Prayer for Humility
Litany of Humility
O Jesus, meek and humble of heart, Hear me.
From the desire of being esteemed, Deliver me, O Jesus.
From the desire of being loved, Deliver me, O Jesus.
From the desire of being extolled, Deliver me, O Jesus.
From the desire of being honored, Deliver me, O Jesus.
From the desire of being praised, Deliver me, O Jesus.
From the desire of being preferred to others, Deliver me, O Jesus.
From the desire of being consulted, Deliver me, O Jesus.
From the desire of being approved, Deliver me, O Jesus.
From the fear of being humiliated, Deliver me, O Jesus.
From the fear of being despised, Deliver me, O Jesus.
From the fear of suffering rebukes, Deliver me, O Jesus.
From the fear of being calumniated, Deliver me, O Jesus.
From the fear of being forgotten, Deliver me, O Jesus.
From the fear of being ridiculed, Deliver me, O Jesus.
From the fear of being wronged, Deliver me, O Jesus.
From the fear of being suspected, Deliver me, O 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 be chosen and I set aside, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be praised and I go 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.
Wow! That is a powerful prayer. My recommendation would be to say this prayer at least once per week because it battles our nature. Our nature to be prideful.
Pride leads to every other vice: it is the complete anti-God state of mind…… it is Pride which has been the chief cause of misery in every nation and every family since the world began.1 Augustine and Aquinas both taught that pride was the root of sin.2
From an academic point of view, Harvard psychologist, Gordon Allport observed,
Any neurotic is living a life, which in some respects, is extreme in its self-centeredness… the region of ones misery represents a complete preoccupation with their-self . The very nature of the neurotic disorder is tied to pride. If the sufferer is hypersensitive, resentful, or overcritical, they may be indicating a fear that they will not appear to advantage in competitive situations where they want to show their worth. If they are chronically indecisive, they are showing fear that they may do the wrong thing and be discredited. If they are over-scrupulous and self-critical, they may be endeavoring to show how praiseworthy they really are. Thus, most neuroses, are, from the point of view of religion, mixed with the sin of pride.4
Pride brings anger, greed, drunkenness, sadness, and a plethora of negative actions and emotions. But remember all those are mere flea bites in comparison, because it was through Pride that Lucifer became satan.
While pride is a universal problem, humility is a universal solution. Humility puts God and others before ourselves. It brings patience, kindness, and Christ-like charity. We must remember that God takes pleasure in our efforts to humble ourselves, and he loves to bless and exalt the humble. In today’s society you may be considered weak if we are humble, but as C.S. Lewis stated “Humility is not thinking less of ourselves, it is thinking of ourselves less”.
The author of the Litany of Humility is Cardinal Merry del Val. He was the Secretary of State to Pope St. Pius X from 1903 through 1914. He advanced in authority quickly due to his broad mind, deep human sympathies, and strong character. He was also considered a relentless worker. It was said he could speak Spanish, English, French, Italian, and German without an accent.
So it is understandable that someone of his talent would ask God for humility.
References:
https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/devotions/litany-of-humility-245
https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?recnum=9263
https://www.cslewisinstitute.org/resources/pride-and-humility/
1. C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity (New York: Simon & Schuster Touchstone edition, 1996), 109, 111.
2. See Augustine, The City of God 14.13; Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, ques. 84.
4. Gordon Allport, quoted in Solomon Schimmel, The Seven Deadly Sins (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1997), 28.
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