Litany of Humility

By e April 12, 2009 Jesus Stuff No Comments

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.

Introducing Philippine Aid Society

By e April 7, 2009 Deacon Formation, Jesus Stuff 1 Comment

One of my daily trips on the  internet is to fellow Catholic convert Tim Troutman’s Army of Martyrs blog. Today, he announced the formation of the Philippine Aid Society (http://www.philippineaid.org/). They’d like to raise $986 dollars this month to kick off their inaugural year.

For my local visitors, please drop by his website and consider a donation in honor of Fr. Boy of St. Joseph Church (Slaton, TX), the “Yellow Sisters” (Missionary Sisters of the Lord’s Table / Mensa Domini), or any of the other fine Priests who serve in the Diocese of Lubbock. For those of you farther away, please consider a donation just because it’s a great cause.

He keeps on giving and giving and giving

By e April 5, 2009 Jesus Stuff No Comments

This came up again today…

https://blog.euphemos.com/2008/06/10/my-god-my-god-triumphant-not-forsaken/

It isn’t that Jesus was denying the reality of his suffering, or quoting a psalm for effect that didn’t reflect his circumstances, but that he was thinking of us even at the bitter(sweet) end of his suffering. Forsaken by all but his father and his closest earthly companions, dying and naked, having given away everything (including his mother) he could call his own, he still found a way to give us more.

The depths of his self-giving continue to astound me. So much of my own experience is of giving from my surplus, rather than my substance, but we are called to truly imitate Christ, and give not from our surplus, and not even of our best, but to give our everything. I’ve got a long way to go.

Would you care to read a book by this man?

By e January 8, 2009 Deacon Formation, Jesus Stuff No Comments

Rev. James F. Keenan, S.J., appeared before the joint committee on the judiciary for the state of Massachusetts to offer the Catholic perspective on a bill they were debating.

The bill was constitutional amendment H.3190, whose purpose can be summed up in the following excerpt: “…only the union of one man and one woman shall be valid or recognized as a marriage in Massachusetts. Any other relationship shall not be recognized as a marriage or its legal equivalent.”

Fr. Keenan’s written testimony purported to speak on behalf of the U.S. Bishops: “To appreciate why Catholic moral theology could not support H. 3190 we need to appreciate how theologians and bishops differentiate the church’s theology of chastity from its theology of justice.” In the midst of arguing that Catholic theology purportedly opposed the marriage amendment as “contrary to Catholic teaching on social justice”, apparently because it would deny “gays and lesbians” the “full range of human and civil rights”, i.e., the right to marry, Fr. Keenan’s testimony stated  “[t]his same position has been endorsed by the United States Catholic Bishops”.

If you find Fr. Keenan’s take on Catholic Morality interesting, you might want to read Virtues for Ordinary Christians, where Keenan teaches “conscience is all we have”, “gray problems necessitate grey answers”, principles “lack the subtlety, malleability, and flexibility that problems of ordinary life demand”, and where he removes fortitude (courage) from the company of Cardinal Virtues traditionally accepted as prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance in order to make room for “Self-Esteem.”

Otherwise, you may find the voice of the Bishops of Massachusetts relevant (http://www.macathconf.org/03_memo_on_erroneous_testimony_4.htm), and perhaps choose to review Pinkaers’ accessible Morality: The Catholic View or his weightier work, The Sources of Christian Ethics, which are next on my reading list.