Prayer for the enemy is not easy.

A believing girl married a baptized, but completely non-ecclesiastical person. She brought her husband to her family. After some time, the young man took an active anti-church position, and relations between relatives became very difficult. The son-in-law and mother-in-law often came across religious or anti-religious disputes. There was no end to the mutual claims, verbal abuses, and direct insults.  New relatives of the husband, people of faith, tried to restrain their dislike, repenting at confession for hostile attacks. But they categorically refused to pray for the son-in-law. And on the commemoration slips "for health” in the church, they never wrote down his name Alexander. “How can one pray for him, because he rejects God, he says filth about the Church,” the mother-in-law explained. And yet she took the advise of the priest, began to write his name on the commemoration slip to remember him. The feud began to subside. Six months later, the young people got married, the son-in-law began to go to church, confess, receive communion. He could not get used to the fast for a long time, but he eventually did.

It is easy to pray for dear relatives, for benefactors, for friends. Prayer for the enemy is not easy. We consider the offender unworthy of our prayer, unworthy of God's mercy, unworthy of salvation. But if we work hard, overcome our mood, resentment, and condemnation, then our prayer will not only be an intercession for our opponent, but also a protector for us. 

“Save, Lord, the servant of God (name of the enemy) and this for the sake of prayer, have mercy on me a sinner,” we pray for those who caused us sorrow. For my prayer for the enemy, have mercy on me, Lord."