Abstract
To update her article on indifference from Vincentian Heritage 30:2, Sung Hae Kim uses Vincent de Paul’s letters and conferences to understand his conception of indifference. For him, it was the basis for all the virtues he wanted the Congregation and the Daughters of Charity to cultivate. It meant a complete abandonment of one’s own will in favor of complete openness to God’s will. Vincent believed that this openness led to a state of perfect freedom and happiness. Indifference allowed people to free themselves from their own desires and attachments and helped them to “love all things from the eyes of God.” It enabled trust in God, and as such, was the ideal for all of Jesus’s disciples. Examples are given from Vincent’s life in which he displayed indifference. Because Ignatius Loyola introduced the concept of indifference to Catholicism, his view of it is also discussed and compared with Vincent’s. For Ignatius, indifference was essential to decision making; it meant discerning God’s will and being ready to act in accordance. For Vincent, indifference was essential to action itself, necessary for the obedient, faithful acceptance and execution of ministries.
Recommended Citation
Kim, Sung Hae S.C.
(2018)
"The Virtue of Holy Indifference: The Fruit of Saint Vincent de Paul’s Spiritual Journey,"
Vincentian Heritage Journal: Vol. 34:
Iss.
2, Article 3.
Available at:
https://via.library.depaul.edu/vhj/vol34/iss2/3