The Lord's Prayer
“And lead us not into temptation”
Commercials try to arouse temptations of various kinds in consumers; they pretend to be natural and innocent. Think of sayings like “That is the only thing I enjoy” or “he did it as well...” or, “she is doing the same...” The message is hidden and encourages unbridled consumption; it awakens the dormant potential of seduction. In a society of fun and happiness, the struggle against temptation is of no interest. On the contrary: increasing the intensity of the experience of temptation–of whatever kind–seems to be most important. “Renouncement” and “sacrifice” are more and more exotic and unloved notions of our culture of entertainment. Temptation is perceived no longer as “temptation,” but as a mere option of pleasure, beyond guilt and the consciousness of sin. Of course, the forgetfulness of Satan’s existence made it obsolete to avoid temptation.
On the other hand, the existence of temptation offers believers significant difficulties. Why does God allow temptations at all? Why is there this request in the Lord’s Prayer? Does God purposely lead people into temptation in order to know their true disposition and loyalty? Do we have to suppose that people are tested by God so that He may know how much they would resist and what the result looks like? This request of the Lord’s Prayer has always raised doubts about the goodness and omniscience of God.
St. Thomas Aquinas describes the nature of temptation in a neutral way, very simply as a “trial” or a “testing” of people regarding their virtue. Thus, virtue may manifest itself in a positive way as a practice. On the other hand, in a negative way, it might be the avoidance of evil actions. Positively we can recognize virtue in actions like almsgiving, comforting those in sorrow, persevering in prayer, fasting, etc. God may allow the suffering and trials of the just so that they are proved and that their love to God may grow: “...the Lord your God trieth you, that it may appear whether you love him with all your heart, and with all your soul, or not” (Deut. 13:3). In the negative sense, God never sends temptations directly, because God is absolute good and therefore tempts nobody. But it is true that man is in a constant battle against his own fallen nature, against the forces of darkness, and against the world with its secular influence.
First of all, as long as man lives, he is tempted to sin. Man only hurts himself when he tries to deny the existence of temptation. The life of a Christian is always a struggle against sin. Every age, every job, and every life has its characteristic and basic areas of temptations to which man is exposed. The youth today are, for example, in danger of assuming sexual freedom and license as the unquestioned standard of life as propagated in the media. There are occasionally encouraging examples of a firm stance regarding abstinence, and they seem more frequent recently. But what about the temptation of married couples who want to exclude the blessing of children at any cost? What about the infidelity of a spouse who neglects the family in favor of time-consuming hobbies or who challenges the happiness of the family through adultery?
What about greed in business, trying to increase profit through unfair practices? What about priests who are unfaithful to their mission as spiritual shepherds through excessive activism? What about the confession of the Christian faith when you have to put up with economic disadvantages or even political persecution? What about the many sick who are in danger of despairing because of their suffering and cannot find a religious answer or support?
The realm of temptation is complex and diverse: from greed, “workaholism,” lust, drunkenness and debauchery, to a meaningless existence of man without God or faith. Temptation is always a part of human life. Every age, every state of life is subject to special trials. There is no “temptation-free” zone or “temptation-free” period of life! As long as man lives, he is tempted to sin.
Temptation and weakness are real dangers for the soul, not just a well-intentioned warning to naïve and careless people. A temptation can be so powerful that man does things he would never do in his right mind–and he risks his soul. The innocent-seeming fall of Adam and Eve should be a lesson to all of us. How quickly and easily man moves away from God’s commandments and instructions! Pretexts and excuses are easily found. How gladly and quickly man tries to blame the instability and tendency to sin on God. But is man not guilty and weak because of his own free decision? God did not ask for room to be given to evil. Man himself did it. If we succumb to temptation, we have to blame mainly ourselves.
Even after baptism, original sin makes us unstable and vulnerable. Temptation may sometimes be a salutary lesson to man in the realization of how weak human nature is. It is incomparably more beneficial and necessary for salvation to count on his own weakness and frailty and to keep in mind the constant threat of our own salvation, than to convince ourselves in our arrogance and pride of an apparent superiority to other sinners. No one should be certain of victory over any kind of temptation. Everyone has a weakness somewhere.
Concern for one’s soul and a healthy degree of self-criticism and insecurity are more than justified and necessary in order to preserve one’s own salvation. No one should claim lightly how someone will react in a trial or how much resistance a person will have against a specific temptation. This request of the Lord’s Prayer aims to form the right attitude in him who prays and teach him a healthy confidence in God, calling for divine assistance and protection. From the perspective of this request any arrogance towards the temptations of our fellow human beings is excluded if we take it seriously. Even St. Paul warns against excessive self-confidence and over-estimating our own abilities: “Wherefore he that thinketh himself to stand, let him take heed lest he fall” (I Cor. 10:12).
Precisely because of this liability of man, the Savior has always reminded us to be vigilant: “Pray, lest you enter into temptation” (Luke 22:46). The praying soul knows his basic weakness and instability in the face of sin. He knows that human skills and human sophistication is not always enough to fight the hostility and pitfalls of the adversary. He asks for God’s guidance and direction in real-life situations, where temptations come upon men, that he might not be trapped and sin. Man is dependent on God’s help if he wants to face the trials of life and maintain loyalty to God. It’s about God’s assistance in temptations, but it’s also about avoiding temptations or the near occasions of sin. The school of temptation is always a school of humility for man because he has to recognize how weak and vulnerable he is without God’s help.
Contrary to popular misconception, temptation is not a sign of special depravity or wickedness of man. On the contrary, quite often people who are undertaking genuine efforts to live the Faith and come closer to God are increasingly exposed to temptations. Temptation is a normal element of life for every Catholic! “Blessed is the man that endureth temptation; for when he hath been proved, he shall receive a crown of life...” (James 1:12). A life without temptation will never be granted to man here on earth. But we can and should pray not to be forsaken by God and fail in temptation, not to agree to temptation, nor to succumb to it. St. Thomas Aquinas puts it in the concise formula: “For being tempted is human, but agreeing to the temptation is diabolical.”
Cause, ways and means of temptation. God has not designed us as experiments in order to play “cat and mouse” with us. God is absolute good and never desires sin directly. But weakened by original sin, man has to wrestle with his own fallen nature and its sensual desires, against the adversary, and also against the charms of the world. In other words, God sends us not into temptation; the seed of temptation is in man himself. A strong argument against God as the cause of temptation is found in the Letter of James (1:13-14):
Man is first tempted by the inclinations of his nature. St. Paul describes very well the inner strife of human nature, torn between sensual desires and the pursuit of spiritual, higher values:
Even our Lord Jesus Christ calls us to persistent prayer in order to overcome temptations:
However, man not only has to cope with the weaknesses of fallen nature, but he is sometimes exposed to the violent temptations of the evil enemy. It is too easy to simply doubt of the existence of Satan as many of our contemporaries do. Given the rapid and dramatic decline in the faith of the formerly Christian West, it is easy for the “diabolus” to gain in influence. If there is a doubt of his very existence, this certainly means an enormous increase in influence on human life. There is a good reason that the Church has its priests in the official night prayer (Compline) pray: “Brethren, be sober and watch: because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, goeth about seeking whom he may devour” (I Pet. 5:8). Satan is hunting men and wants to ruin them: a truth of Christian Faith which is unpopular and barely heard any more. The fight against the “tempter” (cf. Thes. 3:5) is in the words of St. Paul, a great battle:
Like a subtle strategist, the adversary always attacks people in their weak points. He tries to weaken them by not-so-apparent sins, such as vanity, pride, etc.; then he will pull them into more serious sins and vices. The adversary is a clever artist in deceiving. He sometimes uses shrewd tricks. Characteristic of his work is his indirect and staggered method: He attempts to mislead those who are honest from small to big sins; those who are undertaking large projects he tries to divert to smaller secondary targets and, finally, to distract them. St. Ignatius of Loyola gives us in his “Spiritual Exercises” some wonderful descriptions of the military art of the adversary. (I recommend entering the school of St. Ignatius and following a Retreat of his Spiritual Exercises! Hardly anyone is not deeply moved by them.)
The world tempts man to sin in a twofold manner. In the first place we have to recall the idolatry of created things by greed or by an unsavory handling of temporal goods of the world, forgetting moderation and idolizing temporal goods for their own sake. “For the desire of money is the root of all evils” (I Tim 6:10). Secondly, serious Christians sometimes have to suffer disadvantages and persecution for their practiced faith: “And all that will live godly in Christ Jesus, shall suffer persecution.” (II Tim 3:12).
Consent to temptation may be fatal for man because he may thus miss his goal in life and lose the grace of God. If a man who falls in temptation does not convert, but dies in sin, this state will often become eternal, i.e., he will lose the prospect of heaven and the vision of God forever.
God does not leave us alone in the fight against sin and the devil. In His goodness and mercy He has given us valuable and effective means at hand. First, the virtue of love is an extremely effective protection against sin. Furthermore, God has given man the gift of knowledge. With the help of the Holy Spirit we are able to come to terms intellectually with temptation; we can arm ourselves against temptation by taking steps to avoid the near occasions of sin.
God does not let us be tempted beyond our strength. Let us never be discouraged from temptation because with every temptation He also gives us the option of a good end. “God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that which you are able: but will make also with temptation issue, that you may be able to bear it” (I Cor. 10:13). To be tempted is understood as something tolerated by God, in which the part of the “bearable” is never exceeded.
If temptation were not mysterious and “attractive” it would not be a temptation. Every temptation is something mysterious, something that defies complete rational penetration. Even our Lord was tempted, although He resisted. The mystery of temptation is in its appealing character, in its dazzling effect: sometimes an event, sometimes a thought, sometimes a man, etc. Temptations are often lovely and quiet, and they move people to actions that man in his right mind rejects.
Particularly open to temptation, and therefore in danger, are people with a hardened heart, full of bitterness, or people who quarrel with God’s goodness and providence after having experienced calamities. Paradoxically, however, serenity and joy are able to lead to exuberance and relaxation as well. The experience of misfortune, as well as the feeling of exuberance, may bring people into the situation of losing the ground under their feet and readily opening themselves to temptations. We must understand that almost anything in life may become a temptation and a trap for man, so variable and endless are the possibilities of temptations which will make him seriously struggle while his neighbor would only have a smile for the same kind of temptation. Certainly there are classical temptations, such as sensuality, riches, power, honor, etc., but there are sometimes very particular, small temptations that can be fatal for a man. Not only things that are destructive and evil, but even things that are morally acceptable can lead us into temptation and finally be fatal. We have, however, the comforting certainty that God will not admit anyone to be tempted beyond his strength. God always gives us so much support that we can resist the temptation and overcome it.
Temptations in general can serve for salvation or for evil; depending on their outcome, they are ambivalent. They lead to evil and are a curse if man consents to the temptation, looks for it, and doesn’t avoid the next occasion. But temptations can also be a source of merit and salvation. For by mastering temptations, man practices virtue, and he is more open to higher spiritual and supernatural values. At the same time resistance and vigilance against future temptations are strengthened. By resisting temptation, loyalty to God becomes even stronger than before.
The Epistle of James gives us a very good description of temptation as a religious fight or as an instructive and wholesome school: “My brethren, count it all joy, when you shall fall into divers temptations; knowing that the trying of your faith worketh patience” (James 1:2-3). We also learn from the First Epistle of Peter that the faithful especially have to go through many trials and temptations, so that their faith is purified and reformed more and more:
Temptations will always be a part of a seriously and attentively lived faith. The alarm should go off if there are no temptations and everything runs smoothly: such a state could be an indication of the laxity and lukewarmness of religious practice. We have the tendency to develop a false sense of security as long as great temptations are not manifest and the little problems of everyday life can be dealt with. But appearances can convey a false sense of security. The true state of our faith and our practice of faith is then made manifest only in the worst case scenario, in an ordeal with great temptations, misfortunes and disappointments.
God does not tempt man to sin. But He allows temptation so that the Faith may become more firmly and securely established. God will allow us to be confronted with the adversary and all of his power of seduction. This purification and testing is often closely linked with being chosen by God. Even our Lord and Abraham were tried by temptations!
Because of his omniscience, God does not need temptation in order to learn about our true condition. It is true that we learn from temptations a lot about ourselves. How quickly and how easily we overlook our own sins and sinful tendencies, excusing it, while the sins of others appear outrageous to us. Sometimes the school of temptation is for us a school of humility in order to make us recognize better our blindness as a result of pride. Temptations very quickly show us our own weakness and instability. We learn to hope for God’s help and to build on it rather than on our own skills. Perhaps the most important purpose of temptation is to make us humble and dependent on God.
We also learn to be careful in good times. If temptation is already present, it’s too late! If the life of faith is built on a solid foundation, then the person will be prepared and ready for the test of temptation. But even the best and most pious have fallen because they believed they were safe and fell into a false arrogance towards other people, becoming easily vulnerable. The greatest saints have always felt themselves to be the greatest sinners and they had a prudent fear of temptations.
Enduring temptations provide man with a reliable idea of the true state of his soul. The “fruits” show whether man is a “good tree with good fruit” or not. Do our actions display the hallmarks of faith, hope, worship, and charity, etc., or are they rather characterized by hatred, envy, lust, anger, sloth, etc.? If our soul is weak and sick, there is no other way out than through a good confession, the practice of prayer, and a life of faith.
We should guard against hasty speculation regarding tragedies that befall our fellow human beings. We allow God to judge and decide whether a particular person in a concrete situation is tested by God, whether he is punished, or the calamity has a different meaning, e.g. the conversion of others. The ultimate meaning and context is known only to God alone. If we are careless, we possibly increase the suffering by manipulation and psychological influence; we become responsible for the suffering of others if people, through our intervention, eventually completely capitulate. If God allows a trial for a man so that this man may find the way to God, he must know himself and open himself to God. If we persuade, through supposedly good intentions, someone of a “test from God” with the goal of leading someone to God, we can easily achieve the opposite.
The task of a Catholic is first of all, as we can see in our Lord, to help the needy and especially to bring spiritual consolation, to pray for them and sacrifice. These measures offer safer and better chances of success than premature speculation about the purpose of God behind personal misfortune. Temptation is not always a sign of a punishment or a withdrawal of love from God. God’s chosen often had to pass tests from God because God had His plans for them, as in the cases of Abraham, Job, etc. Let us therefore beware of the temptation of premature speculation.
If God cannot spare all trials and temptations in our lives, because otherwise our living faith could not be purified and strengthened, and it is necessary for our salvation, nevertheless we can and should ask God for his assistance and leadership in the tests of our lives. It is for good reason that our Lord exhorts us to that effect. If temptations are inevitable on the one hand, then, at the same time, we should not seek them. When temptations come, the Catholic should know that he can never overcome them alone, but only with the help of God. We see in the previous requests of the Lord’s Prayer how we have God’s help in the fight against temptation: by generous forgiveness, by often asking for forgiveness of one’s sins (by frequently going to Holy Confession), through frequent, worthy reception of Holy Communion, etc. We have influence on our resistance against temptations. We increase the possibilities of being attacked by temptations and the danger of failure by a lukewarm prayer life and through the negligent use of the sacraments. In other words, if we do not care about the specific requests of the Lord’s Prayer we should not be surprised if we fail in temptations.
God has given man freedom with the possibility of abusing of it. Man has the choice between light and darkness. He can decide in favor of or against God. Because man is not perfectly in love with God, it is always possible that he may fall out of the grace of God. Through this possibility of a free decision, it is possible that man is tempted. God wants no forced love and no forced faith; man has to decide for or against God in freedom. In the final analysis, one could understand the decision of people to succumb to temptation as a paradigm of the choice: for or against God. With every temptation he overcomes, man can increase in the theological virtues of faith, hope and love.
This request of the Lord’s Prayer takes into account the weakness of man and the healthy distrust of his own abilities.
(To be continued.)
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