Litany of Humility
The Litany of Humility was composed by the private Secretary of St. Pius X, Cardinal Merry del Val.
Lord 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, Lord Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be esteemed more than I, Lord Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That in the opinion of the world, others may increase and I may decrease, Lord Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be chosen and I set aside, Lord Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be praised and I go unnoticed, Lord Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be preferred to me in everything, Lord 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, Lord Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
Over the past fourty days, the Lord has increased my desire for humility. He has accomplished this in three ways.
First, he showed me that there is joy in structuring my life around prayer instead of fitting in prayer where it is convenient, and that the path to humility lies not in comparing myself to others or in examining my own merits and shortcomings, but in fixing my eyes on Christ.
Then, he gave me the opportunity to have my joy stolen by the experience of my pride conflicting with the pride of my brother.
Finally, he gave me a glimpse of joy of humility by giving me the grace to be thankful for the opportunity to make an error in public.
Cardinal Merry del Val’s prayer is my prayer for the Octave of Easter.
