We invite you to enter a time of prayer with Nathan Foster as he works through the Litany of Humility’s three movements and expands them with his own meditations. The prayer begins, “O Jesus! meek and humble of heart, hear me.”
The Litany of Humility below is attributed to Cardinal Rafael Merry del Val (1865 – 1930), Secretary of State under Pope Saint Pius X, but probably has older unknown origins.
O 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, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be esteemed more than I, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That, in the opinion of the world, others may increase and I may decrease, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be chosen and I set aside, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be praised and I unnoticed, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be preferred to me in everything, 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, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
Nate’s meditation in this episode illustrates a form of prayer we often use at Renovaré called “festooning.” In festooning, you take a passage of scripture or an existing prayer and use it as the outline or base of your prayer by personalizing it with your own questions, hopes, confessions, and ideas.
For further reading and listening:
See Also Mother Teresa’s 15 Guidelines for Cultivating Humility
A few other audio meditation episodes of Life With God:
- Audio Meditation: The Present Moment — In this audio meditation, Nathan Foster weaves together a selection of beautiful and challenging sayings by 17th-century spiritual director, Jean Pierre de Caussade.
- Audio Meditation: Serenity Prayer — An audio meditation led by Nathan Foster based on the Serenity Prayer: “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, Courage to change the things I can, and Wisdom to know the difference.”
- Audio Retreat: Meditation on Patient Trust — Nathan Foster offers a meditation on the prayer by Pierre Tielhard de Chardin that says,“Give our Lord the benefit of believing that his hand is leading you, and accept the anxiety of feeling yourself in suspense and incomplete.”
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Nathan Foster
Nathan Foster is an author and host of Life With God, a Renovaré Podcast. Formerly, he was an Associate Professor of social work and served as the Andrews Chair in Spiritual Formation at Spring Arbor University. He was also a licensed clinical social worker and certified addictions counselor. Nathan has published two books, including The Making of an Ordinary Saint: My Journey from Frustration to Joy with the Spiritual Disciplines.