The weaknesses it is guilty of can be changed and transformed by the love of Jesus and the grace of His Spirit. The realization of the dignity of the soul after Baptism must never be smothered under the frailties of its nature.
When we find sin we shall hate the sinner and fail to make the distinction between our neighbor and his weaknesses. It will be difficult to love that neighbor in the way God loves Him because that neighbor must be near perfect before he is the recipient of our love. The Commandment will be merely an ideal that is not realistic in modern day living.
When we are detached from ourselves we suddenly find that loving our neighbor is easy. Jesus has filled the void created and sustained by dryness.
His Love in our hearts reaches out to love everyone, while it sees material possessions as passing trinkets in time. One of the most painful lessons that Dryness teaches us is the spirit of Humility. Our total helplessness in the face of our inability to pray can almost annihilate our pride.
We may rebel against this feeling of inadequacy, but if we accept it we can make a giant stride towards a spirit of Humility. The humility that is the fruit of dryness is not self-imposed, so the soul is guarded against a false humility which says it can do nothing of itself but does not really believe it. Neither is this humility the fruit of persecution or misunderstanding.
It is, therefore, a safeguard against the resentment that often accompanies the clashes of personality traits in our relationship with others. It is a crushing blow to our pride to realize we must wait upon the Lord to pray well or to pray at all. A reality of life becomes an experience for us—it becomes a startling fact that without Him we can do nothing—not even pray. It is good to have an intellectual awareness of our dependence upon God—to understand how great He is and how very small we are in His sight.
But when our very bones feel the crushing weight of His Holiness upon us and we are conscious of our sinner condition, then we pass from knowing about God to knowing God, for the former is knowledge and the latter, experience. We try to run away from the feeling of our nothingness that overwhelms us but we cannot.
Not only does the soul possess a new sense of its dependence upon God but its self-knowledge is increased to an alarming degree. Every fault is magnified and the soul sees weaknesses within it that never before came to the surface. This self-knowledge is the very root of Humility and when the soul sees itself as it really is and then gazes at the Infinite God who loves it, the reality of the vast difference between them engenders Humility, provided that this knowledge is accepted with a deep sense of gratitude.
This gratitude is not only for the light given but for the gratuitous love bestowed upon the lowly soul by the Infinite God. In its very depths, there begins a quiet acceptance of itself and of God, and a determined effort evolves that drives the soul on to a deeper love in a spirit of sacrifice.
The soul slowly understands what humility of heart means. It is no longer discouraged by its tendencies towards sin; it is more surprised at what it does not do, and implores the grace of God to ever stay in His favor. Its striving for perfection becomes more interior, and with the effort to overcome exterior faults it tries to improve its motives.
It strives to be gentle not only in action but in heart. There comes to the soul a realization that but for the grace of God it is capable of any sin. It therefore is more humble in its attitude towards the weak and more gentle if and when correction is necessary. The soul at this stage does not expect much of itself since its self-knowledge has been increased. It does expect much from God, however, because it realizes the real source of its power.
And so the soul learns to harmonize self-knowledge that expects little good from itself, and Hope in God from Whom it expects everything. Though failure, pain and suffering humble our minds, it is the power of dryness that God uses to humble our hearts.
There are few of us who possess Patience on a natural level, for our modern day world has conditioned us to perform every duty in record time. We purchase whatever food is instant, and whatever mode of travel is the faster. Though we complain of boredom we are in a hurry to get anywhere we are going, and then we rush when we arrive so we can return in the shortest possible time. Our feet run on an invisible treadmill that keeps us out of breath while we rush from one activity to another.
Loud music and clashing sounds keep our nerves frayed and our emotions at a high pitch. The Holy Spirit cannot work in this din and clamor. As Elias realized— the Spirit is like a gentle breeze, quietly inspiring, and speaking softly in the silence of our hearts. Rushing, noise, uneasiness, lack of self-control, and the constant move towards more and more action, drowns His Voice and nullifies His inspirations.
Though we feel impelled to run—run—run, the Spirit moves slowly and quietly and we end up further and further away from our only source of peace and contentment.
As we insist on moving faster and faster, His pace seems slower and slower to our whirling minds. Our souls become like a bucket with a little water in the bottom being spun around at great speed. There is no opportunity to fill the bucket. The effort to keep that small amount of water in its place necessitates a faster and faster motion.
We have not lost God or religion—we only possess such a small amount of both that in a hurried society of survival of the fittest we cannot stop long enough to see what we possess. Perhaps we are afraid that if we stop we will be forced to take inventory and face the truth—we possess very little living water.
When we begin to realize there is a vacuum in our livesa vacuum only God can fill—we find Jesus in a new way. We are aware of our tremendous need of Him in our daily lives.
The joy of finding Him is accompanied by a desire for holiness. We are so accustomed to the rush of modern-day living and so inebriated with the desire for holiness that there seems to be some reason for our becoming holy instantly.
The world is in great need and much of our lives have been wasted in dissipation, so the logical conclusion is that our holiness must be not only different from the past but also be accomplished in the fastest possible way. We can repent in a split second but the changing of our lives and the conquering of human frailties is the job of a lifetime.
This is where Patience matures into peaceful serenity. It is the work of Dryness to bring about these spiritual wonders. Dryness teaches the soul to wait on the Lord and to learn that if it waits with impatience, the Dryness becomes unbearable. Inner Patience is necessary to persevere in our quest for humility of heart. If we cannot possess our soul in patience we shall find it difficult to endure the time it takes to change, empty ourselves, become generous and detached.
Without Patience, holiness will take on impossible dimensions and, like the seed sown on a layer of thin soil, our desires will sprout but never grow and take root. We must wait and grow during our time of Dryness—grow in Patience so we may bear another necessary fruit—Perseverance.
Isolated acts of goodness are not enough to become holy. Now all men are saved by the Precious Blood of Jesus but all men do not accept the call to be a son of God.
This is the sin Jesus mentioned would not be forgiven. It is the soul then who rejects God: God never rejects the soul. Man does not reach that state of total rejection overnight or by the act of one sin.
Rejection of God is something gradual and is made up of little acts of lukewarmness, selfishness, nurtured resentments, cherished hatreds and egotistical pride—the kind of pride that never admits a weakness, never acknowledges a fault, and is never sorry for past sins.
A constant diet of these little and big faults leads the soul further and further from a dependence upon God as the Giver of all good things. To continue rejecting these tendencies we need the virtue of Perseverance. We need that strong determination that makes us forge ahead no matter what obstacles and failures we face. Dryness of soul makes us strong in Perseverance because we must exercise this virtue if we are to continue in our prayer life.
Most of us become lax in our resolutions because we do not feel the enthusiasm of a newborn Christian—one who has just received the Good News. But unless the Gospel message always remains fresh, good and new to our souls, our Perseverance will be short-lived, our conversion insincere, and our resolutions weak. We know that it is difficult to continue on a course of action that is not approved of by the world, or to live by an invisible reality that is opposed to the greed and permissiveness of the world.
Paul realized how important it was to stand and persevere in our good resolutions. Repeatedly he encourages the Christians to keep doing good and praying much in spite of persecutions.
They could not rest on the fact that they had heard the Good News and accepted it. But lest they become discouraged, he told them that the Spirit would help them in their weakness.
Paul realized by the past experience with men and the world and a deep realization of his own weaknesses that man had to persevere in praying and in doing good and had to do this to the very end of his life.
Yes, if we persevere and remember with St. Dryness is a great aid towards the strengthening of our will, determination and effort towards holiness of life. It is that purifying instrument in the Hand of God that appears cold, dark and painful but in reality is warm, bright and healing to our imperfect spirits.
In the lives of the Saints we read of various degrees of prayer and in each of them these types of prayer radiate in different ways. Some were versed in contemplative prayer at the age of seven and others were converted only at forty-seven. Some were so immersed in God that they were raised to the third heaven like St. There were others, however, who seemed never to have any extraordinary degree of prayer and yet the fruit they bore manifested a deep interior life with God.
He delights in using the weak and sometimes the scum of the earth to show forth His Omnipotence. Each Saint showed forth some attribute of the Father, or a facet of the life of Jesus, or the power of the Holy Spirit.
Though their varieties of Holiness were many, we find some common denominators among them. They all loved much and to do this they emptied themselves of themselves. They were all humble and they all suffered—more or less according to their mission and witness.
And, most of all, they all prayed often and fervently. It is interesting to observe that all of them suffered from dryness and desolation of spirit as they made progress in their prayer-life. It was almost like going into a dark elevator periodically to rise from one floor to another. As these holy men and women were purified of all selfishness and loved God more and more for Himself alone, they went through the dark tunnel of Dryness as a preparation for new heights of prayer.
If we look at some of the various degrees of prayer in the light of the First Commandment we find there are basically four: The Prayer of Strength—the Prayer of the Heart—the Prayer of the Mind—and the Prayer of the Soul. Though the Holy Spirit breathes where He wills and follows no format, it is none-the-less true that the majority of us seem to follow a particular pattern. Though it is humbling to realize we are not what we should be, it is consoling to know that God takes our mistakes and vacillating wills and turns them all to our good and His Glory.
The majority of people begin on this level of contact with God. He makes an effort towards relinquishing his weaknesses and spends his prayer time petitioning God for the courage and strength to overcome his faults. He becomes conscious of his need of God, and although he is not convinced of his total need, he does have a conviction that in order to avoid sin he must depend upon God. On this level the soul seeks the protection of God and petitions Him for His Providential care in every facet of his daily life.
He is faithful to morning and evening prayers, attends services on Sunday and is faithful to the Commandments and the Precepts of the Church. God is always Creator and he, always creature. The relationship between God and one in the Prayer of Strength is servile rather than childlike.
The reality of being an adopted son is not strong in the soul at this time. He is too busy with the business of living and rendering fit homage to His Creator to even think of a relationship that is more loving and personal. The Father, who sees the sincerity of this soul, and desiring a deeper relationship, begins to prune it as Jesus promised.
It is now that Dryness begins its work. The Father creates within the soul a vacuum. There is a void that gnaws at the soul day and night. The soul seeks to satisfy itself by more work, pleasure, and friends, but the vacuum only becomes greater, and the void a black hole that brings fear and disillusionment. It tries to pray and finds that all the vocal prayers which formerly brought so much comfort leave it dry and without help.
It becomes desperate and reaches up to God for love and comfort. It is not interested in asking for things; it is seeking God as a child in need—as one who has roamed the world for comfort and found none—as one who realizes that only One Person can fill this void—and that One is God. The soul looks to the invisible reality as the only fulfillment of its desires. Here again Dryness does its work well for God does not always give the soul a prompt reply.
Sometimes it seems the more the soul reaches out for God, the further God goes away from the soul. There is a kind of battle between the soul and God. Like Jacob wrestling with the Angel, the soul pleads, petitions, and tenaciously cries out for help. The soul, realizing there is no happiness outside of God, desires to be possessed by this Holy Lord, not because it deserves anything but because it has a great need.
This state of interior struggle may go on for days or years, but one thing is sure—the soul begins to know its God better than ever before. It realizes that God loves it—loved it first when it was a sinner.
Here is where man learns detachment and begins to give up all those possessions that keep him from giving all to his Lord. He is not only repentant for his sins, he stays away from those people and occasions that lead him into sin. His discernment is greater and not only does he repent of his sins, he desires to give up even those pleasures that make life easier to live.
Then it is that God begins to manifest Himself in various ways. Peace of mind and joy of heart enter the Temple of this Soul and many virtues are exercised. The fruits of the Spirit, mentioned in Chapter 5 of Galatians, begin to take root.
This state may last for a short or long time but Dryness has done its work and the soul enters the Prayer of the Heart. The period of Dryness has given the soul a sense of yearning for God.
It no longer uses Him as a Provider—one who satisfies all its needs. Now, the soul feels in both an emotional and intellectual way the love of God. It is very aware of the need to love God and to manifest that love by bearing the fruits of the Spirit.
The remembrance of past sins brings deep yearnings for greater love. The love this soul now possesses is slowly being purified. Its attitude becomes more positive and it seeks to tell others of its good fortune. The soul is surprised to realize suddenly that God is so close and so good. It is a real revelation to understand a truth one has always known and believed but never experienced.
Everything takes on a new dimension. Nature is not only trees, mountains, hills, insects and animals, it is a manifestation of the Power of God, the Beauty of God, and the Goodness of God.
It is as if the whole world were created just for itself. People, too, take on a new look. They are more than fellow travelers, they are brothers who share the same Father. There is an awareness of His Spirit in each soul and the soul in the Prayer of the Heart reaches out to his neighbor, not to be loved but to love.
Jesus is Someone very personal to those in this state of prayer. Though the soul has much to learn about the Trinity, it now possesses a new concept of Goda loving God, a personal God.
The realization that God is his Father and forgives him, Jesus is his Lord and loves him, and the Spirit pours that very love into his heart to make him ,a son of God, fills the soul with an exuberance never before experienced. Joy is an experience, too, that makes the most humdrum day a day of glory. Difficult tasks become easy and the soul is eager to share his Lord with friend, foe, and neighbor. The Virtue of Hope begins to blossom and bear fruit, for the promises of Jesus become personal and something to look forward to.
The soul possesses enough self-knowledge to keep it from presumption and enough experience of the Mercy of God to keep it from despair. The soul in this state begins to forget itself and has a sense of mission. It becomes more aware of temptation and dangerous occasions of sin. There is in his life an awareness of the invisible reality as something real and to be lived in, as much as the visible world.
Somehow, the two worlds begin to harmonize. There develops a very personal relationship between the soul and God. The soul begins to be fed with spiritual food, and the love in its depths makes it desire more and more to give a return of love to its Bountiful Lord.
There is an exchange of Love at this stage, with the soul seeking ways to sacrifice itself for the sake of Love. Then, at a time the soul least expects, Dryness covers it again like a mantle.
A deep feeling of loss pervades the soul, making it seek God in a new way, making it pray to God in a higher form—the Prayer of the Mind. As the soul makes more progress in its spiritual life, the Dryness that is necessary to lift it to other degrees of Prayer becomes more painful. They draw us toward God and guide us along the steep and narrow path of Christ. So much for definitions.
Skip to content. Dryness in Prayer — What is going on? Part I of III. March 31, Fr. John Bartunek, LC 8 Comments. Share on facebook. Share on twitter. Share on linkedin. Share on email. Share on print. Share this post with your friends. We cannot say that our prayer is dry if we have not put in the effort to make a connection and respond to His pursuit of us CCC 1.
Now that we have that out of the way and we can say we are experiencing dryness in prayer, what can we do about it? Remember that we are not at war with flesh and blood, but principalities and powers see Ephesians The evil one distracts us with our sin to keep us from growing closer to Him. It may be that we are not in a state to readily hear God in prayer because we unknowingly find ourselves further away from Him, especially through venial sin. Sometimes the problem is simply a rut.
I think of people who cross train for a particular sport, changing up their workouts every now and again to be more balanced and to keep things fresh.
When we feel separated from God, it may just be that we need to change up our typical methods of prayer. If your preferred tool is the Rosary , try praying with Lectio DIvina. You usually pray with Scripture? Consider journaling an Examen. Like to reflect on your day? Maybe use music to spring you into dialogue with God. Are you a fan of praying with music? Maybe give imaginative prayer a go and place yourself in the Sunday Gospel reading or think back on a challenging situation this week and pray about how the Father loved you through it.
We may be quick to want to leave the desert and dryness because it is uncomfortable. Sometimes, we need to simply be with Christ in the desert. God has a history of calling us into the wilderness and to wait to hear HIm in the whisper of the wind see Hosea and 1 KIngs Time of dryness challenges us to love God more purely and vigilantly.
We might want to check our intentions for prayer and whether we pray for the sake of the gift of fruit or the Gift-giver. Is God good because of the good things He gives us or because He Himself, without any influence from us, is Good? While periods of dryness purify and transform us, like a surgeon puts his patient under anesthesia before he operates, know that you will awake anew and be consoled.
Combat the temptation to turn inward on self and instead turn outward to the Lord. The Passion was necessary for us to have a Resurrection.
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