My dear Parishioners,
Peace! There are nineteen (19) In Brief articles in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, which treat the Lord’s Prayer or “Our Father.” The following reflection considers CCC, 2863.
In the sixth request, petition or demand of the Lord’s Prayer we ask that God will not permit us to assume the path which leads to sin, that He will ‘lead us not into temptation.’ The Hebrew word nasah and the Greek word peirazo are translated “to prove, try, tempt” and ‘to try, prove” respectively. Here we consider four specific aspects of overcoming temptation.
In praying ‘lead us not into temptation’, we should first consider the necessity a Spirit of discernment. While life on the good Earth is full of many choices, not all of them good, not all of them evil. In order to avoid temptations in this life we need the Spirit of discernment: this is good I should do it; this is evil I should avoid it.
In praying ‘lead us not into temptation’, we should secondly consider the necessity of a Spirit of fortitude. There are many forces at work in the world leading us to do evil (consider the glamorization of promiscuity, greed and violence in the various forms of media and ‘entertainment’ industry). A Spirit of fortitude helps us to both resist and overcome temptations to do evil. Scripture reminds us repeatedly how our spirt is willing to do good but our flesh (fallen nature) is weak (cf. Matthew 26:41; Mark 14:38). Supernatural fortitude helps us to accomplish great things for the Lord, even in the face of difficulty.
When praying ‘lead us not into temptation’, we thirdly ask for the grace of vigilance. While some people deny that there is anything evil or sinful, in the Lord’s Prayer Jesus teaches us to be on guard, to be vigilant, against any temptations.
Finally, when praying ‘lead us not into temptation’, we ask for the grace of final perseverance. The gift of final perseverance is a fruit of the Crucifixion, when we behold the faithfulness of our God, Jesus Christ, who was faithful to His last breath and last drop of blood. If we remain faithful to the Good God, His grace and call to holiness, we will have avoided the temptations of this life and the prompting of the devil.
Saint Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit, assures us that God does not test us beyond our abilities (cf. 1 Corinthians 10:13). Surely none of us are greater than the Lord Jesus who was Himself tempted for forty days by the devil, yet never sinned (cf. Matthew 4:1-11). It is not only in the Lord’s Prayer that the Lord warns us to be on guard against temptations. He does so in His parable of the seed (cf. Luke 8:13) and in His prayer on the Mount of Olives (cf. Luke 22:40). May the Lord heed our prayers and help us in our quest for holiness.
God bless you!
Father John Arthur Orr