WORD OF LIFE - April, 1998
"Pray that you may not enter into temptation" (Luke 22:46).
On that tragic night in the Garden of Olives, Jesus fervently encouraged his disciples to pray; twice he told them, "Pray that you may not enter into temptation."
This passage from the Gospel, as does all of Jesus’ life and teaching, invites us to pray because it is something indispensable, essential to the very being of every man and woman.
Having been created in the image of God, we are capable of establishing a relationship with him, of being in communion with him. And this is highlighted in the thoughts and attitudes of the faithful of many different world religions.
Gandhi affirmed that prayer is more necessary to the soul than food is to the body, because the body can fast, but the soul cannot.
Nevertheless, Christian prayer has a specific characteristic.
Jesus prayed to his Father and he taught us to do the same, to turn toward God calling him Abba, Father, my Dad, our Dad, trusting in his protection, feeling secure, in his hands, totally abandoning ourselves to his love. Strength and ardor will follow helping us to face all the situations of our life.
"Pray that you may not enter into temptation."
These words echo the sentence of the Our Father: "Lead us not into temptation," which would be better expressed, according to recent biblical studies, like this: "keep us from entering into temptation," the same words Jesus used in the Garden of Olives.
Why does Jesus insist on prayer? Because he knows human nature; he knows that the "flesh is weak" and that there is the danger of giving in to temptation.
We live in the midst of the world and, wherever we turn, we find something which is in antithesis to Christ and his mentality. In the world we breathe in an polluted by consumerism, hedonism, materialism, and secularism.
How can we defend ourselves from all the entrapments which are always there waiting first to enmesh us and then to discourage us?
Jesus indicates prayer as the means, to do so. He knows that in a world like ours, it is difficult to persevere on our own and he himself offers us a hand by encouraging us to pray together, united in his name and one heart through mutual love. In this way, Jesus himself is present among us, as he promised: "For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them'' (Mt. 18:20). He is our greatest resource in times of trial. In fact, "Great is the strength which comes from being together... because, when we are gathered together, charity grows, and if charity grows, there is necessarily a growth (among us) of the reality of God."
"Pray that you may not enter into temptation."
These are the heart-rending words of the God-Man as he begins his passion; he wants to spare his disciples indescribable sufferings and agonizing struggles.
So then, to make our own the words of Jesus, we must turn as he did to the Father fully aware of our weakness yet filled with great trust. And we can do so by praying individually, as well as together, with Jesus among us.
Chiara Lubich
The commentary to the Word of Life is translated in 90 different languages and dialects, and reaches more than 14 million people worldwide, through the press, and radio and TV programs
If you would like to read experiences of life related to this or to past "Words of Life," they can be found in Living City magazine, the monthly publication of the Focolare Movement. For information or to subscribe, write to: Living City, P.O. Box 837, Bronx, NY 10465. A book, From Scripture to Life, containing Words of Life with commentary by Chiara Lubich and related experiences of life is available through New City Press, the publishing house of the Focolare, 202 Cardinal Road, Hyde Park, NY 12538. To order the book or magazine call 1-800-462-5980. E-mail: ncporder@aol.com
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