1 Lord, I have given up my pride
and turned away from my arrogance.
I am not concerned with great matters
or with subjects too difficult for me.
2 Instead, I am content and at peace.
As a child lies quietly in its mother’s arms,
so my heart is quiet within me.
3 Israel, trust in the Lord
now and forever! – Psalm – 131

Lent of Remembering reminds us that humility is a prerequisite for meaningful prayer. Humility in the sense is not of self-denigration (which is not true humility, but actually a form of pride); rather, ‘humility in its original, earthy sense of remaining down-to-earth and even being a bit self-forgetful. It’s keeping our eyes on God rather than ourselves — or, as so beautifully expressed in this Psalm, keeping our eyes (and heart) trained toward how God comes to us in the ordinary, down-to-earth places in our lives.’

Lent of Remembering using the words the psalmist points us to a place of hope and trust, beginning in the present moment of pandemic and extending forth throughout eternity.

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, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being extolled, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being honoured, 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, 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. Amen.’