But deliver us from evil

Evil is like the blind and indifferent viruses that populate the world. They are everywhere. They have neither love nor hate for us. They are totally indifferent to us. But if one day they bump into us, they can contaminate us with disease, or sometimes lead to death.

This fallen world is saturated with evil. Evil is the air we breathe. It is a tricky and invisible network spread everywhere. If we do not take care of ourselves, we can easily fall into its poisonous threads and lose even life. The human being is an eminently fragile creature. While in the world, he passes through a forest full of relentless beasts, exposed to danger until the day of his death.

It reminds me of the words of the apostle Paul, describing the events of his own ministerial journey: “many times on the roads; in dangers from rivers, dangers from thieves, dangers from my nation, dangers from the Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the desert, dangers in the sea, dangers among false brothers ”(2 Corinthians 11:26).

Certainly, life is dangerous ground, and there is no human being who can leave this world without smelling of smoke. It is simply a part of the job of being human. To be a man or a woman is to be fragile, prone to mistakes, exposed to falling into a ditch at some point on a dark night. Sooner or later we will run into one of those hungry beasts of the forest, who will want to destroy and ingest us, not because he hates us, but simply because he is hungry.

That is why Jesus says, "deliver us from evil." He is teaching us to recognize our inherent fragility, in a world full of dangers, and to ask God to always protect us, to cover us with his protective armor when we go out, or sleep on our bed, or simply carry out the normal tasks of everyday life.

Wise is the person who recognizes how fragile he is, and how desperately he needs God's protection while breathing. The psalmist says: “Let me know, Jehovah, my end, And how great is the measure of my days; Let me know how fragile I am ”. He doesn't say it because he's a masochist who wants to cultivate a sense of low self-worth. He says this because he knows that there is a lot of wisdom in admitting our fragility and taking preventive refuge in God's mercy. In that humble attitude there is refuge from the dangers of life.

The arrogant and overconfident person has no buffers against the dangers and pitfalls of life. The humble and weak-minded person who constantly entrusts himself to God's protection, on the other hand, will always find refuge in the arms of his mighty heavenly Father.