“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her. Luke 1:38
“Does it matter what the will of God is for you? That may sound like a strange question at first. But think about it. Does it matter what God wills of you? What if He were to call you to constant work? Or what if He were to call you to a restful repose? Or what if He were to fill you with delight? Or remove all delight from your soul? Or call you to be extolled and honored in the sight of many? Or draw you into the desert of solitude and hiddenness?
The truth is that it matters not what God’s call is in our lives, it only matters that He calls. We must strive for a holy indifference in our lives. A “holy” indifference is not indifference to God and His will; rather, a holy indifference is a detachment to all preferences regarding what the Lord asks of us. We must be ready for all but we must be willing to receive nothing. The goal is to be ready for God and His will, whatever it may be.
Reflect on whether or not you are ready and willing to accept whatever God wills of you. What He wills is not as important as the fact that He wills. This may be a difficult subtlety to grasp at first. But it’s important to understand. The simple truth is that we should be ready for anything God asks of us without clinging to our personal preference. If you can achieve this level of detachment, the mercy of God will begin to flow in abundance in your life, and through you into the lives of many others.”
John Paul Thomas in “Reflection 181: Holy Indifference” in Daily Reflections on Divine Mercy: 365 Days with Saint Faustina (North Charleston: CreateSpace, 2016) 158-159.
Rooted in holy indifference, a facet of our generosity this week (and every week) may just be that we serve as conduits of the mercy of God to others. We do this by embracing God’s will for our lives, regardless of what it may be.
We may respond like Mary and be “greatly troubled” at first, but with the holy indifference of Mary, knowing God’s call for us is for our good, we can trust Him and say, “I am the Lord’s servant” and “may your word to me be fulfilled” (Luke 1:26-38).
Who could have imagined that a young girl could be a conduit of the mercy of God for the world? We must be ready for anything God asks of us. God’s will for your generosity or mine might be humble submission so that others are blessed.