On the first Sunday of Advent last year, with the new Roman Missal coming into force, the Church adopted the new translation of the Lord's Prayer, in which the phrase “and do not lead us into temptation” was changed to “and do not abandon us to temptation.”
The sentence, as it was translated in the previous version, had always given rise to discussions and questions.
Knowing that translating is always “a little like betraying,” biblical scholars have always tried to remain as faithful as possible to the original text; but just as our understanding of revelation continually evolves over time, so too does the translation of Sacred Scripture receive ever greater light: this is the “happy” reason for this “new” version of the Lord's Prayer, which is even more faithful to Jesus' message and to the authentic face of God the Father.
God never abandons us. So it seems strange that one could say to God, “do not push us to fall into temptation.” The translation “do not lead us into...” was not faithful. The new translation restores the fatherly dimension of a God who does not abandon us even in the moment of temptation, which no one is spared.
The Shalom publishing house's new book, “And Do Not Abandon Us to Temptation” by Father Achille Morabito, allows you to explore this subject in greater depth and fully understand how much theological and pastoral reflection lies behind every word of the prayer that Jesus taught us all.
