Tuesday, May 16, 2006

Deliver Me, O Lord

This prayer, although perhaps horrifying to some at first glance, is very beautiful when one is striving towards union with God.

The Litany of Humility

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…


If we are delivered from all these desires of the self, we can better do what is right without fear of what others may think.

2 comments:

Matthew said...

I first read this prayer about a year ago and it was hard for me to pray it. Think about the humility that is required. But now, I can honestly say this prayer with full conviction.

PS: Thank you for joining me in the 54 Day Rosary Novena. What day are you on?

Staying in Balance said...

Moneybags, I've already skipped a day without realizing it!! I try to say the Rosary every day anyway, and don't always make it. But I'm still praying for my intention and will try to remember to switch to thanking God for it after a time.

Dymphna's favorite quotes


"Slavery ended in medieval Europe only because the church extended its sacraments to all slaves and then managed to impose a ban on the enslavement of Christians (and of Jews). Within the context of medieval Europe, that prohibition was effectively a rule of universal abolition. "— Rodney Stark

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