Lead Us Not

Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen  

THE LORD’S PRAYER
(Continued… Matthew 6:13)
 This phrase is a puzzling one: Why would God tempt us? Isn’t that the vocation of the other guy? The idea that the Lord could be tempting me is a confusing one if I look at it in terms of the duality of good vs evil. Does the good Lord tempt me to murder, rape, rob and otherwise pillage? I think not… This excuse holds less water than “the Devil made me do it.” If I make contact in the depths of my heart with the Heart of Compassion, how is there room for temptation unless I am playing games with myself? The Buddhists would call this samsara… the world of illusion, and quite frankly, temptation is a self inflicted wound.

    I have another take on this and it seems to be free of any contradiction. It is asking the master of my heart; “don’t allow my altruistic intentions to cause more harm than good.” How many times have we seen governments and people on the personal level cause more harm than good with programs and charities that undermine the motivations of the underprivileged they propose to assist? How often do we attempt to help our loved ones by warding off the consequences of their foolish decisions? How often do I sabotage myself with the charade that I am behaving selflessly with what is often called “tough love”?

    In essence, this part of the prayer recognizes that I need to touch on a power and glory that transcends the confusion of a limited vision. For myself, through this prayer, I can rekindle my relationship with the Heart of Compassion through forgiveness and an awareness that the answers come from within where the kingdom of the Holy Spirit abides.

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