Over the next few weeks the blog will be focused on prayer. If pre-written prayer is new to you, you may want to read the blog below entitled “The Book of (perhaps not so) Common Prayer”. I love the Private Litany of Humility. I don’t love it because it makes me feel good - I love it because every time I pray it the Holy Spirit gives me a kick in the pants. As you pray through, odds are one of the lines will be very difficult to say because it hits a bit too close to home. This prayer is not found in the Bible, so as you pray through it if something strikes you as not theologically correct it may not be, but I caution you that if there is something you are having a hard time with it may be a problem in you. My thoughts are below.
A PRIVATE LITANY OF HUMILITY
From the desire of being praised, deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being honoured, 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 comfort and ease, deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being humiliated, deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being criticized, deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being passed over, deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being forgotten, deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being lonely, deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being hurt, deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of suffering, deliver me, Jesus.
That others may be loved more than I,
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.
O Jesus, meek and humble of heart, make my heart like yours.
O Jesus, meek and humble of heart, strengthen me with your Spirit.
O Jesus, meek and humble of heart, teach me your ways.
O Jesus, meek and humble of heart,
help me put my self importance aside to learn the kind of cooperation with others
that makes possible the presence of your Abba's household.
Adapted from a prayer by Rafael, Cardinal Merry Del Val,
from the prayer book, For Jesuits, 1963, Loyola University Press.
For me it is normally the “desire of comfort and ease” line that I find the hardest to pray. Comfort is an idol I worship far too easily. This time though, I was struck especially by the line “O Jesus, meek and humble of heart, make my heart like yours”. I imagine the angels saying to Jesus before he came to earth: “The humans won’t respect you. They may hurt you. You could get sick. You could die. You have it so good here why would you go?” Any excuse we have of not being humble is struck down in the example of Jesus. We who have no right to hold onto anything have trouble praying this prayer. He gave it all up even though He had the right to it.
5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7 but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death-- even death on a cross!
Philippians 2:5-8 (NIV)
We serve a wonderful Saviour.
Mark Wallace
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