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Written by Rafael Merry del Val (1865-1930), a Spanish Catholic bishop, Vatican official, and cardinal.

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, 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.

“Clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.” [1 PE 5:5].

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Written by Meg Meeker, a contemporary pediatrician and author.

Faith can’t just be a tangential part of your life. It needs to be the central part of your family’s life. If faith is a thing you do on Sundays but not a value you carry throughout the week, your child will not latch onto it. Reflect your faith in your behavior. If you tend to be impatient, ask God for more patience. If you have a tendency to fly off the handle, trust God to make you gentler. Once you make faith a value, you can practice what you preach.

“He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” [Micah 6:8].

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Written by Rebecca Ruiz, a contemporary spiritual director, composer, and writer.

Holy Spirit, 
open my heart
to understand how precious I am to you,
how loved I am by you.
Open the eyes of my soul,
to see the gifts you have put before me this day.
Give me the grace to recognize each encounter with you.
Teach me to respond in gratitude, to grow in gratitude.
Teach me to be generous, as you are generous with me,
and to collaborate with you in serving my sister and my brother
for your greater glory.

“Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.” [Colossians 3:16]. from his mouth come knowledge and understanding  [Proverbs 2:6].

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Written by Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1556), a Spanish priest and theologian. This is an excerpt from his work “The Autobiography.”

As he sat by the river,
the eyes of his understanding began to be opened;
not that he saw any vision,
but he understood and learnt many things,
both spiritual matters and matters of faith and of scholarship,
and this with so great an enlightenment
that everything seemed new to him.

For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding  [Proverbs 2:6].

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This poem is similar to an old Hittite prayer widely known in Turkey. Research indicates that the author is either Orin L. Crain or Wilfred Arlan Peterson.

Slow me down, Lord!                                                      
Ease the pounding of my heart
By the quieting of my mind.
Steady my harried pace
With a vision of the eternal reach of time.

Give me,
Amidst the confusions of my day,
The calmness of the everlasting hills.
Break the tensions of my nerves
With the soothing music 
Of the singing streams
That live in my memory.

Help me to know
The magical power of sleep,
Teach me the art
Of taking minute vacations 
Of slowing down
To look at a flower;
To chat with an old friend 
Or make a new one;
To pet a dog;
To watch a spider build a web;
To smile at a child;
Or to read a few lines from a good book.

Remind me each day
That the race is not always won by the swift;
That there is more to life 
Than increasing its speed.

Let me look upward
Into the branches of the towering oak
And know that it grew great and strong
Because it grew slowly and well.

Slow me down, Lord,
And inspire me to send my roots deep
Into the soil of life’s enduring values
That I may grow toward the stars
Of our greater destiny.

Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness [Lamentation 3:22-23]

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Written by Charles F. Stanley (1932-2023), an American pastor and writer. This is an excerpt from his book “Trusting God With Today.”

Sometimes we need to take a step back from the situation and let the Lord refresh us. We may need a physical break like a day away from work or from our burdens. But stopping from all our activities and taking time to simply be with the Lord can help clear our minds, give us perspective on our circumstances, and provide the energy to keep going in the days ahead. So sit down, rest, and be strengthened in the Lord. 

O God, restore us and cause your face to shine upon us, and we will be saved.. [Psalm 108:3].

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Written by Lisa Loraine Baker, a contemporary writer.

Father, I so love how You are moving in my life, but I am having trouble keeping up. I know You equip us to do Your will, and I am excited about that. I’m expectant to see and experience this growth You are bringing to me. Help me, Lord, to trust Your timing and to lean in to You as You take me places I never thought I’d be able to go in Bible study, evangelism, and in this life You’ve given me to live. Expand my thoughts so I can take it all in, not as an exercise in intellect, but in empowerment for the kingdom work You have for me. I’m in awe of You. Fill me with Your Spirit that I will walk in a manner worthy of being Your ambassador.

“Be strong and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the Lord!” [Psalm 31:24]

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Written by Lisa Loraine Baker, a contemporary writer.

Gardening brings great satisfaction to all our senses. Sowing seeds when the ground is warm allows us to smell and touch the earth as we dig. And when the seeds sprout, we get to see the vibrant green of new plant life springing from the ground. If we add flowers and trees to our garden, the buzz of bees as they cross-pollinate the tree, ground, and vegetable flowers gives us pause to reflect on the One who created all of this. Add our sense of smell once again when flowers open and vegetables and herbs ripen. And then comes a gardener’s pure delight to taste the good bounty of their garden. But with each sensation, we must wait. God our Creator planned the sowing and reaping times of each flower and vegetable we have the privilege to grow. Because He created it all, and since we have enjoyed the fruit of our (or a farmer’s) labor before, we trust God’s timing for fruit, herbs, and vegetables to ripen at their appointed time. How kind of Him to give us such pleasure from His creation, things for which He rewards our anticipation and patience as we wait. Life is like that. We often have to wait as God enacts His perfect will in our lives.

“But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow to fulfill His promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you.” [2 Peter 3:8-9).

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Written by Rich Villodas, a contemporary pastor and author. This is an excerpt from his book “The Deeply Formed Life.”

Any sense of mission that is faithful to Jesus begins with the presence of God. God’s grace is lovingly present to the world at every moment. That’s not to say that his presence is easy to discern. It’s often difficult to locate the presence of God or believe that he is near, especially in hard moments, but theologically there’s no place where he is not at work…It’s quite comforting to me that God doesn’t take days off. Although we all have limits, God does not. He is with us. Any notion of mission in this world must confess that God moves first. Long before we act, God has already acted. Long before we speak, God has already spoken. Long before we arrive, God has been present.

Jesus said to them, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working.” [John 5:17].

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Written by Augustine of Hippo (354-430), an early Christian theologian, philosopher, and bishop of Hippo Regius (modern day Annaba, Algeria).

Give me yourself, O my God, give yourself to me.

Behold, I love you, and if my love is too weak a thing, grant me to love you more strongly. I cannot measure my love to know how much it falls short of being sufficient, but let my soul hasten to your embrace and never be turned away until it is hidden in the secret shelter of your presence.

This only do I know, that it is not good for me when you are not with me, when you are only outside me. I want you  in my very self. All the penty in the world which is not my God is utter want.

The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our stronghold. [Psalm 46:7]

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