When in the Lord's Prayer we ask, "Lead us not into temptation," what do we mean by this? Temptation is not something that will necessarily lead us to a fall, but something that...
When in the Lord's Prayer we ask, "Lead us not into temptation," what do we mean by this? Temptation is not something that will necessarily lead us to a fall, but something that can incline us toward it. And now the ancient sage tells us where danger lies in wait for us.
Vanity is what hinders our ability to distinguish the important from the unimportant. Falsehood is what seeks to turn us away from truth. Wealth contributes to the growth of pride. Poverty inclines one toward envy, murmuring, and crime. It seems to be about external circumstances over which we have no power, and therefore the sage asks God to remove them from him.
Yet the corrupting effect of these circumstances on us rests on our sinfulness. Saint Ephrem the Syrian later reminds us of this in his famous prayer, speaking of the "spirit" from which we ask the Lord to deliver us.
30
30:8 Vanity - All vanity of heart and life; a vain conversation, or a love of the vain things of this world. Lies - All falsehood and deceit in my words and carriage. Convenient - Moderate and suitable both to my natural necessities, and to that condition of life in which thou hast put me.