Faith and Ignatian Indifference

 The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today, Memorial of Saint Dominic, Priest, challenge us to examine our complaints, physical and spiritual, and open our minds to resolution through faith in Divine Providence.

Faith and Action

The Reading from the Book of Habakkuk presents Habakkuk’s Second Complaint.

* [1:2–4] The prophet complains about God’s apparent disregard for Judah’s internal evils in language that echoes the preaching of prophets like Amos, Isaiah, and Jeremiah.

* [1:4] The law is numb: because the Lord has been silent, the Law, whether in the form of the scroll found in the Temple in the time of Josiah (2 Kgs 22) or in the form of divine instruction given by priests and prophets, has proved ineffective and so appeared to be cold, unreceptive, and powerless. For the Law to be credible, the Lord must see to it that the wicked are punished and the just rewarded.

* [1:5–7] Habakkuk interprets the Babylonian defeat of Egypt at Carchemish (605 B.C.) as the answer to his complaint: the Lord will send the Chaldean empire against Judah as punishment for their sins.

* [1:11] The primary aim of military campaigns by ancient Near Eastern rulers was usually the gathering of spoils and the collection of tribute rather than the annexation of territory. However, in the eighth century B.C., the Assyrians began to administer many conquered territories as provinces.

* [1:12–2:1] Appointed them for judgment: this complaint is directed against the violent Babylonians, the very nation God chose to punish Judah.

* [1:12] Rock: an ancient title celebrating the Lord’s power and fidelity; cf. Dt 32:4; Is 26:4; 30:29; Ps 18:3, 32, 47; 95:1.

* [1:15] He: the Babylonian king (cf. vv. 6, 13), who easily conquers other nations and treats them as objects for his entertainment and enrichment.

* [1:16] He makes sacrifices to his net: the leader attributes victory to the military weapons he wields; he and his weapons have won victory, not any god. (Habakkuk, Chapter 1 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 9 proclaims the rescue of the helpless poor from their enemies.

* [Psalms 9–10] Ps 9 and Ps 10 in the Hebrew text have been transmitted as separate poems but they actually form a single acrostic poem and are so transmitted in the Greek and Latin tradition. Each verse of the two Psalms begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet (though several letters have no corresponding stanza). The Psalm states loosely connected themes: the rescue of the helpless poor from their enemies, God’s worldwide judgment and rule over the nations, the psalmist’s own concern for rescue (Ps 9:14–15). (Psalms, PSALM 9 | USCCB, n.d.)

The Gospel of Matthew presents the Healing of a Boy with a Demon.

* [17:14–20] Matthew has greatly shortened the Marcan story (Mk 9:14–29). Leaving aside several details of the boy’s illness, he concentrates on the need for faith, not so much on the part of the boy’s father (as does Mark, for Matthew omits Mk 9:22b–24) but on that of his own disciples whose inability to drive out the demon is ascribed to their little faith (Mt 17:20).

* [17:15] A lunatic: this description of the boy is peculiar to Matthew. The word occurs in the New Testament only here and in Mt 4:24 and means one affected or struck by the moon. The symptoms of the boy’s illness point to epilepsy, and attacks of this were thought to be caused by phases of the moon.

* [17:17] Faithless and perverse: so Matthew and Luke (Lk 9:41) against Mark’s faithless (Mk 9:19). The Greek word here translated perverse is the same as that in Dt 32:5 LXX, where Moses speaks to his people. There is a problem in knowing to whom the reproach is addressed. Since the Matthean Jesus normally chides his disciples for their little faith (as in Mt 17:20), it would appear that the charge of lack of faith could not be made against them and that the reproach is addressed to unbelievers among the Jews. However in Mt 17:20b (if you have faith the size of a mustard seed), which is certainly addressed to the disciples, they appear to have not even the smallest faith; if they had, they would have been able to cure the boy. In the light of Mt 17:20b the reproach of Mt 17:17 could have applied to the disciples. There seems to be an inconsistency between the charge of little faith in Mt 17:20a and that of not even a little in Mt 17:20b.

* [17:18] The demon came out of him: not until this verse does Matthew indicate that the boy’s illness is a case of demoniacal possession.

* [17:20] The entire verse is an addition of Matthew who (according to the better attested text) omits the reason given for the disciples’ inability in Mk 9:29. Little faith: see note on Mt 6:30. Faith the size of a mustard seed…and it will move: a combination of a Q saying (cf. Lk 17:6) with a Marcan saying (cf. Mk 11:23). (Matthew, CHAPTER 17 | USCCB, n.d.)

Margo Minnich comments that the world teaches us to value self-sufficiency, control, and accomplishment. However, Ignatian spirituality calls us to humility and the recognition that we are reliant on God.

This Gospel also reminds us of the importance of Ignatian indifference. St. Ignatius teaches that we should not cling to health over sickness, success over failure, or comfort over hardship if our ultimate desire is to serve and glorify God. Faith requires letting go of the illusion that we can control everything ourselves. It calls us to surrender our attachments and trust that God is present even in weakness, suffering, and uncertainty. Admitting powerlessness is not defeat; it is the beginning of deeper reliance on God’s grace.

These readings challenge us to ask ourselves: Where do we rely too heavily on our own strength instead of God’s? What mountains in our lives feel impossible to move and how can faith help us to face those challenges? Christ reminds us that faith is about trusting completely in the One for whom all things are possible. Through even the smallest seed of faith, God can transform our hearts and lead us through every challenge. (Minnich, n.d.)

Don Schwager quotes “Faith as a grain of mustard seed,” by Origen of Alexandria (185-254 AD). 

"The mountains here spoken of, in my opinion, are the hostile powers that have their being in a flood of great wickedness, such as are settled down, so to speak, in some souls of various people. But when someone has total faith, such that he no longer disbelieves in anything found in holy Scripture and has faith like that of Abraham, who so believed in God to such a degree that his faith was reckoned to him as righteousness (Genesis 15:6), then he has all faith like a grain of mustard seed. Then such a man will say to this mountain - I mean in this case the deaf and dumb spirit in him who is said to be epileptic - 'Move from here to another place.' It will move. This means it will move from the suffering person to the abyss. The apostle, taking this as his starting point, said with apostolic authority, 'If I have all faith, so as to remove mountains' (1 Corinthians 13:2). For he who has all faith - which is like a grain of mustard seed - moves not just one mountain but also more just like it. And nothing will be impossible for the person who has so much faith. Let us examine also this statement: 'This kind is not cast out except through prayer and fasting' (Mark 9:29). If at any time it is necessary that we should be engaged in the healing of one suffering from such a disorder, we are not to adjure nor put questions nor speak to the impure spirit as if it heard. But [by] devoting ourselves to prayer and fasting, we may be successful as we pray for the sufferer, and by our own fasting we may thrust out the unclean spirit from him." (excerpt from COMMENTARY ON MATTHEW 13.7.19) (Schwager, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler shares that Habakkuk, who like Job, questions the motives and actions of God. Why pagans who do not worship God yet He allows them to do terrible things as in Job who asked God why innocent people suffer. Job, at the end of the book declares “I understand that I don’t understand” or Habakkuk concludes we just have to wait until the Lord acts. In Matthew an epileptic is presented to Jesus to be healed and Jesus drives the “demon” out. In Jesus' time illness was related to demoniac possession. Why the apostles were not able to heal the demon was because of little faith. We understand faith as an act of total trust, a mustard seed that can move mountains in care, trust and love. Friar Jude notes that we have stopped trusting in modern life and have become cynical at times. We have to again trust the Love of God.

The Word Among Us Meditation on Matthew 17:14-20 comments that we all have our own “mustard seed” of faith. We received it when we were baptized, and it has grown, thanks to our families and those who have taught us the faith.

So if you want your faith to grow, nourish it well, and ask the Spirit to help you put it into action. If you have an “impossible” coworker, treat them with kindness and trust that the Lord will soften their hearts. If a loved one is sick, let your faith keep you connected to the Lord and at peace. Even more, believe in the Lord’s power to heal as you pray for them.

If we keep acting in faith, we will see miracles, both big and small. We’ll see the Lord work in situations that seem impossible. The mustard seed in our hearts will begin to grow into a mighty tree, and we will bear marvelous fruit.

“Thank you, Lord, for the awesome gift of faith!” (Meditation on Matthew 17:14-20, n.d.)

Father Richard Rohr, OFM, reflects on when a friend suffered an unexpected loss, cancer survivor Kate Bowler offered her a paradoxical message of suffering and joy.

But I know about the joy that persists, even though it might seem like temporary insanity.  

I looked at my friend … and I could see how impossible joy felt to her. In fact, not long ago, I would not have believed in joy either. It’s strange to say it like that—but I believe in joy. We can’t mistake it for anything less than what it is: one of the most powerful ways we experience the deepest and most healing forms of gratitude, delight, and hope. It is a kind of transcendence; joy is a glimmer of love and forgiveness and wholeness that lifts us out of reality for a moment and gives us back to ourselves, anew….

In the many chambers of our beating hearts are reservoirs for joy.

“You will hear the music,” I said to my friend. “I swear you will hear the music.” (Rohr, n.d.)

We seek the guidance of the Spirit as we explore the practice of Ignatian Indifference that proposes we will find joy and love of God in all the circumstances of life.

References

Habakkuk, Chapter 1 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Bible Readings, Audio and Video Every Morning | USCCB. Retrieved August 8, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/habakkuk/1?12 

Matthew, CHAPTER 17 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Bible Readings, Audio and Video Every Morning | USCCB. Retrieved August 8, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/17?14 

Meditation on Matthew 17:14-20. (n.d.). Word Among Us. Retrieved August 8, 2026, from https://wau.org/meditations/2026/08/07/1640975/ 

Minnich, M. (n.d.). Daily Reflection August 8, 2026 | Creighton Online Ministries. Creighton Online Ministries. Retrieved August 8, 2026, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-august-8-2026 

Psalms, PSALM 9 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved August 8, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/9? 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). Daily Meditations — Center for Action and Contemplation. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved August 8, 2026, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/job-and-the-mystery-of-suffering-weekly-summary/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Nothing Will Be Impossible to You. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved August 8, 2026, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/ 

Walk with Word and Sacrament

 The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to contemplate the New Life that we experience when walking with friends on our path to His Way.

Walk in Contemplation

In the Reading from the Book of Acts, Peter teaches the resurrection of Jesus and its messianic import.

* [2:14–36] The first of six discourses in Acts (along with Acts 3:12–26; 4:8–12; 5:29–32; 10:34–43; 13:16–41) dealing with the resurrection of Jesus and its messianic import. Five of these are attributed to Peter, the final one to Paul. Modern scholars term these discourses in Acts the “kerygma,” the Greek word for proclamation (cf. 1 Cor 15:11).

* [2:33] At the right hand of God: or “by the right hand of God.” (Acts of the Apostles, CHAPTER 2 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 16 reflects on the wise and life-giving presence of God.

* [Psalm 16] In the first section, the psalmist rejects the futile worship of false gods (Ps 16:2–5), preferring Israel’s God (Ps 16:1), the giver of the land (Ps 16:6). The second section reflects on the wise and life-giving presence of God (Ps 16:7–11).

* [16:1] Miktam: a term occurring six times in Psalm superscriptions, always with “David.” Its meaning is unknown.

* [16:10] Nor let your devout one see the pit: Hebrew shahath means here the pit, a synonym for Sheol, the underworld. The Greek translation derives the word here and elsewhere from the verb shahath, “to be corrupt.” On the basis of the Greek, Acts 2:25–32; 13:35–37 apply the verse to Christ’s resurrection, “Nor will you suffer your holy one to see corruption.” (Psalms, PSALM 16, n.d.)

The reading from the First Letter of Peter presents Reverence for God calling us to mutual love.

* [1:13–25] These verses are concerned with the call of God’s people to holiness and to mutual love by reason of their redemption through the blood of Christ (1 Pt 1:18–21).

* [1:19] Christians have received the redemption prophesied by Isaiah (Is 52:3), through the blood (Jewish symbol of life) of the spotless lamb (Is 53:7, 10; Jn 1:29; Rom 3:24–25; cf. 1 Cor 6:20). (1 Peter, CHAPTER 1 | USCCB, n.d.)

The Gospel of Luke proclaims Jesus Appearance on the Road to Emmaus

* [24:1–53] The resurrection narrative in Luke consists of five sections: (1) the women at the empty tomb (Lk 23:56b–24:12); (2) the appearance to the two disciples on the way to Emmaus (Lk 24:13–35); (3) the appearance to the disciples in Jerusalem (Lk 24:36–43); (4) Jesus’ final instructions (Lk 24:44–49); (5) the ascension (Lk 24:50–53). In Luke, all the resurrection appearances take place in and around Jerusalem; moreover, they are all recounted as having taken place on Easter Sunday. A consistent theme throughout the narrative is that the suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus were accomplished in fulfillment of Old Testament promises and of Jewish hopes (Lk 24:19a, 21, 26–27, 44, 46). In his second volume, Acts, Luke will argue that Christianity is the fulfillment of the hopes of Pharisaic Judaism and its logical development (see Acts 24:10–21).

* [24:13–35] This episode focuses on the interpretation of scripture by the risen Jesus and the recognition of him in the breaking of the bread. The references to the quotations of scripture and explanation of it (Lk 24:25–27), the kerygmatic proclamation (Lk 24:34), and the liturgical gesture (Lk 24:30) suggest that the episode is primarily catechetical and liturgical rather than apologetic.

* [24:13] Seven miles: literally, “sixty stades.” A stade was 607 feet. Some manuscripts read “160 stades” or more than eighteen miles. The exact location of Emmaus is disputed.

* [24:16] A consistent feature of the resurrection stories is that the risen Jesus was different and initially unrecognizable (Lk 24:37; Mk 16:12; Jn 20:14; 21:4).

* [24:26] That the Messiah should suffer…: Luke is the only New Testament writer to speak explicitly of a suffering Messiah (Lk 24:26, 46; Acts 3:18; 17:3; 26:23). The idea of a suffering Messiah is not found in the Old Testament or in other Jewish literature prior to the New Testament period, although the idea is hinted at in Mk 8:31–33. See notes on Mt 26:63 and 26:67–68.

* [24:36–43, 44–49] The Gospel of Luke, like each of the other gospels (Mt 28:16–20; Mk 16:14–15; Jn 20:19–23), focuses on an important appearance of Jesus to the Twelve in which they are commissioned for their future ministry. As in Lk 24:6, 12, so in Lk 24:36, 40 there are omissions in the Western text.

* [24:39–42] The apologetic purpose of this story is evident in the concern with the physical details and the report that Jesus ate food. (Luke, CHAPTER 24 | USCCB, n.d.)

Rev. Jim Caime, SJ, comments that along the road, the disciples speak of all that has happened. They tell their story. They have already heard from others—the women told us…—and still, they could not believe it. The truth was not absent. It had already been spoken, already shared, already alive among them. But they could not yet receive it.

How often is it the same for us?

We do not listen because we think we already know. We do not listen because we assume we bring the truth. We do not listen because we struggle to trust the voices speaking to us.

And still, Jesus draws near. Not to replace what is there, but to open it, to reveal it, to let it be seen.

Only later do they recognize what had been happening all along:

Were not our hearts burning within us while he spoke to us on the way?

Perhaps the question for us is not whether God is speaking.

But where—already—has something stirred, something warmed, something quietly begun?

And have we been listening? (Caime, n.d.)

Rev. Jim introduces a poem, Old Maps No Longer Work, by Sr. Joyce Rupp as a gentle companion for your prayerful reflection. 

Don Schwager quotes “The Easter Alleluia,” by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.

"Now therefore, brethren, we urge you to praise God. That is what we are all telling each other when we say Alleluia. You say to your neighbor, "Praise the Lord!" and he says the same to you. We are all urging one another to praise the Lord, and all thereby doing what each of us urges the other to do. But see that your praise comes from your whole being; in other words, see that you praise God not with your lips and voices alone, but with your minds, your lives and all your actions." (excerpt from commentary on Psalm 148) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Luke 24:13-35 invites us to notice how the story of the two disciples meeting Jesus on the road to Emmaus looks a lot like the way we meet Jesus at every Mass.

The next time you’re at Mass, imagine that Cleopas and his companion are with you. Share their excitement as, throughout the liturgy, your heart begins to burn with love as you come to recognize Jesus, present in the breaking of the bread.

“Jesus, thank you for making yourself known to me!” (Meditation on Luke 24:13-35, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments that in Acts the kerygma, or first teaching, that Peter proclaimed in Jerusalem is a very Jewish form of reminding them of how the history of David is linked to Jesus. Luke understood that David wrote all the Psalms. Recently scholarship indicates that many are only dedicated to David. The First Letter of Peter speaks of being brought back to show how much God has loved us in existence in all eternity. Franciscan theology presents that Jesus was coming to be part of our condition and healing our flaw was a consequence of His Incarnation. In Dominican theology, the healing of our flaws is more of Jesus' purpose than a consequence. In the second resurrection narrative, in the Gospel of Luke, Cleopas and the unnamed companion who likely is not his wife (as Luke often refers females to by name), are caught up in their own thoughts. In all three narratives in Luke, Jesus explains the events as part of God’s plan. This fits the philosophic outlook of Luke, as a Stoic, the events of Jesus' life were always planned. The disciples recognize Him in the breaking of the bread. Friar Jude comments on the resonance we have with the disciples in the experience of “Didn’t our hearts burn as they encountered Jesus in Word and Sacrament.”

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, encourages us to recognize how the soul of nature mirrors our own.

When God manifests spirit through matter, then matter becomes a holy thing. The material world is the place where we can comfortably worship God just by walking in it, loving it, and respecting it. Everything visible, without exception, is the outpouring of God. What else could it really be? When we can enjoy all these things as holy, “we experience the universe as a communion of subjects, not as a collection of objects,” as the “geologian” Fr. Thomas Berry said so wisely. [2]

When we love something, we grant it soul, we see its soul, and we let its soul touch ours. We must love something deeply to know its soul (anima). Before the resonance of love, we are largely inattentive to the meaning, value, and power of ordinary things to “save” us and help us live in union with the Source of all being. In fact, until we can appreciate and even delight in the soul of other things, even trees and animals, we probably haven’t discovered our own souls either. Soul knows soul through love, which Jesus teaches as the Great Commandment (Matthew 22:37–39). [3] (Rohr, n.d.)

As the Season of Spring slowly arrives, let us respond to the invitation of the Spirit to walk in solitude or the company of close friends along paths in Nature where we are open to the universal call of mutual love for all Creation.

References

Acts of the Apostles, CHAPTER 2 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved April 19, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/acts/2?14 

Caime, J. (n.d.). Daily Reflection. Creighton Online Ministries: Home. Retrieved April 19, 2026, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-april-19-2026 

Luke, CHAPTER 24 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved April 19, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/24?13 

Meditation on Luke 24:13-35. (n.d.). Word Among Us. Retrieved April 19, 2026, from https://wau.org/meditations/2026/04/19/1546454/ 

1 Peter, CHAPTER 1 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved April 19, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/1peter/1?17 

Psalms, PSALM 16. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved April 19, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/16?1 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). Soul and the Natural World. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved April 19, 2026, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/soul-and-the-natural-world/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Did Not Our Hearts Burn While He Opened to Us the Scriptures. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved April 19, 2026, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/