Humility prayer

Last month I enjoyed attending a conference for pastors in Calgary (with a daytrip to Banff!) organized by the Pastor Church Resources office of the Christian Reformed Church. Our worship time included the prayer below, adapted from the Litany of Humility, a prayer attributed to Rafael Cardinal Merry del Val, who likely drew from earlier sources. The words are memorable and powerful; I’ve found myself returning to them numerous times since the conference.
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From the desire of being praised,
— deliver us, Jesus.
From the desire of being esteemed,
— deliver us, Jesus.
From the desire of being honored,
— deliver us, Jesus.
From the desire of being preferred to others,
— deliver us, Jesus.
From the desire of being consulted,
— deliver us, Jesus.
From the desire of being approved,
— deliver us, Jesus.
From the desire of comfort and ease,
— deliver us, Jesus.
From the fear of being humiliated,
— deliver us, Jesus.
From the fear of being criticized,
— deliver us, Jesus.
From the fear of being passed over,
— deliver us, Jesus.
From the fear of being forgotten,
— deliver us, Jesus.
From the fear of being lonely,
— deliver us, Jesus.
From the fear of being hurt,
— deliver us, Jesus.

That others may be loved more than ourselves,
— Jesus, grant us the grace to desire it.
That others may be chosen and we ourselves set aside,
— Jesus, grant us the grace to desire it.
That others may be praised and we ourselves go unnoticed,
— Jesus, grant us the grace to desire it.

O Jesus, meek and humble of heart,
— make our lives like Yours.
O Jesus, meek and humble of heart,
— strengthen us with Your Spirit.
O Jesus, meek and humble of heart,
— help us put our
— self-importance aside
— to learn the kind
— of cooperation
— with others
— that make possible
— the presence of Your
— Abba’s household.
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