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Make your enemy your friendtranslated

October 4, 2026 · 1 min read

Christ says that his yoke is easy and soft on our necks and his burden is light. If we obey him and take up his cross, that is, what he teaches us to do, we will find rest, peace and joy in our souls (Matthew 11, 29-30).

By Fr Dimitrios Bokus

And yet, there is one commandment that seems to us very heavy and impossible to lift. The love. But isn't it in our nature to love? And of course. Some a lot, others a little, we all have this in us. But Christ takes it to extremes. He wants us to love our enemy even more (Sunday 2nd Luke).

But is such a thing possible? Indeed, this is not at all easy for anyone. Not impossible, since it is required by God who, as our creator, knows perfectly well our capabilities, but exceedingly difficult. In this matter we people display all gradations.

a) There are those who hate their enemies. They completely overlook Christ's command. They are unfortunately in deep darkness. "He who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness, and does not see where he is going, because darkness has blinded his eyes." Hate is equivalent to murder. When you hate, you become a murderer.…

Source: Orthodoxia News Agency · Read the full story →

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Elizabeth Wright

I remember when a neighbour kept blocking our driveway for months — it took everything in me not to snap at her. Father Dimitrios is right, the command feels impossible at first, but when I finally brought her a plate of the lemon biscuits I’d baked, the tension started to ease. Turns out the yoke really does get lighter once you start.

Ilie Popa

Father Dimitrios is right; this conflict with the enemy seems the hardest. In our block, there was a neighbor who kept parking in my spot, and I refrained from saying anything for weeks. Eventually, I took a bottle of home-made wine and spoke to him as a person. It didn't resolve everything overnight, but it took the stone off my heart.

Stephen King

That part about hate being the same as murder really hit me. Our priest quoted that same line from 1 John last month in Bible study. I still remember the guy at the dock who kept taking my favorite fishing spot last summer; instead of yelling I just asked if he wanted to split a six-pack and talk about lures. Tension gone by the second beer.

Вера Комарова

In our clinic, one nurse from the next office did not talk to me for a long time after the change of schedule. I read the article and remembered how the priest, during his sermon, also quoted words from 1 John about hatred. In the end, I just brought her a couple of pies with cabbage from home, and everything slowly got better. It’s difficult, but there’s no other way.

Анна Бондаренко

I also had such a situation at work with a nurse from another office, almost like Vera's. After the schedule change, she didn't talk to me for a month. I read in the article how Christ says about love for the enemy, and remembered the words about hatred, which is equal to murder. The next time I brought her pies with apples, which I had baked in the evening, and everything gradually improved. Really hard, but it works.

Емил Ангелов

I read Father Dimitrios's article and it reminded me of that accounting colleague who was always passing on his balance sheet mistakes to me. For months I refrained from saying anything harsh to him, then I brought him a tray of cheesecake from home. We've been talking normally since then, though I still don't call him a friend. This order is really heavy, but it works.

Ioana Stan

Yes, father Dimitrios says well that this commandment with the enemy is the hardest. At our polyclinic, a colleague on shift didn't speak to me for weeks after I changed her schedule without asking her. In the end I brought him some home-made walnut cake and we talked like people.

Marko Lukić

In our neighborhood, a man parked right in front of my gate for years. I read what Father Dimitrios wrote about hatred being the same as murder and I remembered how angry I was. In the end, I brought him a few heads of onions from the garden, we talked and now we greet each other normally. It's hard, but it works.

Rachel Moore

That line from 1 John does cut deep, doesn't it. Last year I nearly lost it with a rude patient who kept ringing the call bell every five minutes for nothing, but I remembered the same verse and just sat with her a bit longer instead of snapping. Funny how the tension melts once you stop feeding the anger. Did the fishing bloke end up becoming a regular chat mate after that six-pack?

Alexandra Rusu

Yes, Ilie, that's exactly what happens in our neighborhood, with parking spaces and neighbors who don't think. You did well to take that bottle of house wine to him instead of getting angry. I for one, when something like this happens to me, I try to pray a little first before I open my mouth. Did your relationship with your neighbor improve after that?

Юлія Марченко

Good evening, Anna. Pies with apples are such a simple and warm thing, you can immediately see that they are from the heart. I also had a similar case with a neighbor in the country, when we quarreled over the flower beds. I brought her several cans of compote, and gradually everything settled down. And tell me, did she also start to share something with you later?