Litany of Humility
The virtue of humility, after the example of Christ
Approved by: Composed by Rafael Cardinal Merry del Val (1865-1930), Secretary of State to Pope St. Pius X
When to pray: After daily Mass; before any moment of temptation to pride; for the grace of meekness and humility of heart.
About this litany
The Litany of Humility was composed by Rafael Cardinal Merry del Val (1865-1930), who served as Secretary of State to Pope St. Pius X and was widely regarded as a man of unusual personal holiness. According to the tradition of his household, he prayed the litany every day after his Mass of thanksgiving. The text is unusual among Catholic litanies: rather than a series of invocations to be honoured, it is a series of petitions for the soul to be freed of subtle forms of pride and to embrace humiliations after the example of Christ, who 'humbled himself, becoming obedient unto death, even death on a cross' (Philippians 2:8).
Brief opening invocation → petitions to be delivered from various forms of pride (‘deliver me, Jesus’) → petitions to embrace humiliations in imitation of Christ (‘Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it’).
Opening
- V. O Jesus, meek and humble of heart,
- R. hear me.
Invocations
- V. From the desire of being esteemed,
- R. deliver me, Jesus.
- V. From the desire of being loved,
- R. deliver me, Jesus.
- V. From the desire of being extolled,
- R. deliver me, Jesus.
- V. From the desire of being honoured,
- R. deliver me, Jesus.
- V. From the desire of being praised,
- R. deliver me, Jesus.
- V. From the desire of being preferred to others,
- R. deliver me, Jesus.
- V. From the desire of being consulted,
- R. deliver me, Jesus.
- V. From the desire of being approved,
- R. deliver me, Jesus.
- V. From the fear of being humiliated,
- R. deliver me, Jesus.
- V. From the fear of being despised,
- R. deliver me, Jesus.
- V. From the fear of suffering rebukes,
- R. deliver me, Jesus.
- V. From the fear of being calumniated,
- R. deliver me, Jesus.
- V. From the fear of being forgotten,
- R. deliver me, Jesus.
- V. From the fear of being ridiculed,
- R. deliver me, Jesus.
- V. From the fear of being wronged,
- R. deliver me, Jesus.
- V. From the fear of being suspected,
- R. deliver me, Jesus.
Concluding Invocations
- V. That others may be loved more than I,
- R. Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
- V. That others may be esteemed more than I,
- R. Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
- V. That, in the opinion of the world, others may increase and I may decrease,
- R. Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
- V. That others may be chosen and I set aside,
- R. Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
- V. That others may be praised and I unnoticed,
- R. Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
- V. That others may be preferred to me in everything,
- R. Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
- V. That others may become holier than I, provided that I may become as holy as I should,
- R. Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
Closing Prayer
V. Lord, fix in our hearts the spirit of humility of our Lord Jesus Christ, who, being God, humbled Himself and was made man for our salvation; and now in the holy Mass, in the same humility, He gives Himself for our food. Make us mindful of Thy gifts and meek in spirit, that we may turn neither to vanity nor pride, but place our trust always in Thee. Through the same Christ our Lord.
R. Amen.
Primary sources