Deliver Us From Evil!

“And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by men. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
“And in praying do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. Pray then like this:

Our Father who art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
And forgive us our debts,
As we also have forgiven our debtors;
And lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from evil.”

Matthew 6: 5-13

Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil? God leading us into temptation? Bad translation? I used to say “Yes” but not so fast. We look back in St. Matthew’s Gospel and the events directly following Christ’s baptism in the Jordan.

“Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.”

Matthew 4:1

Who led Christ into the desert? The Holy Spirit led Him there. Led Him into Temptation. Jesus was put to the test to strengthen Him for His divine office that would require the sacrifice of His flesh. This was the salvation of sinners. To save the sheep who would hear their shepherd’s voice in the wilderness. As we walk the path of holiness on this earth we must prepare to walk in the footsteps of Christ. They may lead us to the sick, the needy, to death, and if God wills it, into temptation. God’s will may certainly lead us to the test of our fidelity and faith. This is done out of love. Our finite, fallen minds have a hard time understanding this. As Fr. Mitch Pacwa once noted, ‘God leads us to temptation like a General leading his troops into battle. Not to get them killed but to bring about victory.’ We are at war and are called to take up arms against the evil one. Christ knew this when He taught us how to pray. We may be allowed to undergo the test and it will be hard. We are weak and we must rely on the Grace of God the Father to overcome the tempter. This is the reason he also taught us to ask the Father to “deliver us from evil”. Embrace all the gifts of God’s love in whatever form they may take on. Be humble and call on the Lord to help us in our time of need. As we draw closer to God more will be asked of us, and more will be given to us in return. Pray that you may avoid temptation. Pray harder that at the hour the Father asks you to be like His only Son, that He will deliver you from the evil one and into His loving arms.

Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity

As the Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity on June 7th I would like to share the following Litany to the Holy Trinity with you. Pray it. Meditate on it. We need the mercy of God, now more than ever. May the blessings of Almighty God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, be upon all of you and your families. This Litany is brought to us by our true friends at EWTN.com.

Litany to the Most Holy Trinity

V. Blessed be the holy Trinity and undivided Unity;
R. We will give glory to Him, because He hath shown His mercy to us.

V. O Lord our Lord, how wonderful is Thy Name in all the earth!
R. O the depth of the riches of the wisdom and of the knowledge of God!

Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy. Christ, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy
Blessed Trinity, hear us. Adorable Unity, graciously hear us.

God the Father of Heaven, Have mercy on us.
God the Son, Redeemer of the world, Have mercy on us.
God the Holy Ghost, Have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, One God, Have mercy on us.
Father from Whom are all things, Have mercy on us.
Son through Whom are all things, Have mercy on us.
Holy Ghost in Whom are all things, Have mercy on us.
Holy and undivided Trinity, Have mercy on us.
Father everlasting, Have mercy on us.
Only-begotten Son of the Father,
Spirit Who preceedeth from the Father and the Son, Have mercy on us.
Co-eternal Majesty of Three Divine Persons, Have mercy on us.
Father, the Creator, Have mercy on us.
Son, the Redeemer, Have mercy on us.
Holy Ghost, the Comforter, Have mercy on us.
Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of hosts, Have mercy on us.
Who art, Who was, and Who art to come, Have mercy on us.
God Most High, Who inhabits eternity, Have mercy on us.
To Whom alone are due all honor and glory, Have mercy on us.
Who alone doest great wonders, Have mercy on us.
Power infinite, Have mercy on us.
Wisdom, incomprehensible, Have mercy on us.
Love unspeakable, Have mercy on us.

Be merciful, Spare us, O Holy Trinity.
Be merciful, Graciously hear us, O Holy Trinity.

From all evil, Deliver us, O Holy Trinity.
From all sin, Deliver us, O Holy Trinity.
From all pride, Deliver us, O Holy Trinity.
From all love of riches, Deliver us, O Holy Trinity.
From all uncleanness, Deliver us, O Holy Trinity.
From all sloth, Deliver us, O Holy Trinity.
From all inordinate affection, Deliver us, O Holy Trinity.
From all envy and malice, Deliver us, O Holy Trinity.
From all anger and impatience, Deliver us, O Holy Trinity.
From every thought, word, and deed contrary to Thy holy law, Deliver us, O Holy Trinity.
From Thine everlasting malediction, Deliver us, O Holy Trinity.
Through Thy plenteous loving kindness, Deliver us, O Holy Trinity.
Through the exceeding treasure of Thy goodness and love, Deliver us, O Holy Trinity.
Through the depths of Thy wisdom and knowledge, Deliver us, O Holy Trinity.
Through all Thy unspeakable perfections, Deliver us, O Holy Trinity.

We sinners,
Beseech Thee, hear us.

That we may ever serve Thee alone, We beseech Thee, hear us.
That we may worship Thee in spirit and in truth, We beseech Thee, hear us.
That we may love Thee with all our heart, with all our soul, and with all our strength, We beseech Thee, hear us.
That, for Thy sake, we may love our neighbor as ourselves, We beseech Thee, hear us.
That we may faithfully keep Thy holy commandments, We beseech Thee, hear us.
That we may never defile our bodies and souls with sin, We beseech Thee, hear us.
That we may go from grace to grace, and from virtue to virtue, We beseech Thee, hear us.
That we may finally enjoy the sight of Thee in glory, We beseech Thee, hear us.
That Thou wouldst vouchsafe to hear us, We beseech Thee, hear us.

O Blessed Trinity, We beseech Thee, deliver us.
O Blessed Trinity, We beseech Thee, save us.
O Blessed Trinity, Have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy, Christ, have mercy,
Lord, have mercy.

Our Father (silently);
Hail Mary (silently).

V. Blessed art Thou, O Lord, in the firmament of Heaven,
R. And worthy to be praised, and glorious, and highly exalted forever.

Let Us Pray:
Almighty and everlasting God, Who hast granted Thy servants in the confession of the True Faith, to acknowledge the glory of an Eternal Trinity, and in the power of Thy majesty to adore a Unity: we beseech Thee that by the strength of this faith we may be defended from all adversity. Through Jesus Christ Our Lord. Amen.

God's Answer to Prayer

We ask God for many things. We come to Him in our times of great distress and need. We ask for anything. Keep these things in mind, especially in light of recent events. In our Humility we should ultimately ask that God's will be done in our lives. He knows what is best for us, we don't. God can give gifts in strange ways and in strange places. In ways that those of no faith can't even comprehend. Christ suffered for US. He did that out of love. When trials come they can really bring us closer to God if we humbly accept them. It's perfectly o.k. to ask God for healing and miracles. We just have to say in humility to God, "Please God, your will be done in my life. I pray that your will be that I be freed from this hardship, but if it's not your will then grant me the strength and humility to accept your will as my own. Grant me the strength to accept and carry this cross you have given to me and help me to see how I can give glory to God with it." It is hard to do, I of all people know this all too well. I have been crushed by my cross on far too many occasions. I just have to remember that Christ fell under the weight of His cross as well.......but He got up again. Another thing He did was allow Simon to help Him carry that cross. Humility again. This is so important I can't mention it enough. One last thing to remember;

GOD ANSWERS EVERY PRAYER. THE THING TO REMEMBER IS THAT THE ANSWER WILL BE ONE OF THREE THINGS..........

YES, NO, NOT YET.