Litany of Humility | Catholic Prayer for Transformation and Surrender

This is a musical prayer you don’t listen to lightly. It is one of the most honest, soul-searching devotions in the Catholic tradition.

The Litany of Humility, composed by Cardinal Rafael Merry del Val, isn’t a request for blessing or strength, but for humbling. It’s a petition to be made small, to let go of pride, to desire hiddenness, and to find freedom in surrender.

🎙️ About This Version
In this recording, you’ll hear a spoken introduction that explains the origins and meaning of the Litany followed by a reverent musical setting composed by Christus Dominus Studios. The arrangement blends cinematic orchestral elements with a sacred vocal delivery, designed to draw your heart into deep prayer.

✝️ What Is the Litany of Humility?
The Litany of Humility is a devotional prayer that challenges the soul at its core. It was written by Cardinal Rafael Merry del Val, who served under Pope Saint Pius X, and was known for his deep interior life and uncompromising faith.

This prayer does not ask to be loved, honored, praised, or promoted.
It asks instead to be delivered from these desires and from the fear of their absence.

It is a direct confrontation with the ego, rooted in the words of Christ:

“Learn from Me, for I am meek and humble of heart.” (Matthew 11:29)

The Litany of Humility asks us to stop clinging to status… and instead cling to the Cross.

🕊️ A Prayer to Be Made Low
This is not just a prayer for saints in monasteries, it is a prayer for every Christian today.

It is for those who:
* Compare themselves constantly to others
* Fear being forgotten or unseen
* Struggle with pride, bitterness, or the need to be admired
* Want to follow Christ more authentically even in obscurity

This litany doesn’t just teach humility. It forms it. Slowly, painfully, and beautifully.

📖 Full Text of the Litany of Humility
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,
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.

Amen.

🙏 Let This Prayer Change You
Take your time with this litany.
Repeat it often, not for perfection, but for purification.
And when the lines become difficult… lean into them.
That is where grace begins.

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🎧 Music composed and performed by Christus Dominus Studios
💿 For more sacred music, visit: Christus Dominus Studios Channel