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The fifteenth petition of the Litany of Humility touches a universal wound:
“From the fear of being wronged, deliver me, O Jesus.”
To be wronged is to suffer injustice — to be treated unfairly, to be deprived of what is rightly ours. Our hearts cry out for justice, and rightly so. Yet when the fear of injustice consumes us, we lose peace. Christ shows us another way: “If anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also” (Mt 5:39).
St. Thomas Aquinas explains:
“It belongs to charity to bear with patience the wrongs done to us, so that we may not be disturbed by them.” (ST II-II, q.136, a.2)
This does not mean injustice is good, but that enduring wrongs patiently for Christ’s sake can become a source of merit and purification.
Eastern Witness: St. Stephen the Protomartyr
St. Stephen (1st century), the first martyr, was stoned to death after bearing witness to Christ. Wronged by false accusations and condemned unjustly, Stephen did not cry for vengeance. Instead, he imitated his Master, praying: “Lord, do not hold this sin against them” (Acts 7:60).
His forgiveness transformed injustice into victory. The wrong done to him became the seed of the Church’s growth, as even Saul — who consented to his death — would later be converted.
Western Witness: St. Thomas More
St. Thomas More (16th century), Chancellor of England, was imprisoned and executed for refusing to deny the authority of the Pope under King Henry VIII. Wronged by false charges of treason, abandoned by many, he accepted injustice with serenity.
On the scaffold he declared: “I die the King’s good servant, but God’s first.” More’s calm forgiveness under injustice stands as a shining witness that fidelity to God is greater than earthly justice.
Transforming Wrongs into Witness
Stephen and More reveal that wrongs endured for Christ do not destroy us but glorify us. Fear of injustice binds the soul, but freedom comes in entrusting our cause to God.
Aquinas helps us see why:
“Patience safeguards the mind from being overcome by sorrow, whereby a man is hindered from being wholly subject to reason.” (ST II-II, q.136, a.2)
When we bear wrongs patiently, we remain free — free to forgive, free to love, free to witness to the justice of God.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, deliver me from the fear of being wronged. With Stephen, may I forgive those who harm me. With Thomas More, may I accept injustice with serenity, remaining faithful to You above all. Teach me that no wrong can rob me of Your love, and that justice belongs to You alone.
From the fear of being wronged, deliver me, O Jesus.
