Prayers For Enemies And Brothers

Ego autem, inquit, dico vobis: Diligite inimicos vestros, benefacite his qui oderunt vos, et orate pro persequentibus ac calumniantibus vos. Haec est latitudo charitatis et consummata armatura justitiae, quae usque ad dilectionem inimicorum extenditur. Nam persecutorum rabies contra Christi Eccleisam tribus dimicat modis; mentis scilicet odio, et verborum maledictis, atque injuriarum et tormentorum cruciatibus: contra quae Christus docuit, pro inimicitiis dilectionem impendere, pro odio vero odiorumque injuriis beneficia retribuere, necnon et pro persecutione ac calumniis eorum, orationes fundere. His quippe partibus charitas dimicat, ut omnia mala in bono vincat. Singulis enim singula opponuntur, ut omnes malitiae partes bonitate vincantur. Unde, si juxta est inimicus, dilectio emolliat cor ejus; si vero longe, beneficia nostra eum visitando perquirant; et si quo sit loco ignoratur, penitus oratio profusa apud Deum etiam latentem inveniat. Verumtamen in omnibus discretio virtutum satis moderanda est, et sollicite perscrutandum, quid sit quod Joannes pro peccantibus ad mortem fratribus prohibeat orare, Dominus vero etiam pro inimicis id fieri jubeat. Ubi nihil aliud occurrit, quam quia sunt aliqua peccata in fratribus, quae inimicorum persecutionibus graviora videntur, pro quibus nec rogare liceat. Sunt autem et tales, juxta Apostolum, cum quibus nec cibum sumere permittiter. Sanctus Paschasius Radbertus Corbeiensis, Expositio In Evangelium Matthaei, Liber III Source: Migne PL 120.262d-263b

But I say to you, He said, love your enemies, and go good to those who hate you and pray for those who persecute you and speak evil of you. 1  This is the breadth of love and the perfect armour of righteousness, which reaches even to the love of enemies. For the savagery of the persecutors against the Church of Christ wars in three ways: certainly by the mind's hatred, and with wicked words, and with the blows of injury and violence, against which Christ taught that love should obscure hostility, that blessings should be returned for the hatred and injuries of those who hate, and, not least, that prayer should be poured out for their persecutions and evil speech. In these ways love fights, that it conquer every evil with good; in every way opposing them, so that every wicked way is conquered by goodness. Whence, if the enemy is near, love softens his heart, and if he is far away, our blessings seek him out and visit him, and if we are ignorant where he is, our prayers poured out to God yet find him wherever he is. However in all things discretion must moderate virtue, and we must consider carefully why it might be that we are not permitted to pray for brothers sinning unto death, 2 when the Lord commanded us to pray for our enemies. And this can be nothing else than that there are some sins among brothers which seem to be much worse than the persecutions of enemies, for which we are not allowed to pray. And they are such ones, according to the Apostle, with whom we are not permitted to eat. 3 Saint Paschasius Radbertus, Commentary On The Gospel of Saint Matthew, Book 3 1 Mt 5.44 2 1 Jn 5.16 3 1 Cor 5.9-13