Humility of the Saints {Review}

Humility of the Saints

By Patrick O’Hearn
Sophia Institute Press

The author discusses the humility and humble practices of the Saints, referring to the Litany of Humility attributed to Cardinal Rafael Merry del Val.
(Cardinal Rafael Merry del Val is referred to as Servant of God, indicating that the investigative process of his beatification has begun).

The first chapter reminds us that Jesus is the ultimate model of Humility through His Life, His Teaching and His Embodiment of this virtue. Our goal is to imitate Jesus and to become more like Him and so the Litany begins “O Jesus, meek and humble of heart, Hear me”

Our Lady is also a prime model of humility and the Saints before us retained the same goal to be more like Jesus.

The author discusses each focus of humility, found in the Litany of Humility and offers several Saints as models, describing how they avoided certain vanities and even prayed for the grace to desire certain humiliations.

From the Desire of Being Esteemed, the author presents St Louis and St Zelie Martin, parents of St Therese, along with St Therese and St Josemaria Escriva and St Carlo Acutis.

From the Desire of Being Loved, the author presents St Francis of Assisi, St Thomas Aquinas, St Francis Borgia and St Elizabeth Ann Seton.

There are amazing details from the lives of the Saints, which will inspire us to avoid the sin of pride and grow in the pursuit of humility. I love how the author describes the practice of virtue, modelled by the Saints and that he refers to both well-known Saints and lesser-known Saints from the great Communion of Saints (and Blesseds!) in Heaven.

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The book Humility of the Saints is based on the Litany of Humility attributed to Cardinal Rafael Merry del Val, referred to in Humility of the Saints

Litany of Humility

O 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,
That 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.