God Leads Me into Temptation?

I've been saying this for years!  Actually, a friend called my attention to it.  She was first, then I thought about it and agreed.  I'm talking about the "The Lord's Prayer," or "The Our Father." 

She said it always bother her that we prayed:

Our Father who art in heaven,

Hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come.                                                                   

Thy will be done

on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread,

and forgive us our trespasses,

as we forgive those who trespass against us,

and lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.

I understand that this wording is only in English.  Other languages say the equivalent of protect us, or keep us away from, temptation.  Now, I read that our Holy Father agrees.  He asks for a better English translation.  

The sooner, the better.

Google Translate

Image via Wikipedia

You have to laugh.  Language, translations, my name, all often offer moments of hilarity.  Two things in particular made me laugh.  You see Claire Derville wrote an article in La Vie Monde on my "cloistered brothers."  Claire Derville - publié le 26/05/2011 La Vie Semaine Du 26 Mai 2011 No 3430

When you read the original French, I see that Claire thought my name was "Fait," not Faith.  I'm not surprised.  My French Canadian grandmother, use to call me "Fait," because she couldn't pronounce the "th" in Faith.  (Neither could my Lithuanian grandmother; she called me "Face.")  I guess English is the only language that has the sound "th."  Anyway, Claire wrote,

Retour derrière les murs de Norfolk, où les membres de la fraternité ont rendez-vous dans la chapelle catholique. Une vingtaine d’hommes âgés de 25 à 60 ans ont pris place autour de Fait Flaherty, l’animatrice, pour lire des textes de leur héros, le frère Lataste. En 1866, ce dominicain avait fait scandale en créant la première congrégation pour les femmes sorties de prison en France. « Ce gars avait du cran », lance un détenu. Tatouages, cicatrices : malgré leur croix autour du cou, certains ont gardé des traces d’un passé violent. Et pourtant, la discussion est incroyablement érudite. Dans la bouche de ces ex-criminels en quête d’éternité, certains mots prennent un sens très concret.


which google translated into:

Back behind the walls of Norfolk , where fraternity members have appointments in the Catholic chapel. Twenty men aged 25 to 60 years took place around Manufactured Flaherty, host, to read texts of their hero, brother Lataste. In 1866, the Dominican had caused a scandal by creating the first congregation for women released from prison in France . "This guy had guts," says one inmate. Tattoos, scars: despite their crosses around their necks, some have retained traces of a violent past. And yet, the discussion is incredibly erudite. In the mouth of these ex-criminals in search of eternity, some words take on a very real sense. 


So I'm Manufactured Flaherty; that's my name.  Well, you see the French word "fait" means "make," as a verb, or "manufactured by hand," as a noun.  Hence my name is Manufacted Flaherty.


But it gets better.  Sunday's Gospel is Jn 17: 1-11a and I read:

“I revealed your name to those whom you gave me out of the world...."


Not so easy to reveal a name, obviously.  I guess I have nothing to complain about. 


Do you think I should rename my blog, The One True Manufactured?

Lost in the Translation

I like to read what's going on with the Dominican Sisters of Bethany.  The Mother House is in Europe, so the blog posts have to be translated.  Sometimes the translations make you laugh.  You just can't translate word for word.  The concept has to be grasped; then you'll get the idea.

Which reminded me of a scary translation.  My friend and favorite priest use to end his emails with:  "Come Jesu, anch'io ti amo fino a morire."

I couldn't make sense of the translation.  Father is an Italian missionary, so I asked an Italian in my parish.  He said, "I would love to see you dead, like Jesus."

WHAT!!!!

What is this?  Some kind of mafioso comment?

It couldn't be.  But it bothered me.  Why does Father want me dead?

Finally, I just confronted Father and asked him what it meant.  He wrote back:

"Like Jesus, I will love you to my death."

Beautiful.  Words can't truly express love.  No wonder the phrase couldn't be translated.

He loves like Jesus loves.  That's untranslatable.