On Humility

1. "Bless them; change me."

What a great four-word, four-syllable prayer of humility.

A friend shared this a couple weeks ago - they heard it at an event, and they passed it onto me, and now I offer it here.

This prayer has been haunting me and has had a great impact these past couple of weeks on me.

So I offer it here.

2. The Litany of Humility

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

O Jesus! meek and humble of heart, Hear me.
From the desire of being esteemed,
Deliver me, Jesus.

From the desire of being loved...
From the desire of being extolled ...
From the desire of being honored ...
From the desire of being praised ...
From the desire of being preferred to others...
From the desire of being consulted ...
From the desire of being approved ...
From the fear of being humiliated ...
From the fear of being despised...
From the fear of suffering rebukes ...
From the fear of being calumniated ...
From the fear of being forgotten ...
From the fear of being ridiculed ...
From the fear of being wronged ...
From the fear of being suspected ...

That others may be loved more than I,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.

That others may be esteemed more than I ...
That, in the opinion of the world,
others may increase and I may decrease ...
That others may be chosen and I set aside ...
That others may be praised and I unnoticed ...
That others may be preferred to me in everything...
That others may become holier than I, provided that I may become as holy as I should…

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When I moved into my house, this prayer was hanging, very appropriately, on many a mirror. This year, next to the "Our Father" and a couple other prayers, this "Litany of Humility" has been a prayer I pray daily. It has taken some rehearsing and took some time to warm up to. I've become quite grateful for it now. On different days at different times for different reasons, various lines have kept me rooted and in the Lord's path.

3. Psalm 119

Finally, I pull in Psalm 119.

The longest Psalm, it's a 'litany' of devotion to walking in the way of the Lord, of committing oneself to Him, of obedience. My favorite verse:

"I shall run in the way of your commandment, O Lord,
For you have set my heart free" (v. 32).

On Thanksgiving

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you...” - 1 Thessalonians 5: 16-18

Easter greetings!

The Word of Life Community spent the 40 Days meditating on the Holy Spirit, and the third meditation in a series had a focus on thanksgiving. As I studied the 1 Thessalonians passage, I was struck by how nearly every letter that Paul writes begins with a genuine note, a sizable portion, of affirmation and thanksgiving. I sat down, and I started reading the opening portion of every letter he wrote, and I was blown away by this disciple's ability to see the good and to have genuine expressed affection for all those whom he was serving and, often, writing to exhort to a greater degree of holiness.

I thought, wow, what might it be like if every email, text message, phone call, conversation, and letter that I, that we, wrote began with at least some kind of genuine note of thanksgiving and brotherly affection. What transformative power this cultural and Godly practice of frequent thanksgiving might stir among people today!

Try this: a friend once challenged me, when discouraged, to pray an alphabet of thanksgiving - begin with 'A' and thank God for something that begins with 'A,' then 'B,' and so forth until I find myself genuinely grateful and joyful once more. I'm not sure if I have ever reached 'Z' but I think I have gotten close! I continue to use this practical tool today.

Paul's gifting for affirmation, or his discipline of seeing and acknowledging his brethren's and his flocks' goodness, allowed him to see more clearly God's hand in their lives and to see their character with true clarity, discerned and inspired by the Holy Spirit. I imagine that this allowed him to exhort in love, made him an effective evangelist, and allowed him to live his life in this world with hope.

Many times, even daily, I am brought into broken places, broken lives, and how necessary I have found it to live more in thanksgiving and hope. I have found that continual thanksgiving and a "strengths-based" mindset (what we talk about in classes - very helpful) have born a steelier kind of hope and joy than I have previously experienced. Praise the Lord!

A good day and Good Friday

Good Friday:

I attended a communion service at St. Aloysius in Detroit: www.stalsdetroit.com
-> very inspiring. takeaway from the sermon: until we enter into our own fears of abandonment, death, and loneliness, we will not be free to go out and seek those who have been abandoned, are dying, and are alone. Jesus Christ came for us, to free us from our fears!

I read the poem "Broken Vessels" at the YouCharist event at Real Church's Courage Coffee, a coffee house in downtown Hamtramck: http://www.hope4detroit.com
-> stories of young people moving to Hamtramck for mission, families hearing a call from the Lord to move to Detroit
-> really good coffee!
-> art.music.words.witness.videos.worship.prayers for Detroit.prayers for young people to give their lives to Jesus.fun.friends.strangers.laughter.brothers and sisters in God's family.surrender.beauty.the Cross.power.Holy Spirit.Gospel.hope.transformation.change.

God is moving in the city of Detroit, in His beautiful sons and daughters who are there. What a great Good Friday!