[Question:]{.underline} Ought we to pray that God lead us not into temptation?
[Answer:]{.underline} The correct understanding of the sixth demand taught by Our Divine Savior in the Our Father, when he taught us to pray, is this: “Allow us not to fall into temptation”.
If we translate it as, “Lead us not into temptation”, it is because this is a direct translation from the Vulgate Latin text: “Et ne nos inducas in tentationem”. The verb “inducas” or “lead us” is a translation of the Greek “eisphero”, which means literally “to bring into”. However, it has a secondary or causative meaning, namely “to make or command one to enter into”, and from that also is derived a permissive meaning, namely “to allow one to enter into”, for by allowing one to enter in (e.g. a building), one becomes a cause of his entering in to it. This is the meaning here, namely: “Do not allow us to enter into” or “Allow us not to succumb to”. (Cf. Zorell, Lexicon Graecum, p. 384)
This interpretation is confirmed by multiple texts in Sacred Scripture, that indicate that God, who is all Good, cannot tempt man in the sense of inducing him to fall into evil. St. James states this explicitly: “Let no man, when he is tempted, say that he is tempted by God. For God is not a tempter of evils, and he tempteth no man” (Jam 1:13). This is likewise confirmed by St. Paul: “Let no temptation take hold on you, but such is human. And God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that which you are able: but will make also with temptation issue, that you may be able to bear it.” (I Cor. 10:13).
The three sources of temptation are the world, the flesh and the devil, but not God. Hence, when we pray, “Lead us not into temptation”, we should understand thereby, “Allow us not to succumb to temptation”.
Answered by Father Peter Scott, SSPX.