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).