Largely forgotten today, Cardinal Rafael Merry del Val was the product of a Spanish father, who served as Spanish ambassador to Great Britain, and a mother of Irish and English ancestry, and was equally at home in both Spanish and English. Ordained in 1888, his brilliance propelled him upward at a very rapid pace. At age 38 he as made a Cardinal and Secretary of State for the Vatican. Serving as the right hand man of Pope Pius X, Cardinal Merry del Val led the fight against Modernism.
In the Conclave of 1914 ten ballots were needed to elect a successor to Pope Pius X. Cardinal Archbishop of Bologna, Giacomo della Chiesa was elected by one vote. Ballots on their reverse side had a number to make certain that a ballot had not been cast by a cardinal for himself, which was forbidden. Merry del Val had not been a candidate, but he was none too fond of Chiesa. He asked that the ballots be checked. This was done, and no indication being found that Chiesa had voted for himself, he was acclaimed as Pope. Each Cardinal them pledged his obedience. When it came time for Merry del Val to do so Pope Benedict supposedly said, “The stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.” (Psalm 118:22).  Merry del Val instantly responded with the next verse: “By the Lord has this been done; it is marvelous in our eyes.”
Pope Benedict XV appointed him Secretary of the Holy Office in 1914, not quite as prestigious as Secretary of State, but still quite powerful, a post he held until his death during an operation for appendicitis in 1930 at age 64. He is best remembered perhaps for his Litany For Humility:
A canonization process was started for him in 1953, but has stalled since then. A new bio is out on the Cardinal which I have just purchased:
Litany of Humility Rafael Cardinal Merry del Val y Zulueta
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,
Deliver me, O Jesus.
From the desire of being extolled,
Deliver me, O Jesus.
From the desire of being honored,
Deliver me, O Jesus.
From the desire of being praised,
Deliver me, O Jesus.
From the desire of being preferred to others,
Deliver me, O Jesus.
From the desire of being consulted,
Deliver me, O Jesus.
From the desire of being approved,
Deliver me, O Jesus.
From the fear of being humiliated,
Deliver me, O Jesus.
From the fear of being despised,
Deliver me, O Jesus.
From the fear of suffering rebukes,
Deliver me, O Jesus.
From the fear of being calumniated,
Deliver me, O Jesus.
From the fear of being forgotten,
Deliver me, O Jesus.
From the fear of being ridiculed,
Deliver me, O Jesus.
From the fear of being wronged,
Deliver me, O Jesus.
From the fear of being suspected,
Deliver me, O 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 go 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.
Cardinal Merry del Val was the Secretary of State to Pope Saint Pius X (1903-1914
Thank you, Mary De Voe.
May his cause proceed!
In my experience, the Litany of Humility quickly brings challenges. Be ready! 😇
On a website “that unpacks silent dots on a page”, rendering them into organ audio tracks which, now that you know about it, you may wish to discern if you an obligation to use God’s gift of your voice to love Him in all things, try to please Him and do good works for His glory…which in this instance may mean, singing Merry Cardinal Del Val’s “To the Sacred Heart” rendered from an unpaired text-hymn into a musically active one, mated with the tune “St. Mary’s”. https://www.sing-prayer.org/p/9751 .
(But, more to the point, regarding our Blessed Lord’s unrequited desire for our love, is “Upon the Altar Night and Day” https://www.sing-prayer.org/p/9352 .)
William Keevers, thank you.