In his catechism, Robert Bellarmine (1542-1621) has the following mock dialogue between a student
(“S”) and a teacher (“T”) on the meaning of “and lead us not into temptation”
in Matt 6:13:
S. I do not sufficiently understand this manner of speaking, “And let
us not into temptation.” It seems this
phrase means that God usually leads us into temptation, and we ask Him lest we
would do that.
T. To lead into temptation, or to
send into temptation, or to send one into temptation or to urge one to sin is
proper to the devil, but by no means is it proper to God, Who pursues sin with
the utmost hatred (Gregory of Nyssa, Or. 5; Cyprian, Serm. 6). Just the same,
by speaking according to this phrase of Sacred Scripture, where it is
repeatedly attributed to God, to lead
into temptation is nothing other than for God to permit someone to be tempted,
or to be conquered by temptation. This is why the sense of this petition is
what we have said, namely, that since we recognize on the one hand the weakness
of our nature, and on the other the deceit and power of the devil, we pray to
God that He would not simply prevent us from being conquered by temptation, but
also from being beaten by temptation when He sees that we are not going to be
victorious.
S. The last petition remains, “But deliver us from evil.” What evil is the word in this petition
referring to?
T. This last petition partly
confirms a higher petition and partly places next to it whatever you like,
therefore He says, “deliver us from evil,” that is, not only do we ask that He
would pardon our old sins and preserve us from future ones, but that He might
also free us from all present evils. Notice how aptly and wisely Our Lord teaches
us that we should ask for freedom from evil in general, but He does not descend
to particulars, e.g., poverty,
sickness, persecutions and like things; because we frequently think some matter
to be good which God sees ahead of time is bad for us, and on the other hand,
we might think something bad which God sees is going to be useful for us. For
that reason, we ask according to the Lord’s teachings, that He would free us
from all of those things which He judges are bad for us, or else what these
should be favorable or adverse. (Robert Bellarmine, Doctrina Christiana: The Timeless Catechism of St. Robert Bellarmine [trans.
Ryan Grant; Mediatrix Press, 2016], 80-82)
Such is not
too far away from the JST of Matt 6:13 (“and suffer us not to be led into
temptation”). On this, see:
Kevin L.
Barney, Joseph
Smith and Matthew 6:13
