Our Lord asks us in Matthew’s gospel to learn from Him “for I am meek and humble of heart” (Matt 11:29), as he is described in the first line of this prayer below. We ask in this litany, composed by Rafael Cardinal Merry de Val (1865-1930), the Secretary of State for Pope Saint Pius X, that God fill our hearts and souls with genuine humility, an essential virtue for holiness. After all, as we read in the letter of St. James “God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6).
O Jesus, meek and humble of heart,
Jesus, hear me.
From the desire of being esteemed,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being loved,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being sought,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being honored,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being praised,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being preferred,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being consulted,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being approved,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being considered,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being humbled,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being despised,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being rebuffed,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being calumniated,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being forgotten,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being ridiculed,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being wronged,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being suspected,
Deliver me, Jesus.
That others may be loved more than I,
Jesus, grant me the grace to wish.
That others may be esteemed more than I,
Jesus, grant me the grace to wish.
That others may grow in the opinion of the world and I diminish,
Jesus, grant me the grace to wish.
That others may be employed and I set aside,
Jesus, grant me the grace to wish.
That others may be praised and I forgotten,
Jesus, grant me the grace to wish.
That others may be preferred before me in everything,
Jesus, grant me the grace to wish.
That others may be more holy than I, provided I am as holy as I can be,
Jesus, grant me the grace to wish.
ALMIGHTY and everlasting God, Who, of Thy tender love towards mankind, has sent Thy Son, our Saviour Jesus Christ, to take upon Him our flesh, and to suffer death upon the cross, that all mankind should follow the example of His great humility; Mercifully grant that we may both follow the example of His patience, and also be made partakers of His resurrection; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
O GOD, who resisteth the proud and givest grace to the humble: grant to us the virtue of true humility, after the pattern wherewith thine Only-Begotten Son manifested himself to Thy faithful people; that we may in nowise provoke thine anger to ourselves, but may in lowliness of heart obtain Thy exalting grace; through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.
This prayer keeps coming to me from different sources.
Lol I love when something like that happens to me. I take it as God trying to get my attention. When a particular prayer, scripture, or saint keeps poping up in my life I take a step back and try to see how the message of said prayer, scripture, or saint relates to whats happening in my life.
I love this prayer. How we lack..