The bulk of today’s entry—the Litany of Humility-- is not something that I wrote, but is inspired by some recent happenings in my life. First, I’ve embarked on a spiritual development program called “Just One Year” with the Humility of Mary sisters in Villa Maria, PA, in which a dozen female participants are getting together for three day weekends each quarter of one year. The acronym for the program is JOY, and the Humility of Mary sisters exude it. I’ve been thinking about the connection between humility and joy, and that when we release ourselves of attachments to honor, greater pay, vanity, and so on, we can more fully experience and express joy. In the last several months, a period of great change at my office, I’ve struggled with wanting more at work—more input on decisions, more power to instruct others, and more rewards. I had mentioned to my Tuesday night women’s prayer group that I wanted some kind of prayer for humility, and one of the women, Maria, suggested a Litany of Humility. Ecatholic prefaces the prayer by saying that “His Eminence Cardinal Merry delVal was accustomed to recite daily after he celebrated the Holy Mass.” Praying for humility, I still find myself comparing how I stack up to others and getting frustrated about being fairly low on the totem pole. But my focus has changed. I can be much more content when others have decision-making power that I do not. I share the Litany of Humility with you so that you may find more contentment, peace, and joy.
O Jesus meek and humble of heart, hear me
From the desire of being esteemed…Deliver Me Jesus
From the desire of being loved…Deliver Me Jesus
From the desire of being extolled…Deliver Me Jesus
From the desire of being honored…Deliver Me Jesus
From the desire of being praised…Deliver Me Jesus
From the desire of being preferred…Deliver Me Jesus
From the desire of being consulted…Deliver Me Jesus
From the desire of being approved…Deliver Me Jesus
From the fear of being humiliated…Deliver Me Jesus
From the fear of being despised…Deliver Me Jesus
From the fear of suffering rebukes…Deliver Me Jesus
From the fear of being calumniated…Deliver Me Jesus
From the fear of being forgotten……Deliver Me Jesus
From the fear of being ridiculed…Deliver Me Jesus
From the fear of being wronged…Deliver Me Jesus
From the fear of being suspected…Deliver me Jesus
That others may be loved more than I … Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it
That others may be esteemed more than I…Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it
That in the opinion of the world others may increase and I may decrease….Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it
That others may become holier than I, provided that I may become as holy as I should…Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it. Amen and Amen.
