New Additions to the Litany of Humility
Many Catholics form a love-hate relationship with the Litany of Humility. They love to pray it, but hate to be convicted by it. I’m guessing most people are like me. The first time through, I said to myself, “Why would I ask Jesus for that?!?”
It begins innocently enough: “O Jesus, meek and humble of heart. Hear me.” Some other versions say, “O Jesus, make my heart like yours.” A bolder request.
It continues with petitions crafted to assault one’s sense of self-importance. ‘Deliver me Jesus’ from normal human desires like being esteemed, loved, extolled, and honored… It continues with an assault on some understandable human fears. ‘Deliver me Jesus’ from the fear of being humiliated, despised, ridiculed, and forgotten. If that’s not enough, the last section asks Jesus for the grace to desire what most would consider undesirable: being set aside, not being praised, and going unnoticed.
This is a summary. I suggest you pray the entire litany to get the full assault on your ego.
As part of my morning routine, I do a little spiritual inventory. What’s disturbing my inner peace? I then do a little spiritual reading. At one time, I had chosen Cardinal Sarah’s beautiful reflections on The Power of Silence. The introduction included a longer version of the familiar litany. I started praying this Litany before my reading.
One morning, I noticed that the source of my ego-driven angst was not listed. So I added one in the margin: “Not being supported by my boss.” A big trigger for me at the time. Once I started adding personal petitions, the floodgates holding back my wounded ego opened up. Each morning, I would come up with one or two more: feeling in on things, being wrong, feeling like an outsider, and losing control. I even wrote, “being duped by God.” I filled up the page.
If your ego sometimes starts driving the thought parade in your mind, try praying the Litany of Humility. If you identify triggers not listed on the litany, write them down and ask Jesus to deliver you from them as well.
Here’s another idea. I recently met with a woman for spiritual direction. I asked, “What’s holding you back?” She responded, “Pride. Pride. Pride.” She said she prays the litany each day. She also uses it as an examination of conscience, looking for sinful patterns that she would like to eliminate. She’d turn the petition into a question: When did I fail to esteem another, visit another, approve of another, consult with another?
May you acquire the meek and humble heart of Jesus.
