67.4月29日 三個隱修士與惡魔－白孟德神父（Fr. Charles Belmonte Lopez）語錄-譯者:林豪

The demon appeared to three monks, and he told them: “If I gave you power to change something from the past, what would you change?”

有一個惡魔出現在三個隱修士面前，惡魔告訴他們說：「如果我給你們改變過去事務的能力，你們會想改變什麼？」

The first of them, with great apostolic fervor, replied: “I would prevent you from making Adam and Eve fall into sin, so that humanity could not turn away from God.”

他們中的第一個，帶著宗徒般的熱情，回答說：「我要阻止你讓亞當和厄娃墮落罪惡，這樣人類就不能背離天主。」

The second, a man full of mercy, said to him: “I would prevent you from tempting, and you will condemn yourself eternally”.

第二個，是充滿憐憫的人，對牠說：「我會阻止你的試探，你會永遠譴責自己。」

The third of them was the simplest and, instead of responding to the Tempter, he got on his knees, made the sign of the cross, and prayed saying: “Lord, free me from the temptation of what could be, and was not”.

其中第三個是最單純的，他沒有回應撒旦，而是跪下來，畫了十字聖號，並祈禱說：「主啊！將我從可能和不存在的誘惑中釋放出來吧！」

The devil, giving a raucous cry and shuddering with pain, vanished.

魔鬼發出一聲嘶吼，痛苦地顫抖著，然後消失了。

The other two, surprised, said to him: “Brother, why have you reacted like this?”

He replied: “First: we must NEVER dialogue with the enemy.

另外兩個人吃了一驚，對他說：「兄弟，你怎麼會有這樣的反應呢？」

他回答說：「首先：我們絕對不能與敵人對話。

Second: NOBODY in the world has the power to change the past.

第二：在這世界上沒有人有能力改變過去。

Third: Satan’s INTEREST was not to prove our virtue, but to trap us in the past, so that we neglect the present, the only time in that God gives us His grace and we can cooperate with it to fulfill His will.”

第三：撒旦的興趣不是要證明我們的美德，而是把我們困在過去，讓我們忽略掉現在，這是天主賜給我們祂的恩典，唯一的時刻，我們可以與之合作，來實現祂的旨意。」

Of all the demons, the one that catches the most men and prevents them from being happy is that wishful thinking, that of “What could have been and was not”. The past should be left to the mercy of God, and the future to his Providence. Just the present is in our hands. “Love what is lovable, Pray, Live here and now.”

在所有惡魔中，那能夠捕獲最多人，並阻止他們快樂的，就是癡心妄想，即「什麼事，本來可以和不是這樣的。」過去應該留給天主的憐憫，未來的應該留給祂的護佑。只是當下是在我們手中，「愛，可以愛的事物，祈禱，活在當下。」