I won’t tell you how old I was, but it was in elementary school, when, while I was playing soccer, I was trying to get the attention of a girl I had a crush on. I was hoping I’d make this great save and she’d see it. (Don’t act like I’m the only one who’s done something like this.) I’m thinking of times when I’ve tried to get noticed, tried to impress my friends while playing tennis, get people’s attention by what I wear, look smart by doing a good presentation in class, always having to be right and not admitting my mistakes.

It’s satisfying to get awards and recognition. It feels good to say, “I’m the best on my team.” I believe that, even though we don’t say it, everyone knows who’s smarter than others, who’s stronger, better, more talented, better looking.

Before one of my brothers became a priest, he was an opera singer, and he said he loved the thrill of performing; there was a rush! And I must say, when I saw him perform, he was good. He was the centre of attention when he performed.

Even now as a priest I have to admit that I’m sometimes worried about looking badly in front of people, giving bad homilies. A very gifted and honest Catholic speaker who is invited around North America once told me he still feels a temptation to want to impress people and get people’s admiration.

We’re talking about today is being the center of attention, our pride and ego.

And so I’m inspired by Jesus’ humility. St. Paul says in the second reading that Jesus “humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death” (Phil 2:8). Does everyone know that Jesus died on the cross naked, totally shamed? We cover Him up because of our cultural sensibilities, but the reality was that He was humiliated. He wasn’t, however, worried about looking good in front of others. Pope Emeritus Benedict writes, “In God there is no pride… In [us] human beings pride is deeply rooted…. We, who are small, aspire to appear great, to be among the first, whereas God who is truly great is not afraid of humbling himself and putting himself last. And the Virgin Mary is perfectly ‘in tune’ with God.”

The starting point for growth is recognizing that when we focus on ourselves and try to get the limelight, we’re slaves to other people’s opinions. If they approve of us, then we feel good; if they don’t, we feel badly. We have a life filled with insecurity. When other people receive more praise than we do, we feel jealousy. Let’s ask ourselves the following questions:

• Do we feel threatened when other people are in the spotlight instead of us? Do we respond negatively to the success of others? How often do we feel jealous? Be honest. (Even the most talented people can get jealous. I remember seeing a friend of mine look so sad when we were listening to a cellist perform some classical music. Despite his many gifts, despite the fact that was so smart that he could do a PhD and a Masters at the same time, his face showed his own envy of someone else who was clearly talented.)
• Do we have trouble working with others without being in a position of authority?
• How do we feel when we fail, make a mistake?
• Do we interrupt or talk over people in conversations?
• Do we require photos to be displayed of everything we do?
  

Jesus asks all of us a beautiful question, “How can you believe, when you accept praise from one another and do not seek the praise that comes from the only God?” (Jn 5:44). It’s a powerful question: how can we please God when we’re trying please others? We can be so focused on getting attention of other people for our own ego that we forget about God.

Against our pride and setting us free of our slavery to other people’s opinions, humility helps us find who we really are. I’m in awe of Pope Francis’ humility and self-possession. Here is a man who knows who he is and what he’s about. When elected pope, he came out onto the balcony of St. Peter’s and was humble enough to bow deeply and ask our prayers for God to bless him. It’s no secret that he’s not as smart as Pope Emeritus Benedict or St. John Paul II, who are towering intellects. He simply cannot compete with their minds and he knows it. But that’s the gift of his humility and what allows him to be so fruitful. He’s not interested in competing with them because it’s not at all important and he doesn’t find his self-worth in getting the attention. His focus is on Christ, and that’s why he’s comfortable with who he is. He’s true to his office and true to his own person.

I’d like to share a beautiful prayer that can help all of us grow. It’s called the Litany of humility. The first part of the litany prays for freedom from our unhealthy pride and our desire to be the center of attention; the second part prays for freedom from fears which are so deeply rooted in us; the third is the most audacious: it prays that others may be more praised than we are.

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.

This is a sweet prayer! To sincerely say it and mean it is a sign we’re growing and a sign of a generous heart. Praying like this will help us conquer our pride, jealousy, and insecurity. There’s incredible freedom in this prayer: that’s because we’re free of focusing on ourselves, free of our fears and free to focus on loving others. Let’s not look for other people’s praise, let’s look for God’s praise. We are not the center of attention, God is.