Madden Mischief

Since this is about temptation, let me start by seeing if I can tempt our governor.  I want to lead Gov. DeSantis into considering what Florida Catholic bishops are urging him to do, which is to be merciful and not adhere to the law of retaliation, “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.” Instead of swift retribution as doing to them what they did to the poor souls they murdered, the bishops are beseeching Gov. DeSantis to kindly stay their respective executions scheduled Dec. 9 and 16. 

Instead, they’re petitioning that these convicted evildoers be locked up for life.  They’re assuring our governor that it’s highly possible to uphold justice and exercise mercy at the same time.  They argue that punishment need not correspond directly to an offense and urge placing these awful criminals behind bars for as long as they both shall live, so each day they’ll regret their crimes and hopefully they and others with similarly depraved dispositions will see their evil, plus the prolonged and harsh consequences of such heinous acts.  In prison a lifetime not only is a compensating measure of justice but may serve to teach perspective evildoers a more powerful, more resonant, longer-lasting lesson.

Yes, life’s so full of temptations.

We wish and often pray we can avoid them, steer around the worst of them, not be enticed, cajoled or tricked into trying something we shouldn’t.  We pray we’ll have the guts, the good sense, to say “no thank you” and never the hutzpah to do something we know abounds with risk to our reputation, perhaps even to our freedom and salvation. 

How tempting it is to tell some stupid loudmouth jerk to shut up!  To overindulge on exquisite cuisine, seductive desserts, intoxicating drinks acting at an exemplary festive occasion as if we’ve just been rescued from starving on some barren, deserted island. 

Sometimes we’re tempted to jump into things, go faster than we should, even while driving and to do some foolish things we know are illegal, dangerous to ourselves and others, and not only embarrassing and unbecoming, but fattening!

Yet all temptations are not wrongful, some even uplifting.  Maybe we tempt others to be merciful like Catholic bishops appealing to a governor to stay executions.

And lead us not

So, what’s the true meaning behind the words “and lead us not into temptation” from The Lord’s Prayer?

Those dire consequences from eating and driving too fast highlight the meaning of that intriguing phrase.

Saying this prayer so many thousands of times just as billions of Christians do worldwide each day as they have done for centuries, could it possibly contain a plea to the Almighty not to temp us? 

Heaven’s no!  The phrase is a plea for God to guide and protect us from situations and circumstances that may lure us down an ungodly path.  So, why does it say “lead us not” as if we’re imploring our Lord not to do it?

It occurred to me one sleepless night to humbly suggest and even write to Pope Leo, and invite modern theologians and powers within today’s Christianity, to consider a slight alteration of those two phrases in that great prayer that might be more in keeping with today’s appetite for words and rhetorical expression. 

In place of “and lead us not into temptation and deliver us from evil,” we could make it sound more modern by praying to God to “make us strong against temptation and safe from evil.”

Wait!

Then I thought it was best not to overstep precious boundaries, sacred tradition.  Best not to speed driving down a theological roadway so well-known, so deeply respected.

Also, that phrase “lead us not” reflects not God’s but the believer’s desire to avoid the dangers of sin. The Lord’s Prayer teaches us to pray that God will not allow or permit us to be tempted. 

No, God does not tempt us to sin.

This prayer is often for Him to keep us clear of sin by setting our eyes upon Him so we will not be tempted to stray.  It is a cry for God to guide and protect us from being tempted to stray into  head-on collisions with temptations and sin.

Now I’m seeing more clearly that the petition in the Lord’s Prayer not to be led into temptation reflects our own desire to avoid the dangerous consequences of sin. This phrase, then, must be understood in the sense of what Jesus taught us to pray: “Do not ‘allow’ or ‘permit’ us, to be tempted to sin.” This request implies that God has control over any tempter to save us if we would only call upon our Heavenly Father to vanquish temptation at its very source.

The bottom line is we may be delivered from trials and suffering and from all temptation to do evil, as long as we submit ourselves to the will of God asking for His help, guidance and mercy.   

Amen.

While Tom Madden is a practicing Catholic, his close friends say he often “thinks Jewish” ever mindful of the financial side of his entrepreneurial and creative endeavors.  An author and inventor, he’s also the CEO of TransMedia Group, a public relations firm serving clients worldwide for over 40 years, which he started when he left NBC.  Today his daughter Adrienne Mazzone is president of the distinguished PR firm.  To this day Madden prays to the Holy Trinity, which is The Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit, all in one.