Praying. . . .
Litany of Humility
O Jesus! meek and humble of heart, Hear me.
From the desire of being esteemed,
Deliver me, Jesus.
[Repeat after each below]
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. [Repeat after each below]
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…
Rafael Cardinal Merry del Val (1865-1930),
Secretary of State for Pope Saint Pius X
Prayer to the Holy Spirit
by Saint Antiochus
O Holy Spirit,
most merciful Comforter:
You proceed from the Father
in a manner beyond our understanding.
Come, I beseech You,
and take up your abode in my heart.
Purify and cleanse me from all sin,
and sanctify my soul.
Cleanse it from every impurity,
water its dryness,
melt its coldness,
and save it from its sinful ways.
Make me truly humble and resigned,
that I may be pleasing to You,
and that You might abide with me forever.
Most Blessed Light,
most Amiable Light,
enlighten me.
O Rapturous Joy of Paradise,
Fount of Purest Delight,
My God, give yourself to me
and kindle in my innermost soul the fire of Your love.
My Lord, instruct, direct,
and defend me in all things.
Give me strength against all immoderate fears
and against despondency.
Bestow upon me a true faith,
a firm hope,
and a sincere and a perfect love.
Grant that I always do Your Most Gracious Will.
Amen.
Prayer for All Virtues
O Almighty and all-knowing God,
without beginning or end,
who art the giver, preserver, and rewarder of all virtue:
Grant me to stand firm on the solid foundation of faith,
be protected by the invincible shield of hope,
and be adorned by the nuptial garment of charity;
Grant me by justice to obey thee,
by prudence to resist the crafts of the Devil,
by temperance to hold to moderation,
by fortitude to bear adversity with patience;
Grant that the goods that I have I may share liberally
with those who have not,
and the good that I do not have I may seek with humility
from those who have;
Grant that I may truly recognize the guilt of the evil I have done,
and bear with equanimity the punishments I have deserved;
that I may never lust after the goods of my neighbour,
but always give thanks to thee for all thy good gifts…
Plant in me, O Lord, all thy virtues,
that in divine matters I might be devout,
in human affairs wise,
and in the proper needs of the flesh onerous to no one…
And grant that I may never rush to do things hastily,
nor balk to do things demanding,
so that I neither yearn for things too soon,
nor desert things before they are finished.
Amen.
Let Nothing Disturb You
Let nothing disturb you,
Let nothing frighten you,
All things are passing away:
God never changes.
Patience,
Obtains all things,
Whoever has God
Lacks nothing:
God alone suffices.
Santa Teresa de Jesús
(Santa Teresa de Ávila)
Luz María
