Daily Prayer for All Bloggers

The prayer you will find below was composed by Servant of God His Eminence, the Most Reverend Lord Rafael María José, Cardinal Merry del Val y de Zulueta, better known simply as Cardinal Merry del Val. The prayer itself is known as the "Litany of Humility", and it would be wise for every Catholic blogger (and commenter) to recite it at least daily. In truth, it would be good for every Catholic to pray every day.

O Jesus, meek and humble of heart, Hear me.

From the desire of being esteemed, Deliver me, O 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 go 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,

Amen.

Observations of a Mosquito #6

It is be amazing how little energy is devoted toward the real sanctification of the spouses-to-be in marriage preparation classes.

How very few Catholic blog commenters, including 'orthodox' and 'traditionalist' Catholics, spend more time reading the Saints on how to save their own souls than blogs on how other people seemingly aren't saving theirs.

Generally speaking, those learned individuals who strive hardest to cause others to have an open mind also strive the hardest to fill it.

The proud man is a liar who even deceives himself.

Even once you have discerned that marriage is your true vocation, to pursue someone of the opposite sex who does not push you toward holiness is spiritual suicide.

Observations of a Mosquito #1

It's amazing how many people only mind delays they didn't cause.

Without detraction and calumny, many Catholic blogs would go out of business.

Orthodoxy is neither charity nor sanctity.

These days, it's far more common to see a Catholic recommending a non-Catholic or fiction book for spiritual purposes than a book by a Saint, but the latter sort is far better for the soul.

Rarely if ever is a blog's combox better than its posts by almost any conceivable worthwhile metric.