praying for your enemies is a demanding call of the Christian path and a defining sign of taking Jesus seriously. Abba Zeno tells us that this love is a portal to answered prayer. Until we can reach out in the spirit of the love of God, we cannot know the love of God. His love allowed Him to die for us when we were sinners.

Prayer Thought

Lord help me to live in this spirit today and every day.