What is it that keeps us from forgiving others, or for not asking forgiveness from someone we have injured?
It has been said that pride is the root of all evil, that it started in heaven when Satan said, “I will not serve, I want to be like God!” That same cry can be heard today, not only in the world around us, but at work, school, home, even in our own hearts and minds. We strut, much like the proud peacock, loudly crying out , “I will not serve. You can’t tell me what to do!” We are often quick to notice the flaws in our neighbor while ignoring or justifying the flaws that are our own. We are blind to our own faults but have the eye of the eagle when it comes to others.
The remedy for pride is humility. To forgive other people or to seek forgiveness we must acknowledge our spirit of pride and in turn pray for a spirit 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...
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.
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…
Lord, may the only pride I seek be that of serving you to the best of my ability, in Your Holy Name I pray.....Amen
11 comments:
Thanks for this one, Daily Grace. I love the Litany of Humility- definitely not an easy prayer to pray but a needed one.
God bless!
DG,
It took me years before I dared pray this prayer! I used to bypass it in my prayer book and tell the Lord I wasn't ready for that one yet!
Sadly humility these days is seen as a weakness.
God bless.
This is so powerful! The fact that you put the words of Satan into a prideful person's mouth makes so much sense! I know someone who sounds very much like that when he speaks and I shudder every time I hear it. Maybe it's time I asked the Lord to help me summon up the courage to gently and lovingly speak out.
I used to say this prayer every day but have fallen out of practice. Time to return once again. Thanks for the reminder.
Oh yes, I know this lesson very well! I went through an ordeal that lasted YEARS ... and a voice inside kept telling me to pray for the other parties. I just couldn't do it; oh, I could say the words, but they were insincere. Only when I learned true forgiveness of others, and asked for forgiveness for myself, was I liberated from the chains that bound me. I feel so free now. It's hard to explain .....
Abbey ♥
I needed this today Lisa..thank you!
Abbey, I know just what you are talking about!
Karinann and Mary, you are so right about this prayer, it is a hard one to say, but so necessary.
Thank you!
Thanks Marie! Give your family my love!
Thanks, D.G. for putting up the B.V.M. quote. We either believe or we don't, but for us who do, each message is so full of meaning.
The Litany is so Franciscan, when I do have the courage to read it I'm always so wrenched up on the inside by the time I'm done. For all believers, this should be a mode of operandi...
Awe KAM, you are right on when you say the Litany is so Franciscan. This prayer really does call an individual to evaluate his/herself, I know it does for me.
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