The divine will is to the soul in all things its method, its rule, and its direct and safe way. It is an unalterable law which is of all times, of all places, and of all states. It is a straight line which the soul must follow with courage and fidelity, neither diverging to the right, nor to the left, nor overstepping the bounds. Whatever is over and above must be received passively, as it carries on its work in abandonment. In a word, the soul is active in all that the present duty requires, but passive and submissive in all the rest, about which there should be no self-will, but patient waiting for the divine motion.
O heavenly purity! O blessed annihilation! O unreserved submission! through you is God drawn into the centre of the heart. Let the faculties be then what they will, provided, Lord, that I possess You. Do what You will with this insignificant creature; whether it works, becomes inspired, or becomes the subject of Your impresssions, it is all one. All is yours, all is from You and for You. I have no longer anything to look after, anything to do. I have no hand in the arrangement of one single moment of my life, all is Yours. I ought neither to add to, nor to diminish anything, neither to seek after, nor to reflect upon, anything. It is for You to regulate everything. Direction, mortification, sanctity, perfection, and salvation area are all Your business, Lord; mine is to be satisfied with Your work, and not to appropriate any action, or any state, but to leave all to Your good pleasure. ~ a prayer of Fr. de Caussade
Showing posts with label holy indifference. Show all posts
Showing posts with label holy indifference. Show all posts
Friday, September 30, 2011
Abandonment to Divine Providence
From Fr. Jean-Pierre de Caussade's Abandonment to Divine Providence (from the English translation of the tenth French Edition of Fr. de Caussade's (d. 1751) Abandon a la Providence Divine, edited by Fr. H. Ramiere, S.J. 1921):
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Apathy versus Holy Indifference
A term I come across quite often while reading about the lives of the saints is "holy indifference". I think this is a term that is widely misunderstood in today's world. It's confused with a certain type of apathy which is prevalent in our society today. The apathy I speak of here is a generalized apathetic stance toward certain aspects of our life here on earth including a "dullness" of the heart concerning God and things of a spiritual nature (though not limited to this area).
The "holy indifference" of which the saints speak of stems from a lack of attachment to the world and self. Apathy stems from being overly attached to the very same things. A simple definition of holy indifference : detachment from the world which stems from a total attachment to God.
In other words, it is a complete abandonment to God's will. This holy indifference has nothing to do with a lack of compassion for others - it actually leads us to action and away from the indifference associated with apathy. Mother Teresa is a good example of a person in our day who reached this state of holy indifference and this quote from her is a perfect example of apathy versus holy indifference.
If you are preoccupied with people who are talking about the poor, you scarcely have time to talk to the poor. Some people talk about hunger, but they don't come and say, "Mother, here is five rupees. Buy food for these people." But they can give a most beautiful lecture on hunger.
I had a most extraordinary experience once in Bombay. There was a big conference on hunger. I was supposed to go to that meeting and I lost the way. Suddenly I came to that place, and right in front of the door to where hundreds of people were talking about food and hunger, I found a dying man.
I took him out and I took him home.
He died there.
He died of hunger.
And the people inside were talking about how in 15 years we will have so much food, so much this, so much that, and that man died.
Their fault didn't lie in speaking about hunger but in the fact that they failed to act. Apathy is closely associated with sloth. They are partners and sloth is one of the Seven Deadly Sins. Holy indifference results in a freedom of spirit while apathy is the result of bondage and being overly concerned with self. The heart is closed off to a degree rather than completely open to God. When we are closed off to God, we are closed off to our brother and sisters in Christ.
Here is a link to a post and poem about apathy that I wrote last year on one of my other blogs. The best way for overcoming apathy is through prayer (see link) and by practicing the opposing virtues of diligence and prudence.
The "holy indifference" of which the saints speak of stems from a lack of attachment to the world and self. Apathy stems from being overly attached to the very same things. A simple definition of holy indifference : detachment from the world which stems from a total attachment to God.
In other words, it is a complete abandonment to God's will. This holy indifference has nothing to do with a lack of compassion for others - it actually leads us to action and away from the indifference associated with apathy. Mother Teresa is a good example of a person in our day who reached this state of holy indifference and this quote from her is a perfect example of apathy versus holy indifference.
If you are preoccupied with people who are talking about the poor, you scarcely have time to talk to the poor. Some people talk about hunger, but they don't come and say, "Mother, here is five rupees. Buy food for these people." But they can give a most beautiful lecture on hunger.
I had a most extraordinary experience once in Bombay. There was a big conference on hunger. I was supposed to go to that meeting and I lost the way. Suddenly I came to that place, and right in front of the door to where hundreds of people were talking about food and hunger, I found a dying man.
I took him out and I took him home.
He died there.
He died of hunger.
And the people inside were talking about how in 15 years we will have so much food, so much this, so much that, and that man died.
Their fault didn't lie in speaking about hunger but in the fact that they failed to act. Apathy is closely associated with sloth. They are partners and sloth is one of the Seven Deadly Sins. Holy indifference results in a freedom of spirit while apathy is the result of bondage and being overly concerned with self. The heart is closed off to a degree rather than completely open to God. When we are closed off to God, we are closed off to our brother and sisters in Christ.
Here is a link to a post and poem about apathy that I wrote last year on one of my other blogs. The best way for overcoming apathy is through prayer (see link) and by practicing the opposing virtues of diligence and prudence.
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