A meditation on the Our Father

Abba, Father - our Mother, too

Creator, beyond this world
Giver of life, with us here and now
Thank you
You are whole, all holy, the truth, the good, the beautiful, happiness in full
May your kingdom enrapture our universe
May the whole world do your will so there is no more war and hunger
Give us what we need to live each day
We place our trust in you
Forgive us as we don't live the way you have made us to
And help us forgive those who offend us
Rescue us when we are tempted
Turn us from sin and keep us on the way that leads to you
We pray in confidence with your Son and the Spirit
For you are the Lord of power and might

of love and light
now and forever

Temptation

Spirituality is different from religion, but sometimes those who have a well-developed personal spirituality turn to religion to name what they observe in the world and in themselves.

A person I respect once told me that very occasionally, the devil is allowed to directly torment good people, and an example is John Vianney, the parish priest of Ars, France, who was reportedly pushed down some stairs by the devil, and who had his bed set on fire.

The point was also made that the devil tempts us at our weakest points, pushing us toward sin and so we bring misery on ourselves. The devil has power over our imagination but not over our wills. The devil's power is counteracted by grace and providence, so by undertaking the necessary struggle to resist, and persevering, we become stronger. Needless to say, we should not go down any path that arouses our imagination in a negative way. That's being foolhardy.

The devil uses evil people such as Goebbels and Hitler, but is shrewd and prefers the "hidden hand". The devil can poison friendships of those who never pray, that is, of those who never examine their conscience.

My friend stressed that the devil is powerless against a person who does not want to cooperate. For the Christian, that concept is reinforced by knowing that Christ is Lord - "In the world you will have trouble, but be brave: I have conquered the world".