Time of Preparation
Begin by taking inventory of your surroundings. Are things in your vicinity conducive to a time of personal worship? Are there any changes or adjustments (turning off tech, making yourself comfortable) you need to make before you begin?
When you are ready, take some time to sit in silence and prepare your heart for worship. Ask God to clear away any distractions that might keep you from being truly present in this moment.
Confession
In this second movement, we simply see ourselves for who we are: people who need God.
“Toward the scorners he is scornful,
but to the humble he shows favor.”
—Proverbs 3:34 (NRSVUE)
One of the most powerful prayers I’ve ever encountered is the 19th century “Litany of Humility,” usually attributed to Cardinal Rafael Merry del Val of Spain. It is a hard prayer to pray, but it is absolutely surgical in the way it exposes the human heart in all of its ego and sin.
As one author put it: “The Litany of Humility…exposes my ego in a way few prayers do. It asks God to strip away my deepest attachments—not to material things, but to reputation, my sense of self-worth, my need for validation.” The key phrase there is “strip away,” but remember that even this is something God does out of love. He desires us to be whole, so he removes from us the things that are contrary to his way, the things that look nothing like Jesus.
The Litany of Humility is a tool for offering those things to him. Take a few moments to ponder the words of this prayer before listening to the beautiful rendition of it by Thomas Muglia.
Lord Jesus. Meek and humble of heart,
Hear me.
From the desire of being esteemed,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being loved,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being extolled,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being honored,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being praised,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being preferred to others,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being consulted,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being approved,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being humiliated,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being despised,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of suffering rebukes,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being calumniated,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being forgotten,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being ridiculed,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being wronged,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being suspected,
Deliver me, Jesus.
That others may be loved more than I,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
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 praised and I unnoticed,
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 may become as holy as I should,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
SONG OF CONFESSION: Litany of Humility (lyrics here)