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Summary
- Ten short prayers cover not being ready to forgive, a person who never apologized, a friend’s betrayal, family, a spouse, replaying memories, the wish for revenge, blessing the offender, forgiveness that feels impossible, and forgiving yourself.
- Traditional prayers for enemies are quoted from the 1888 Catholic Manual of Prayers (“For Enemies,” p. 170), the 1928 Book of Common Prayer (the Litany, p. 57, and the collect for Saint Stephen, pp. 99–100) and the Orthodox Grand Compline (Hapgood, p. 163).
- The Catechism of the Catholic Church says it is “not in our power not to feel or to forget an offense” (paragraph 2843).
- Forgiveness is not the same as trust or reconciliation: Romans 12:18 asks for peace “as much as lieth in you,” and Luke 17:3 names the wrong before forgiving it.
- Jesus told Peter to forgive “until seventy times seven” (Matthew 18:22).
- Forgiving an abuser does not mean staying in danger; US and UK domestic abuse helplines are listed.
Bibliography (Click to show)
- Scripture quotations are from the King James Version (1611), text of Project Gutenberg eBook no. 10 (Genesis 50:19–20; Psalm 41:9; 51:10; Matthew 6:12, 14; 18:21–22; 19:26; Luke 6:28; 17:3; 23:34; Acts 7:60; Romans 8:1; 12:18–19; Philippians 4:8; 1 John 1:9). https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/10
- A Manual of Prayers for the Use of the Catholic Laity, prepared and published by order of the Third Plenary Council of Baltimore. New York: Catholic Publication Society, 1888. Occasional Prayers, “For Enemies,” p. 170. https://archive.org/details/AManualOfPrayers1888
- The Book of Common Prayer (Protestant Episcopal Church in the U.S.A.), Standard Book of 1928. The Litany, p. 57; Saint Stephen, Deacon and Martyr, The Collect, pp. 99–100. PDF facsimile: https://www.artisticdailyprayers.org/uploads/3/0/1/6/30164961/bcp1928std.pdf
- Hapgood, Isabel Florence, trans. Service Book of the Holy Orthodox-Catholic Apostolic (Greco-Russian) Church. Boston and New York: Houghton, Mifflin, 1906. The Office of Grand Compline, p. 163. https://www.ponomar.net/data/hapgood.pdf
- Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2nd ed. Vatican City: Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 1997. Paragraphs 2843 and 2845. https://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/__PAB.HTM
- National Domestic Violence Hotline. https://www.thehotline.org/
- GOV.UK. “Domestic abuse: how to get help.” https://www.gov.uk/guidance/domestic-abuse-how-to-get-help
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