Litany of Humility

Have you ever heard of a powerful or wealthy man who was also humble?

Admittedly, it does not happen very often. But just such a man was Rafael Merry del Val.

Rafael Merry del Val was born in 1865 to a wealthy Spanish family. His father was a diplomat in England, so young Rafael was able to attend the best prep schools and universities. He regularly socialized with wealthy and influential people. On top of all this, he was extremely intelligent. During his lifetime he would earn doctorates in both philosophy and theology. With his powerful connections, charming personality and many talents he could have become a very wealthy man himself. However, he chose to serve Jesus as a priest putting his talents at the service of God’s Kingdom.

Those talents were immediately recognized by his superiors. Within a short period of time, he was given important assignments and responsibilities in the Church. His work put him in contact with both cardinals and kings on a regular basis. Eventually, in 1903, he was made a cardinal and then given the responsibility of representing the Pope throughout the world as Secretary of State for the Vatican.

With all his important responsibilities, with all the power he had as a cardinal and with all his talents and intelligence, Cardinal Merry del Val was above all known for his humility. He never lost sight of the fact that he was merely a servant called to put his talents at the disposal of God and his people. He gave God credit for all his successes and regularly asked for forgiveness for  his failures.

His desire to grow in humility lead him to write the beautiful “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, Deliver me, Jesus.

From the desire of being extolled, Deliver me, Jesus.

From the desire of being honored, Deliver me, Jesus.

From the desire of being praised, Deliver me, Jesus.

From the desire of being preferred to others, Deliver me, Jesus.

From the desire of being consulted, Deliver me, Jesus.

From the desire of being approved, Deliver me, Jesus.

From the fear of being humiliated, Deliver me, Jesus.

From the fear of being despised, Deliver me, Jesus.

From the fear of suffering rebukes, Deliver me, Jesus.

From the fear of being calumniated, Deliver me, Jesus.

From the fear of being forgotten, Deliver me, Jesus.

From the fear of being ridiculed, Deliver me, Jesus.

From the fear of being wronged, Deliver me, Jesus.

From the fear of being suspected, Deliver me, 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.

How could such a powerful man as Cardinal Merry del Val also have been so humble? Because he learned it from the master, Jesus.

Jesus was also a very powerful man. In fact, as the Son of God, He was the most powerful man to ever walk the earth. As God, He had the power to heal, the power to control the wind and the sea, and He could read hearts and minds. He is the most important and influential person who ever lived. No one has influenced the course of history as much as Jesus has.

And yet, Jesus was humble. Though He was the Son of God, he associated with the lowly and with sinners. He did not use His power to amass wealth and comforts for Himself. Rather, He chose to be homeless and penniless so that He could preach the good news of God’s love. When He was falsely accused by evil men, insulted and spit on, He prayed that those who tormented Him would be forgiven. And in the greatest act of love the world has ever seen, He accepted a humiliating and excruciating death on the cross so that we could be forgiven. Though He was God, Jesus was meek and humble of heart.

If Jesus, the most powerful man who ever lived was humble, then what possible reason could we have to not also be humble ourselves? Is any one of us better than Jesus?

Jesus tells us that He is meek and humble of heart, and that we can learn from Him. He assures us that His yoke is easy and His burden is light. When we do not follow Jesus’ example of humility, we take on a very heavy burden. It is not easy to always be in competition with other people. It is not easy to have to fight everyday to see to it that our interests and concerns prevail. It is not easy to have to strive to make sure we have the best of everything and that everyone notices how great we are. Showing off how important we are and maintaining an extravagant lifestyle is exhausting and, ultimately, unfulfilling.

Jesus’ way, the way of humility, is so much better. And it is available to everyone no matter how rich or how poor, no matter how important or how insignificant, no matter how educated or how simple. We can all turn to Jesus and we can all learn from Him. He offers us rest from our society’s competitiveness and materialism. By living a simple life in imitation of Him, we can learn the real meaning of life which is to know, love and serve our Heavenly Father. When we take His yoke upon us, then we can be truly free.