“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
– Matthew 5:3
Meditation
Who is the second greatest saint in heaven after the Blessed Virgin Mary? Saint John the Baptist? Saint Peter? No, it is Saint Joseph! Though Church teaching has unequivocally upheld him as the second greatest saint, formal devotion to him did not appear until 800 years after Christ and there is no major church dedicated to him in Rome. It seems that this quiet and hidden saint, never quoted in Scripture, can speak volumes to us about humility, the starting point of our spiritual lives. As the “foundation of all of the other virtues” according to St. Augustine, humility leads us to true greatness by recognizing our total dependence upon God and our equality with others.
Live It! Practical Tip of the Week: Incorporate the Litany of Humility into your prayer life.
Prayer
O Jesus! meek and humble of heart, Hear me.
From the desire of being esteemed,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being loved…
From the desire of being extolled …
From the desire of being honored …
From the desire of being praised …
From the desire of being preferred to others…
From the desire of being consulted …
From the desire of being approved …
From the fear of being humiliated …
From the fear of being despised…
From the fear of suffering rebukes …
From the fear of being calumniated …
From the fear of being forgotten …
From the fear of being ridiculed …
From the fear of being wronged …
From the fear of being suspected …
That others may be loved more than I,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be esteemed more than I …
That, in the opinion of the world,
others may increase and I may decrease …
That others may be chosen and I set aside …
That others may be praised and I unnoticed …
That others may be preferred to me in everything…
That others may become holier than I, provided that I may become as holy
as I should…
