Holy Indifference - Cardinal Bacci

Holy Indifference

1. That is not indifference towards what is good or towards God. That kind of indifference is the apathy and negligence which distracts us from striving to reach our final end by advancing in sanctity.

The holy indifference which we should all have, or endeavour to have, is described by St. Ignatius in his book on the Spiritual Exercises. It is a virtue which renders us indifferent towards all creatures because we see them only as means which will help or hinder us on the path to sanctity. Therefore we must be indifferent towards sickness and health.

“Grant to me, O Lord,” we should pray, “that which pleases You most. Perhaps you know that health could be a grave danger to me, that it could lead me into offending You, or that at least it could make me too attached to the things of this world. If this is so, send me whatever illness You will. I will accept them from Your hands as a gift of Your mercy and goodness and I will try to sanctify myself by means of them. Nature rebels at this thought; yet I must not listen to the prompting of nature, but to the inspirations of grace.

On the other hand, You may see that my good health would add to Your glory, and help me to grow in sanctity and to be useful in the Apostolate. Grant health to me if it is Your will to do so. I will accept it from Your hands and I will use it solely for Your glory.”

A man who is capable of such high spirituality will not be shaken by the fury of human passion, but will remain always calm and attentive to the demands of grace. He will surrender himself completely to the will of God in all the circumstances of his life.

2. We may wonder whether we are to have a long or a short life. Nature would choose the first alternative, because the will to live and the fear of death are among the strongest of our basic instincts. To obtain a long life we are prepared to promise God that we shall dedicate it to His glory, and spend it in doing good works. But if God sees that a long life would prove to be an occasion of sin for us, and that we should become too deeply attached to this world and forgetful of Heaven, then we should be resigned to, and indeed content with, a short life.

How many young people like St. Aloysius Gonzaga, St. Dominic Savio, and St. Maria Goretti, have reached the peak of sanctity while still in the flower of their youth! If this were the will of God for us, surely we should welcome the advent of an early death?

There is another question which often bothers those who look into the future. Shall I be rich or poor? It is natural to desire wealth and to want to avoid poverty. Yet Jesus says: “Blessed are the poor; and woe to the rich!” It is clear then that wealth is likely to be a greater spiritual danger than poverty, for it can cause us to become more attached to worldly possessions. We can save our souls whether we are rich or poor as long as we make right use of whatever we have. So let the will of God be done.

3. The last question which we must ask ourselves is the most difficult. Should we choose honour or humiliation? It is very hard in this case to say to God: “Thy will be done.” Yet say it we must. If honour, high position, and success redound to the glory of God and to our spiritual advantage, then let us accept them with humble gratitude. But if Divine Providence ordains that it is better for us to be humiliated and forgotten, we must accept this with cheerful resignation. “Do with me what You will, O Lord,” we should pray.
“Grant me whatever pleases You, sickness or health, poverty or riches, honour or disgrace.” We must always accept the will of God simply because we love Him and wish to serve Him more faithfully. Let us perform all our actions for His glory, for our eternal salvation, and for the salvation of all mankind.