O Jesus, meek and humble of heart, hear me.
From the desire of being esteemed, deliver me, O Jesus.
From the desire of being loved, deliver me, O Jesus.
From the desire of being extolled, deliver me, O Jesus.
From the desire of being honored, deliver me, O Jesus.
From the desire of being praised, deliver me, O Jesus.
From the desire of being preferred to others, deliver me, O Jesus.
From the desire of being consulted, deliver me, O Jesus.
From the desire of being approved, deliver me, O Jesus.

From the fear of being humiliated, deliver me, O Jesus.
From the fear of being despised, deliver me, O Jesus.
From the fear of suffering rebukes, deliver me, O Jesus.
From the fear of being calumniated, deliver me, O Jesus.
From the fear of being forgotten, deliver me, O Jesus.
From the fear of being ridiculed, deliver me, O Jesus.
From the fear of being wronged, deliver me, O Jesus.
From the fear of being suspected, deliver me, O Jesus.

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 preferred to me in everything,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may become holier than I, provided that I become as holy as I should,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
Cardinal Raphael Merry Del Val

For Reflection:
Am I willing to pray this prayer? Why or why not?

“The one sole thing in myself in which I glory is that I see in myself nothing in which I can glory.”
St. Catherine of Genoa

For Reflection:
St. Catherine is not denying her gifts and talents, nor the graces that God has given her. Rather, she is recognizing that all that she has belongs to God and comes from God. To what extent do her words resonate with me?

“Christ shines into the bottom of the humble heart; for Christ is always moved by helplessness whenever a man complains of it and lays it before Him with humility.”
Blessed Jan Van Ruysbroeck

For Reflection:
Am I willing to admit that I am helpless? Where am I helpless today? Can I lay it before Christ and wait patiently for His light to shine within me that I might find His way and His truth?

“In detachment, the spirit finds quiet and repose for coveting nothing. Nothing wearies it by elation, and nothing oppresses it by dejection, because it stands in the center of its own humility.”
St. John of the Cross

For Reflection:
Is my spirit “quiet” and “reposed?” To what extent, then, am I truly detached from the influences of the world and the flesh?

God’s words to St. Catherine of Sienna:

“You are she who is not,
and I am Who is.”

For Reflection:
To what extent have I placed my confidence in God for all things? Which one thing do I need to give Him today?

“I was like a stone lying in the deep mire; and He that is mighty came, and in His mercy lifted me up, and verily raised me aloft and placed me on the top of the wall.”
St. Patrick

For Reflection:
St. Patrick outlines for us the essentials for growing in humility: to see ourselves as we truly are, to realize our dependency on God, to know that it is His mercy not our power that heals us, and to place our confidence in Him. Which of these “essentials” do I most need to remember today?

“In humility there is mirrored the central mystery of the process of our transformation – the mystery that our Lord has put into these words: ‘Unless the grain of wheat falling into the ground die, itself remaineth alone; but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.”
Dietrich von Hildebrand

For Reflection:
What “fruit” have some of my “dying” moments brought forth? To what extent did I see transformation in my life or in the life of others because of it? How does this give me the strength to persevere now and in the future?

“It constantly happens that the Lord permits a soul to fall so that it may grow humbler. When it is honest, and realizes what it has done, and returns, it makes ever- increasing progress in our Lord’s service.”
St. Teresa of Avila

For Reflection:
While this quote does not give me permission to sin, it does help me to see that God works all things to the good, and even my mistakes can be an occasion for spiritual growth. About what one situation, circumstance, failing, fault, or sin does this speak most to me about today? I will praise God for His love and never failing mercy.

“God always gives a greater blessing to humble beginnings than to those that start with the chiming of bells.”
St. Vincent de Paul

For Reflection:
Thank you, St. Vincent de Paul. You have helped me to see better the value of that which I see as so small and so insignificant! Lord, I give you all my “humble beginnings,” all of my “small starts.” Do with them what You will. Amen.

“Everyone that exalteth himself shall be humbled; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.”
Galatians 2:20

For Reflection:
In my own life, what instances can I recall where I was toppled by my own pride? What instances can I recall when I was “exalted” when I least expected it? How can I use these experiences to grow in humility?