by Cardinal Rafael Merry del Val
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 loved more than I,
O Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be esteemed more than I,
O Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That, in the opinion of the world, others may increase and I may decrease,
O Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be chosen and I set aside,
O Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be praised and I unnoticed,
O Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be preferred to me in everything,
O Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may become holier than I, provided that I may become as holy as I should,
O Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
At being unknown and poor,
Lord, I want to rejoice.
At being deprived of the natural perfections of body and mind,
Lord, I want to rejoice.
When people do not think of me,
Lord, I want to rejoice.
When they assign to me the meanest tasks,
Lord, I want to rejoice.
When they do not even deign to make use of me,
Lord, I want to rejoice.
When they never ask my opinion,
Lord, I want to rejoice.
When they leave me at the lowest place,
Lord, I want to rejoice.
When they never compliment me,
Lord, I want to rejoice.
When they blame me in season and out of season,
Lord, I want to rejoice.
Blessed are those who suffer persecution for justice’s sake,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:10)
Amen.