Of the Indifference and Conformity Which a Religious Should Have for Being in Any Part of the World Whither Obedience May Send Him

ij bares we may make better profit of this exercise of conformity to the will of God and put in practice what we have said, we will go on to specify some chief things in which we should exercise it. Then we will descend to other general matters which concern all. At present we will begin with some particulars that there are in our Constitutions, since it is right that a religious should show his virtue and religious spirit chiefly in these; and each one may apply the doctrine to other things which there are in his religious order and state of life.

In the seventh part of our Constitutions our Father, speaking of missions, which is one of the principal undertakings of our institute, says that those of the Society must be indifferent to going and residing in any part of the world where obedience sends them, whether among believers or unbelievers, to the Indies or among heretics. And of this the professed make a fourth solemn vow of special obedience to the sovereign pontiff, that they will go readily and generously, without any excuse, to any part of the world whither His Holiness shall send them, without asking for any temporal thing whether for themselves or for another person, whether for the expenses of their journey or for their sustenance there; but that they will go on foot or on horseback, with money or without money, begging alms, as His Holiness shall think best. And our Father says that the end and intention of this vow was to make sure of doing the will of God. For as those first Fathers of the Society were of different provinces and kingdoms, and did not know in what quarters of the world they would best please God, whether among believers or unbelievers, to make sure of the will of God they made this vow to the vicar of Christ, that he might distribute them for this world where he judged it would be best for the greater glory of God. But in the Society, he says, a man ought nowise to meddle or contrive to be in or go to one place rather than another, but should be quite indifferent, leaving the disposition of himself freely and entirely in the hands of his superior, who in God’s place will guide him to what shall be for His greater service and glory.

That we may see how indifferent and ready our Father wishes us to be to go to any part of the world to which obedience shall send us, we read in his Life that one time Father James Laynez said to him that he had a desire to go to the Indies, to work for the salvation of those blind heathens, who seemed in peril for want of evangelical laborers. Our Father answered: “I desire nothing of the sort.” Being asked his reason he said: “Because we, having made a vow of obedience to the sovereign pontiff, that at his will he may send us to any part of the world on the Lord’s service, ought to be indifferent in such a way as not to be inclined to one part rather than to another. Rather,” he said, “if I saw myself inclined as you to go to the Indies, I would endeavor to incline myself to the contrary, so to hold hard by that even balance and indifference which is necessary to attain to the perfection of obedience.”

We do not mean hereby to say that these desires of the Indies are bad or imperfect, for doubtless they are very good and holy, and also it is well to propose them and lay them before the superior when our Lord gives them. So our Father says there: “Let superiors rejoice that their subjects lay before them these desires, for they are generally a sign that God calls them that way, and so things are done with sweetness.” But what we say is this, that it may be seen what indifference and promptitude our Father wishes us to have to go and be in any part of the world, since he would not have us affectioned even to a thing so laborious and so much for the service of the Lord, that this particular affection and desire may be no let or hindrance to stand in the way of that indifference and readiness in which we ought to be for any other thing and any other part of the world whither obedience may choose to send us.

Hence there follow sundry corollaries which will help to the better understanding of this point. The first is that, if those desires of the Indies were to make a man lose any of that indifference and readiness for other things which obedience might order, they would not be good but imperfect desires. If I find such a keenness of desire to go to the Indies or to any other place as to upset me and be the cause of my not being contented here or in any other place where obedience would have me be, or of my not taking the present duties that occupy me here and now with such hearty good will and diligence as before, because I have set my eyes and my heart on something else, that is a clear sign that those desires cannot be good or of God, since they hinder His will, and God cannot be contrary to Himself—especially since the desires and inspirations of the Holy Spirit do not usually bring with them restlessness and agitation of mind, but great peace and tranquillity; and this is one of the signs which the masters of spiritual life lay down to know whether inspirations and desires are of God or no.

The second corollary is that he who is in an all-round readiness, prompt and indifferent to go to any part of the world and to do anything that obedience shall ordain, even though he has no particular desires or inclination to go to the Indies or to other out-of-the-way places, such as others have, need not be distressed at that, for that does not make him be in any worse condition, but rather in a better. For this is the state of mind in which our Father wishes us all to be, so that on our part we should not desire or have any particular affection for this rather than for that, but that we should be rather as the needle of the balance, not inclining one way rather than another. And of this mind are many and, I believe, most of us.

Our Father was once thinking of sending Father Master Nadal on a certain mission; and to do the thing more gently, he wished first to know how his inclination lay. Father Nadal answered in writing that he had no inclination or disinclination to anything. This our Father takes to be the best and most perfect attitude of mind, and with reason; for the other seems to be tied to one thing only, but this in its perfect indifference embraces all things that can possibly be commanded and is equally disposed and pledged to all; and as God sees the heart and will of every man and takes the will for the deed, it is before Him as if already all had been put into execution.

To bring our explanations to a close, I say that, if it is from cowardice and pusillanimity and want of mortification that one has not any of these desires of the Indies, not having pluck and courage to leave the conveniences which he has or thinks he might have here at home, or to suffer the great hardships that are to be endured out there, this would be imperfection and self-love. But take the case where it is not from cowardice or for lack of desires and courage to suffer these or greater hardships for the love of God and for the salvation of souls that a man has nothing of this desire, but because he does not know that that is the will of God or that God does not ask something else of him; but he on his part is so prompt and ready for this and for anything else that he comes to understand to be the will of God that, if they sent him to the Indies or to England* or to any other place whatever, he would go as willingly as if he had desired and asked for it—and even, perhaps, more willingly, as being better assured that he is not doing his own will in the matter, but purely the will of God—there is no doubt but that this is a much better and *These words were written in 1610.

more perfect frame of mind. And it is men of this frame of mind and this indifference that superiors willingly send also to the Indies.

But, coming back to our principal point, our Father requires of us such indifference and resignation and readiness to be as willingly in one place as in another, in one province as in another, that not even the consideration of bodily health should divert us from this indifference. He says in the third part of the Constitutions that it is proper to our vocation and institute to go about from one part of the world to another and to be where there is greater hope of the service of God and greater aid of souls; yet, if it is found by experience that the climate of some country disagrees with somebody and he is seen to be continually ill there, then it is for the superior to consider the advisability of his going elsewhere where he may enjoy better health and employ himself to better effect in the service of God and of souls. But, he says, the invalid must not ask for this change nor show any inclination that way, but leave himself entirely to the care of the superior. These are his words: Non tamen erit ipsius infirmi mutationem postulare, nec animi propensionem ad eam ostendere, sed superioris curae id relinquetur. Our Father here is asking not a little but much of us; for a man must be very indifferent and mortified not only not to ask for, but even not to show any inclination for, a change when his health is going continually from bad to worse.

Thus in what regards going to the Indies or to the countries of heretics a man may well represent his inclination and desire, as we have said, albeit with indifference and resignation; but in this case our Father does not give leave either to ask for a change or to show an inclination and desire thereof, which is much more. The only permission he gives is that, if a man finds himself ill, he should represent to the superior his illness and the indisposition and incapacity which he feels for the work of the ministry, and of that. we have a rule that we should represent it. But, once the representation is made, the subject has nothing further to do; the superior will see whether on this supposition it will be better to send him to some other place where he may have better health and do more or whether it would be more to the glory of God that he should stay there where he is, doing less or even doing nothing. However, it is not for the subject to judge; let everyone abandon himself to the guidance of the superior, who governs him in place of God, and take that for better and more for the divine service which he shall ordain. How many are there in these lands, and in others more contrary to their health, to earn their bread there! How many cross the sea and go to the Indies, to Rome, and to Constantinople, for a little property, and risk not only their health but their life! It will not, then, be much for us, being religious, to do for God what people in the world do for money. And, though it occurs to you that elsewhere you might do something or even much, while here where you are, you are so ill that you can do nothing, remember that, all the same, it is better to be here where you are by the will of God doing nothing than to be at the head of things anywhere else, doing your own will, although you did much. Conform yourself to the will of God, Who requires this of you at present for a purpose that He knows and which it is not necessary for you to know.

In the chronicles of the order of St. Francis it is related of the holy brother Giles that, the blessed St. Francis having licensed him to go where he would and live in any province and house that was most to his taste, leaving that to his choice for the greatness of his virtue and holiness, he had scarcely passed four days in the enjoyment of this license when he found his former tranquillity and rest of mind impaired and became a prey to anxiety and trouble. So he went to St. Francis, begging him with much earnestness to designate the place and house where he was to live, and not leave it to his choice, declaring that in that free and large obedience he could find no peace or rest. Good religious do not find peace and contentment in the fulfilment of their own will and do not hanker after this house and place or that; all they wish is that obedience should lead them by the hand and place them where it wills, because they take that to be the will of God, in which alone they find rest and contentment.