# Prayer for enemies
*2015-07-13*

> Bill Young reflects on the life of St. Henry and leads a challenging prayer for those who have wronged us.

## The life of St. Henry

Today is July 13th, the feast day of St. Henry. To be clear, this is not the famous Henry VIII. St. Henry was a German king and Holy Roman Emperor who was a practical man of affairs. He was energetic in consolidating his rule, crushing rebellions and feuds, and dealing with drawn-out disputes to protect his frontiers. This involved him in a number of battles, especially in Southern Italy, and he also helped Pope Benedict VII quell disturbances in Rome.

## Holiness in a secular life

Henry's ultimate purpose was to establish a stable peace in Europe. Following the customs of the 11th century, he appointed bishops who were loyal to him, but he avoided the pitfalls of that practice and actually fostered reform. He was canonized in the 1140s. From our modern standpoint, he may have been too quick to do battle or too ready to use his power, but he shows that holiness is possible even in a busy secular life. We can become saints while doing our own jobs.

## A difficult prayer

Now we move to today's prayer, which for me is perhaps one of the most difficult prayers to pray: a prayer for our enemies. 

O Jesus, who commanded us to forgive and to love those who do us wrong, I beg you, for the sake of your precious blood, grant me the strength to observe this commandment of yours. Jesus, who from the cross prayed, 'Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing,' for the sake of your precious blood, grant that I may carry out this heroic act towards my enemies. Jesus, for the sake of your precious blood, I beg you that they may repent and sing your praises one day with me in heaven. Jesus, divine lamb, sacrifice for peace, love, and salvation of the world, graciously hear and grant this prayer of mine. Amen.

*St. Henry demonstrates that it is possible to achieve holiness while navigating the demands and complexities of a secular professional life.*