Yesterday there was another free early music concert, this
one at the Lutheran Cathedral of the Midwest. The vocal ensemble was from
Milwaukee, and they sang lots of Tallis and Byrd. Kathbert was there too, and
afterwards she said the vocal ensemble from Monday’s concert is doing a concert
of music about Mary the Rose in December, and wouldn’t the piece set by our
OTHER choir director’s friend to my poem about Mary the mystical rose be
perfect? She said I should mention it to the director, but I was kind of embarrassed, so
she did. My OTHER choir director was at the concert too, so I asked him if he
knew whatever became of the piece. He said as far as he knew it was still in
the choral library at the church, so I asked the current choir director. He
took me down to the choral library and gave me a copy of both “The Mystical
Rose” and the Christmas piece the same composer had set to another poem of
mine, “This Day When Heaven Descends to Earth.” I gave them to the professor
from Eau Claire, who promised he would make copies and give them back to me. I
don’t know if anything will come of this – years ago the composer tried to get
the pieces published, but at that time nobody was interested. Which is a shame,
because I thought they were lovely pieces. Maybe the lyrics are okay too.
Which brings me to the point of this blog post. On our road
trip to Dubuque, Anna Banana II and Luxuli said how they had been doing daily
prayers for priests, and the Friday prayer was the Litany of Humility. They warned
it was pretty hardcore, but since it was Friday, we prayed it. Nobody needs
humility more than I do, so I have decided to pray it every Friday myself. In case
you would like to pray it, here it is:
Lord 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 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.
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