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I struggle with pride. I always have.
The Litany of Humility is a powerful, though often uncomfortable, devotional tool that is perfect for everyone—but most especially people like me who find themselves skidding into Mass in the nick of time or waking up early to steal a few minutes of quiet reflection.
Like many of Christ’s words, the Litany of Humility is hard. Many of us could save a good deal of time in therapy or spiritual direction just by reading it, not even praying it with intention.
It is much more than a pious practice or a “good idea” recommended by countless saints. The Litany of Humility acts as a kind of spiritual MRI, diagnosing the areas of your life where pride and its many children are growing or hold sway. Sincerely implementing this litany is a quick but sure way to diagnose this chief vice without spending hours in mental prayer or trying to find a spiritual director.
Humility is the essential virtue of the Christian life. We can reliably gauge our commitment to Christ and the condition of our interior lives by how much and how often we humble ourselves before God and the world. Examining holy lives reveals humility that is often more impressive than miracles. Indeed, if God’s grace were a river, humility would be our boat.
Pride is grave. It is the devil’s favorite and most reliable weapon—the cushion of his unholy throne. Navigating pride and its many manifestations can feel like being trapped in a funhouse mirror maze. I know I’ve overcome a singular temptation to be prideful, only to worry in my celebrating if I am replacing one type of pride with another.
We know from Genesis how deceptively simple—even benign—pride can seem. Pride is like those species of birds called brood parasites, the most well-known being the cuckoo. Pride may look like something it is not—something harmless, even normal by the world’s standards. We may spend time nurturing it, mistaken as we are about its true nature.
Eventually, we discover a foreign adversary in our midst. Had we discerned its presence sooner, we could have done what Templeton the rat in Charlotte’s Web ought to have done—gotten rid of the egg and its rotten contents before being left with the stench.
I’m not going to drone on about humility and pride. If you’re reading this, I trust you have or can locate much of the Church’s wisdom about both, and we all know we could use a bit more of one and quite a lot less of the other. I’d like to share with you how I’ve used this litany, hoping it encourages you to try it for the first time or see it in a new light.
How to Use the Litany of Humility
Examination of Conscience (daily and/or before Confession)
Pride truly is the root of many of our sins and disordered actions. Ask the Lord to show you when or where in your day/week/month parts of the Litany show up. Pay attention to the lines or words that provoke emotional reactions. I have often found that a knee-jerk response of anger or resentment is a piece of my heart that has hardened or grown dim—and is precisely where I need Christ’s light and touch.
Litany of Humility Novena
This is nine days straight of praying the Litany of Humility. Some refer to the 33-Day Marian Consecration as a “spiritual boot camp.” Consider this novena training for the spiritual Delta Force.
Have Your Spouse Pray It
Ask your spouse to pray the Litany with the intention of opening the eyes of your heart. God often speaks truths to us through our spouses. If you do this, proceed with an abundance of love, trust, and humility; know you will hear hard truths from someone whom God has given you to help on your path to holiness.
Accompanied by Fasting
As Christians, fasting is not a matter of if but when (and how often). Fasting helps clear our minds and open our hearts, allowing the Spirit to come in and do some serious labor. It acts like a shot of nitrous, supercharging our spiritual engines. Combine any devotion or spiritual practice with intentional fasting, and you may well be astonished at the work the Lord does on you and in your life.
A Word of Caution
Asking for gifts of the Holy Spirit or an increase in the virtues is a prayer that God always answers. In praying this litany, you will likely find the answers come in the form of uncomfortable or unpleasant situations, feelings, and realizations.
Expect and prepare to be challenged if you pray the Litany of Humility—and when those challenges arise, praise God for the grace and lean on the lowliness of His handmaid, our Mother Mary.
