Roman Catholic Spiritual Direction

Litany of Humility

Posted Saturday, March 6th, 2010 at 11:50 am under Prayer
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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 to others, 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, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.

others may increase and I may decrease, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.

That others may be chosen and I set aside, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.

That others may be praised and I unnoticed, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.

That others may be preferred to me in everything, 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.

Rafael Cardinal Merry del Val (1865-1930),
Secretary of State for Pope Saint Pius X

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  • Cathy

    Again, this is very beautiful, as it is black and white a lot of things that I personally struggle with. I reaches into to the very depths of my soul. Based on a previous comment I had made about St John of the Cross, I have learned that this is Carmelite Spirituality, but it doesn’t matter. The only thing that matters is that I get closer to Christ every moment, and strive to please Him in all things.

  • Anonymous

    I say this prayer often. It is in “The Pieta Prayer Book”. I usually say after each. “I Love you Dear Jesus, Deliver me Dear Jesus”. “I Love you Dear Jesus, please grant me the grace to desire it.” I say this because of how much I Love Jesus,and want to do as He wills. I usually add sentiments of my love and affection to written prayers in order to make them more personal. I hope that this is OK?

    • danburke

      It is more thank ok! All vocal prayers, when the practice finds its highest expression, should draw us into intimate and personal expressions of love to God.

  • Marta

    Talking about Saint John of the Cross I think this Letany is very much into his spirituality…
    Well. in truth, it shoul be written in the hearts and minds of all!.
    Deep and true humility… easier to understand by looking up to Jesus Christ nailed in the cross.

  • Mary7Macharia

    Amen

    • Mary7Macharia

      Yes, I wish to subsrible to Catholic Spiritual Direction

  • Becky313

    This is one of a small group of prayers that were my lifeline when I began my conversion. I had trouble with a few of the requests………..like, “From the desire of being loved, Deliver me Jesus”, aren't we supposed to love and be loved in return? But I kept praying it anyway.

    I also had to get out a dictionary to find our what I was actually praying for because I didn't know what a couple of the words meant……and I kept praying.

    This prayer, more than any other, has shown me that we don't have to want something badly, or be able to pray feverently in order for the prayer to be answered. I knew I wanted to grow in humility, and while I didn't necessarily agree with, or want, all of these petitions, I was given the grace to trust that saying the words faithfully would obtain the desired results, and it did.

    I am most grateful to look back now and see that I have a good understanding of the value of each of the petitions in this prayer.

    May God bless us all with true humility.

    • danburke

      Funny you should mention the love part. We have a post coming on Monday on that portion of the prayer.

      • Becky313

        Not funny, providential. :)
         
        I am grinning from ear to ear as I write this because the first principle of my discipleship formation program is, “Everything is gifted providentially.”  Emphasis on everything.  As I learn more, and my relationship with the Holy Trinity deepens, I understand and believe that there are no coincidences; it'a all God!!
         
        He is SO Good………..and who knew He has such a great sense of humor???
         
        I'll be watching for the post on Monday, Thank you!

        • jessiebeard

          I had a nun teacher once who taught that nothing is a co-incidence that they are all God incidences. At one point I began to reject this litany because some of these ideas did not seem attainable to me at my age (680). However, I have since come to know and love Jesus and I do know that we cannot attain this on our own but rather through perseverence He give the gift to us. He is love and mercy.

      • Becky313

        Okay,………………..it's funny and providential!

        Take Care!

  • Woody

    And on Cardinal Merry del Val, see this article:

    “Here's a Perfect Secretary of State. But from a Century Ago”

    http://chiesa.espresso.repubblica.it/articolo/1…

  • underhermantle

    Try to pray this every day in lent..or even once..”Litany of Humility':

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  • Maria

    That line really touched me. Pride is my worst fault and I really wish I could be rid of it. While praying for someone I don’t like today, I found myself thinking, “What if they became holier than you?” It’s been bothering me since and so decided to research on humility… Thank you for posting this! It’s something I really need to pray for.