Sometimes considered “the most difficult prayer,” the Litany of Humility has a powerful way of piercing one’s heart. Like other litanies, the Litany of Humility is a simple series of pleas for intercession. In this particular prayer, we beg Our Lord to grant us radical humility, no matter how difficult that may be.
And it is indeed difficult. Throughout the Litany of Humility, one finds oneself actively asking to be placed in situations the rest of the world would avoid. One asks to go unnoticed, to be set aside, to be decreased, humiliated, suspected, wronged, and even forgotten…
While these instances may seem undesirable, the humility necessary to embrace the discomfort of these situations is transformative. By actively choosing to forego the false glories of our culture, we free ourselves to choose the true glory found in following the will of God. The simple repetition within the Litany of Humility helps us to recall the Lord’s urgent reminder in the Gospel of Matthew: “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”
This beautifully challenging prayer is often credited to Cardinal Merry del Val, Pope Pius X’s Secretary of State. The Cardinal was said to have prayed the Litany of Humility every day after Mass.
Holiness requires humility. Let us follow Cardinal del Val’s example and implore God for the graces necessary to grow in true humility. Keep a copy of this necessary prayer—along with many other beloved Catholic devotions—near at hand with the beautiful Pieta Prayer Book! Get your copy today at The Catholic Company!
The 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 go 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.
