Topic:  What does "lead us not into temptation" mean in the Our Father?

Source of this posting: Moderator response

Date originally posted: July 5, 2004

Moderator who originally posted this source: Father Phillip

Question:   Hello, I was wondering about the phrase 'lead us not into temptation' in the Our Father. Why would God Lead us into temptation? Is there another meaning? Thank you and God Bless, Dominic

Answer: 

Great question and shrewd observation on your part!

You're certainly right: God wouldn't lead us into temptation. God is so inconceivably loving that God would never do anything like that.

God's love for us is also deeply respectful. That is to say, God gives us the gift of freedom and then God respects our human freedom. So, when you and I choose the way of temptation, God respects even that unwise choice.

So maybe the way we should understand this phrase in the Our Father is something like the following: We're saying, "Dearest Father, help us not to misuse our freedom to choose temptation; don't let us misuse this great gift of freedom to make bad choices; and when we go against Your divine will and choose temptation anyway, please, please, please protect us from the harmful consequences of our bad choice."

Does that help? Hope so...and thanks for being such a great guy!

Blessings!