The way we learn the ways of the Spirit, including forming virtue in our soul, is through prayer. I find the most difficult part of learning the ways of the Spirit is that I get in my own way. My self-reliance, pride, or “it’s all up to me” mentality are all road blocks that keep me from where I want to be. They keep me in worry and anxiety which harden my heart. But in prayer and finding God’s goodness, I learn what it means to have the virtue of a humble heart. And with grace, I will be where I need to be.
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…
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.
Today please shower the Spirit of Humility over me and soften the hard places of self-reliance in my heart and teach me to have a heart like Yours.
Smitten With Goodness 
A friend of mine (you!) shared this prayer with me about a year ago. For a good part of the year, I prayed it, though imperfectly and irregularly, eventually discarding it from my daily routine. Reading it again this morning, I couldn’t be more surprised to recognize the subtle, powerful ways this prayer has changed my thinking and living. Thanks for today’s post—I need to get this prayer back into my rotation.
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A beautiful journey we are on in the process of life and growth together!
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