Dr. Helen Titilola OLOJEDE

 

This week, we turn the lens of waiting to spiritual dryness and how to overcome it. Spiritual dryness, often described in Catholic tradition as a profound aridity of the soul, occurs when a person experiences a deep sense of emptiness and separation from God, devoid of the usual consolations, joys, or fervour that accompany prayer, meditation, or spiritual practices.

 

 It feels like wandering in a barren desert, where the heart finds no taste for thoughts, memories, or even spiritual affections, and where God's presence seems distant or absent. This state is not mere laziness or distraction but a genuine trial that tests the depth of our faith.

Causes of spiritual dryness can vary: it may stem from personal faults like neglect of graces, attachment to worldly pleasures, or self-complacency that hardens the soul; or from the devil's subtle assaults that sow doubt and despair; or even from God's permissive will to purify and humble the spirit, preventing spiritual pride.

 

To combat spiritual dryness while patiently waiting for God's return of consolation, the Church's spiritual masters emphasize that we persevere in humility, trust, and faithful action rather than desperate efforts to force relief.

 

 First, we should examine our conscience gently, not anxiously, but to identify any personal shortcomings, such as sloth in gathering past spiritual "manna" or indulgence in earthly delights that repel heavenly ones, and resolve to amend them with God's help. We should humble ourselves profoundly before God, acknowledging our misery like parched ground craving rain, and offer simple acts of love, such as kissing a Crucifix or reading Scripture attentively, even if they feel fruitless.

 

 It is also important to turn to vocal prayer or the guidance of a confessor, opening our hearts fully and obeying their counsel with childlike simplicity, as God often works through such obedience.

 

 Above all, let’s not abandon prayer or devout practices; instead, persist in them steadily, viewing dryness as an opportunity to offer "dried fruit" to God, acts of patience, resignation, and self-abnegation that are more precious to Him than those done in sensible joy. We should resign ourselves entirely to God's will, saying something like, "Lord, I accept this for as long as it pleases Thee; Thy grace is sufficient," avoiding any over-eager desire to escape it, which could stem from the tempter's voice.

 

In this waiting, it is advisable to increase substantial good works, banish distractions as best as we can, and keep our hearts open and luminous, not allowing them to grey with discouragement, face the desolation with determination, seeking Christ's heart amidst the darkness, for grace is never lacking and answers will come. As St. Francis de Sales notes, even if God seems to ignore us, our patient presence honours Him like courtiers at a king's court, and He rewards such fidelity.

 

Many saints endured profound spiritual dryness, emerging stronger in virtue. St. Bernard of Clairvaux, a Doctor of the Church, lamented, "How impervious to things spiritual, my heart! No savour in pious reading, no pleasure in meditation nor in prayer!" yet he persevered, recognising it as a common trial that refined his soul.

 

In summary, spiritual dryness is a trial of faith's barrenness, combated through humble perseverance, resignation, and persistent prayer, as modelled by many saints like Bernard. May we receive the grace to wait in patience and humility. Amin.