^{I offer this to Jesus by the hands of Mary}

Luke 1:48 “Because he hath regarded the humility of his handmaid; for behold from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.”

Disclaimers

1. Teenage Mercenary as of June 2023 is an incomplete Webtoon so I can’t comment on the series as a whole.
2. Big surprise a series about mercenaries will contain violence and cursing and there are advisories for each chapter. Webtoon itself puts a warning up but there’s no hard lock out to my knowledge so do with that what you will.

Boilerplate a.k.a. “The Premise”

Our main character “Ijin Yu” was raised with mercenaries and has recently quit to finish high school and meet the little family he has left. Unfortunately for those Ijin runs into, you can’t take the fight out of the kid. While protecting his friends and sister, he is slowly drawn into the messy life of Korean corporate manage while he’s fine with keeping a simple bodyguard job to support his family.

Our main theme: Humility

Ijin is a man of few words. This of course gives him the silent but deadly fighter trope. But more surprising is that when he is complimented or offered extra compensation, he turns it down saying he was only doing his job. Here we see that Ijin practices the virtue of humility.To clarify, humility is the proper estimation of our own skills and on a fundamental level a proper knowledge of who we are (cf. the Catholic Encyclopedia). For Christians this means acknowledging our worth before God our Father. We are completely dependent on Him for everything (1 Cor 4:7). We are incapable of praying without His help, but because by Baptism we have become His sons we now are capable because of the Holy Spirit in us (Gal 4:6).

Our Specific Scene:

Very minor spoilers: At one point, after a successful rescue mission Ijin is given the classic “we couldn’t have done it without you.” His response is that he couldn’t have done it without the others on the mission as neither of them could have done it alone. He praises the work of his partner and shuts down any further discussion with a great line: “The goal is to secure the safety of the VIP, not to figure out who made the greatest contribution.”  This is a great example of how humility helps us avoid the self-glorification of pride.

Okay, so what’s the point?

I’m getting there, but first:

In recent years, June has been dubbed “Pride month,” so that under the guise of community support, individuals defend misguided love and promote a morality based on only on emotions. For Catholics, June is a month to celebrate the Sacred Heart of Jesus, a heart which loves more than we ever could, a heart which has experienced the same emotions we have, a heart which always shared those emotions and struggles with His Father, a heart which drew the power to carry on from His constant conversation with His Father.

Here’s the point:

Humility, a.k.a. the first beatitude “poor in spirit,” is the foundation of the Christian life. Our goal isn’t to see who is holiest, our goal is to see God, to get to heaven. I am not saying “don’t aspire to greatness.” We are all called to and made for greatness. But our greatness comes from looking at Jesus and imitating Him, not from looking at others and trying to be better than them.

Remember: Humility isn’t beating ourselves up. Our protagonist Ijin knew his abilities, but knew his limits and his need for help.

Perhaps the best imitator of Jesus was Mary His mother. She humbled herself knowing exactly who she was and just how much God had done for her. It was this humility that won her the privilege to have all generations call her blessed.

To close I leave you with the Litany of Humility. It’s a prayer I struggled with at first but have grown to love.

LITANY OF HUMILITY

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.

Amen.