Christian, remember your dignity, and now that you share in God’s own nature, do not return by sin to your former base condition. Bear in mind who is your head and of whose body you are a member. Do not forget that you have been rescued from the power of darkness and brought into the light of God’s kingdom.
Through the sacrament of baptism you have become a temple of the Holy Spirit. Do not drive away so great a guest by evil conduct and become again a slave to the devil, for your liberty was bought by the blood of Christ.
When my oldest daughter was born, I remember holding her, looking into her face, and thinking, how could I possibly love her more. Everything I has was her’s, from the moment she was conceived, and now, I give it willingly and joyfully. I thought this is how God must love me, with all that He is, albeit His love isn’t limited within the confines of a person. It was probably the first time that I had any concept at all of the selfless love of God.
I imagine if there is anyone, who really has a grasp on this, it’s Mother Mary. She is both mother and child to God. She looks at Jesus as her son with the selflessness of a mother, but also has a keen, sinless perception as child, of her Father in heaven. Mother Mary had every aspect of a human understanding of God, yet remained humble. She accepted the favor of God with humility, her simple “fiat”, and the consequences of loving God in this world with that same “yes”. She offered her will to her Father, gave her womb to the Holy Spirit, and lived her vocation for her Son.
How fortunate we are that Jesus gave her to us, so we can learn and imitate.
The “Litany of Humility” is written below if your are interested. I also like praying with the song “I Shall Not Want” by Audrey Assad.
Litany of Humility
Deliver me Jesus…
from the desire of being loved…Deliver me Jesus
from the desire of being extolled…
from the desire of being honored…
from the desire of being praised…
from the desire of being preferred…
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 other 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 become holier than I, provided that I become as holy as I should,
Veronicas Veil 