Let him who is in consolation think how he will be in the desolation which will come after, taking new strength for then… Let him who is consoled see to humbling himself and lowering himself as much as he can, thinking how little he is able for in the time of desolation without such grace or consolation.
- St. Ignatius of Loyola, Spiritual Exercises, Rules for perceiving and knowing in some manner the different movements which are caused in the soul, 10th and 11th rules
And I thank God everyday for the girl He sent my way, but I know the things He gives me, He can take away… Oh, God, don’t take these beautiful things that I’ve got!
- Benson Boone, Beautiful Things, 2024, emphasis added
…The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD!
- Job 1:21, emphasis added
But what a humiliation for me when someone standing next to me heard a flute in the distance and I heard nothing, or someone heard a shepherd singing and again I heard nothing… Perhaps I shall get better, perhaps not, I am ready… Divine One, thou seest my inmost soul, thou knowest that therein dwells the love of humanity and the desire to do good.
- Ludwig Van Beethoven, Heiligenstadt Testament, emphasis added
I know indeed how to live in humble circumstances; I know also how to live with abundance. In every circumstance and in all things I have learned the secret of being well fed and of going hungry, of living in abundance and of being in need. I have the strength for everything through him who empowers me. Still, it was kind of you to share in my distress.
- Philippians 4:12-14, emphasis added
Take, Lord, and receive all my liberty, my memory, my understanding, my entire will, all that I have and possess. Thou hast given all to me. To Thee, O Lord, I return it. All is Thine, dispose of it wholly according to Thy will. Give me Thy love and Thy grace, for this is sufficient for me.
- St. Ignatius of Loyola, Suscipe prayer
There’s a very popular song that I hear frequently on the radio these days. It’s called Beautiful Things by Benson Boone. In the song, Boone shares how, after going through a rough patch, his life has taken a turn for the better—he gets to spend more time with his family, his mental health has improved, he’s finding his faith, and of course, as is often the case in popular love songs, he’s met this girl who he’s very much in love with! Then, with an admirable awareness of how nothing in this life is guaranteed, Boone confronts the very real possibility that all these great things might not last, and with raw emotion in his voice, he pleads to God: “Don’t take these beautiful things that I’ve got!” Thirteen years ago, I was in exactly the same place that Boone describes in his song, so believe me when I say that song gets me right in the feelz! And did I lose my beautiful things? Yes. Oh, they were such beautiful things indeed… but I’ll spare you the lengthy details of that!
We all know Job’s famous words: “The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away…” I imagine it’s easy to say that about trivial things like small material possessions, perhaps less so about more meaningful things like treasured friendships, and no doubt incredibly difficult when it feels like you’re losing a part of your soul, like, say, if you were a brilliant 19th-century composer resigned to never hearing a note of music ever again. See, when I was in high school, I’d often go to our library to read about the life of Ludwig Van Beethoven, whom I so revered. I read his letters to his friends, colleagues, lovers and all that, so I know what beautiful things he lost in addition to his hearing. The spiritual maturity with which he embraced his circumstances—or bore his cross, if you will—was nothing short of heroic. It was under those circumstances that he composed the Ninth Symphony, which to this day continues to be an anthem of hope, joy, and the good in humanity. How does anyone do that?! I honestly don’t know if I’d have a fraction of Beethoven’s spiritual maturity if I were to ever lose my hearing. I’ve sometimes joked to my friend Danielle, “You know, Danielle, I really hope God doesn’t pull a Beethoven on me. I really really really reeeaaalllllyyy hope He doesn’t… cause I can’t guarantee that I wouldn’t feel incredibly bitter toward Him if He did.” I mean, I don’t think I’ll be composing a Ninth Symphony anytime soon haha.
In Ignatian Spirituality, there’s a virtue called “Indifference,” which is not so much the bad kind like not caring about other people. It’s more about detaching oneself from (or being “indifferent” to) one’s personal desires so as to focus entirely on the will of God. St. Francis de Sales expresses the same idea using the metaphor of water in a container:
If I desire pure water only, what care I whether it be served in a golden vessel or in a glass, as in either case I take only the water… What matter whether God’s will be presented to us in tribulation or in consolation, since I seek nothing in either of them but God’s will, which is so much the better seen when there is no other beauty present save that of this most holy, eternal, good pleasure.
- St. Francis de Sales, Treatise on the Love of God
Granted, it would be very difficult to exercise Ignatian Indifference when it comes to the things we feel most strongly about—our hopes, dreams, the things we’ve put a great deal of time and effort into, and yes, and even our ties with friends and loved ones. It seems to be the dialectical nature of prayer (and life in general) that one must plea with the tenacity of Boone while being ready to accept the outcome with the maturity of Beethoven. That said, we could start by practicing Ignatian Indifference on a smaller scale. A simple and readily available way for churchgoers to practice that virtue might be to try attending Masses where the style of music may not necessarily be one’s preference. Say, if you normally go to the 5pm Mass because you like more contemporary music, you might consider attending a Mass that has much older music like Gregorian chant. Conversely, if you’re the type who prefers pre-Vatican II music, you might consider attending our 5pm Mass with a more modern flavor. Think of the music as the vessel that holds the water in Francis’ metaphor—our music ministry certainly aims to make it beautiful, but at the end of the day, the reason you come to Mass is to hear the word of God and to receive the Eucharist, and the music is only secondary, right? Of course, if you do come to the 5pm Mass this Sunday, you may get to hear our Worship Band’s newest singer, Tessa Jones, offer a poignant song based on St. Ignatius’ Suscipe (see epigraph above), which is one of those prayers that I think captures very well the spirit of Ignatian Indifference.
For now, allow me to leave you with these words from another song that’s popular on the radio these days:
God, thank you for sunshine, thank you for rain, thank you for joy, thank you for pain. It’s a beautiful day! …And thank you for this life, sorry I complained. The ups and the downs is just a part of the game. It’s a beautiful day!
- Akon, Beautiful Day, 2025
With my peace,
Carlo Serrano, Music Director
