Dryness in spiritual life

DRYNESS IN SPIRITUAL LIFE

Cl. Mario D’Couto SDB

            Have you experienced dryness in your spiritual life? Have you ever felt that when you pray, nothing made sense to you? Have you been bored of prayer or experienced spiritual lethargy? If you have, then this article is just for you.

            This article comes from a reflection written by Fr. Adrian Van Kaam, taken from his book, “Am I living a spiritual life?” When I read it, I felt so consoled and rejuvenated spiritually, for through this reflection it was an assurance for me that God still loves and accepts us, just the way we are and so I thought of sharing this reflection with you.

            Fatigue, boredom, distaste, aridity are all familiar companions on the spiritual journey. Even the saints had to endure them. There are many times when the spirit is willing but the body is weak and lethargic or the spirit seems weighed down with the burdens of daily life so much so that it may last for a long time.

            The fathers of the desert called such spiritual fatigue ‘acedia.’ Their advice was to stay in the cell and stick it out. They knew that acedia, if it was sent by God as a purification, would only disappear when it had done its work. They were not afraid of this sense of emptiness, this desert experience because they believed that the Lord leads us into the desert in order to speak to our hearts (Hosea 2: 14).

            It is wise to remember that commitment of the will to the glory of God is more important than surface feelings of listlessness. We have to maintain a simple attentiveness to God in spite of the way we feel. God does not ask us to be wide awake and full of inspiration every time we pray; He asks us to pray no matter how we feel. Love of God, worship in spirit and truth, are possible in the desert; they gain in purity.

            Fatigue reminds us of our humanness and teaches us that our God is the master of all experiences. Accepting our limits allows us to turn to Jesus in the Gospel. We reflect on how He responded to others and to His situation when He was tired. We watch Him at the well with the Samaritan woman. Though He is exhausted, He speaks kindly to her and offers her the waters of everlasting life. We see Him playing with children or boating with friends after long days of teaching. He knows from experience what it means to feel tired and will help us to alleviate it – if we co – operate by trying to discover the cause of excessive fatigue. 

            Perhaps we are worried or anxious about our tasks or problems. May be we are working too hard for our own physical and mental well being. Are we eating properly and getting enough rest? Sometimes there are several reasons for our listlessness and there are times we cannot find any one cause. We must look for ways to come out of these periods while learning to accept them.
           
            We may need additional rest and relaxation in order to facilitate our dwelling with the Word. Perhaps we can seek another time for prayer and reflection – more conducive to our present low level of energy. Most of all, we have to accept spiritual fatigue as part of us. We cannot ignore it, just as we would not ignore a broken arm or a sluggish heart beat. Hence, we must remain gently faithful to spiritual reading, reflection and prayer, while waiting as patiently as possible for the healing recovery from listlessness that allows for concentration and openness.

            When we can do nothing else, we may offer God the “Prayer of Fatigue.” We can say to Him, “Here I am, Lord, weary and listless and drained as usual. I have nothing to offer but a worn out body and a tired spirit. But what I have and what I am, I offer to You, O Lord, with all my heart.”
           
            God accepts the way we feel, so why can’t we? God loves the weary as much He loves the wakeful. Our love for Him runs deeper than our state of weariness, even though that weariness seems to have penetrated every corner of our being.


            It is comforting to know that God will not turn away from us because of our listlessness and fatigue. In fact the Gospel tells us that Jesus extends a special invitation to weary souls when He said, “Come to me, all you who labour and are overwhelmed and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28). So what are we waiting for? 

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