But deliver us from the evil one
In this way we pray to our heavenly Father to deliver us from satan, the bearer of all evil, the mortal enemy of the human race since the beginning, a liar and the father of lies (John 8:24). He beguiles men and thus beguiled leads them from illusion to illusion, in their private lives and in the life of society as a whole. "Turn the cards, start a revolution, take revenge on your enemies, create yet another radical social change and you shall have paradise, you shall be gods!" Thus has satan the "statesman" whispered into the ears of men since time began. And men have obeyed him, a thousand times over, a thousand times over have they spilled their brothers' blood, blasphemed their heavenly Father and a thousand times over have they fallen into despair in disillusionment. To prevent the poor souls from understanding who the main culprit is, the executioner of the human race would again whisper in their ears: "It's all so-and-so's fault, get them, change the form government, turn the social wheel once more, take just one more step and you shall be gods, paradise is yours!" And so the wheel turns in vain, getting stuck in the mud deeper and deeper, while people keep repeating the satanic lie about "progress." As long as men continue in their belief that the source of social evil is another man and not satan, fratricide and hate will reign instead of brotherly love. The Saviour Himself proved satan to be the main cause of evil, as the first conflict in His work of salvation consisted in His confrontation with satan on the Mount of Temptation. In the previous supplication: and lead us not into temptation we pray to God to deliver us from ourselves, whereas in the latter we pray to Him to deliver us from the evil one, that is, the one who waits in ambush on every slippery path of temptation with his jaws wide open. In a Christian society, a fallen brother should be considered as one who has fallen prey to temptation and the whole society has the obligation to pray to the heavenly Father to save him from temptation and deliver him from satan. For this we have an example in Christ Himself, who said to Peter: "Simon, Simon! Indeed, satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you that your faith should not fail (Luke 22:31). |