Aridity and Progress – Divine Intimacy
May 2, 2013 by Dan Burke
Filed under Aridity or Dryness, Featured, Prayer
Presence of God – O Lord, help me to seek for You and to unite myself to You, even through the aridity and powerlessness of my spirit. MEDITATION 1. Even without the presence of the physical or moral causes which we have mentioned before, it is possible to pass from a state of sensible fervor to one of absolute aridity. This happens by the direct work of God which makes it impossible for the soul to pray with the help... Read More
Aridity – Divine Intimacy
April 25, 2013 by Dan Burke
Filed under Aridity or Dryness, Divine Intimacy, Featured
Presence of God - O Lord, help me to be faithful to You, so that the spirit of prayer will not be extinguished in me through my own fault. MEDITATION 1. At the beginning of a more intense spiritual life the soul usually enjoys a sensible fervor which makes spiritual exercises easy and agreeable. Good thoughts, sentiments of love, and outpourings from the heart arise spontaneously. To be recollected and alone with God in... Read More
Video – My prayer life is dry…
November 12, 2012 by Dan Burke
Filed under Aridity or Dryness, Prayer, Videos
Fr. John and Dan talk about the root causes of aridity and what we can do about them: About Dan BurkeDan is the founder of Roman Catholic Spiritual Direction and author of the award winning book, Navigating the Interior Life - Spiritual Direction and the Journey to God. Beyond his “contagious” love for Jesus and His Church, he is a grateful husband and father of four, the Executive Director of and writer for... Read More
What is the difference between desolation and aridity?
July 21, 2012 by Dan Burke
Filed under Aridity or Dryness, Consolation/Desolation, Prayer
Q: Dear Dan, what is the difference between aridity and desolation? A: Dear friend, this is a very simple but important question with a simple answer. Here are the two definitions and a brief reflection on the similarities and differences. DESOLATION. A temporary darkening of the mind and disturbance of the will and emotions, permitted by God to purify the souls of his followers. It may be caused by the evil spirit or brought... Read More
I cannot feel God’s presence, am I a bad person?
July 19, 2012 by Dan Burke
Filed under Aridity or Dryness, Prayer, Q and A
Q: I am a Catholic or try to be one, and I am having problems feeling the Power of my religion. I have been so hurt throughout my life and I’ve tried to forgive the people, but it does no good. I feel like I get far more satisfaction out of my work than my faith. It’s so hard for me to get the concept that when I go to communion, its Jesus’ Body and Blood that I’m receiving. That is so deep to me that I can’t... Read More
Aridity – Navigating the Interior Life Spiritual Dictionary
July 10, 2012 by Dan Burke
Filed under Aridity or Dryness, Prayer, Spiritual Dictionary
ARIDITY: The state of a soul devoid of sensible consolation, which makes it very difficult to pray. It may be caused by something physical, such as illness, or voluntary self-indulgence, or an act of God, who is leading a person through trial to contemplation. This Spiritual Dictionary Term is an excerpt from Dan’s book Navigating the Interior Life – Spiritual Direction and the Journey to God. To learn more,... Read More
What is going on with my prayer life? Should I really just be sitting in silence?
March 12, 2012 by Fr. John Bartunek, LC
Filed under Aridity or Dryness, Meditation, Mental Prayer, Prayer, Q and A
Q: I am struggling with my prayer life. I go to my 30-minute prayer time and nothing happens. But I stick it out anyway, as best I can. It seems like sheer willpower (and invisible grace) against everything else. “Well, I have nothing better to do for the next 47 years, Lord. I’ll wait it out like this, if that’s what you want.” I am frustrated. A: This is a great question, but it’s hard to answer... Read More
How to give delight to the devil…
February 9, 2012 by Dan Burke
Filed under Aridity or Dryness, Difficulties, Meditation, Meditations, Mental Prayer, Prayer, Saints and Blesseds, Spiritual Warfare
“Let us remember that the devil labors hard to disturb us at the time of meditation, in order to make us abandon it. Let him, then, who omits mental prayer on account of distractions be persuaded that he gives delight to the devil… let us, then, never give up meditation however great our distractions may be. St. Francis de Sales says that if, in mental prayer, we should do nothing else than continually banish... Read More
Dark night or depression?
January 22, 2012 by Sister Carmen Laudis OCD
Filed under Aridity or Dryness, Carmelite Spirituality, Difficulties, Prayer, Q and A
Q: Dear Sister Carmen, I am struggling with prayer – it is very dry and I feel very alone but I have not given up. I believe I am in the dark night but I am also melancholy by temperament. How can I discern what I am experiencing? I don’t have access to a spiritual director because of my remote location. Am I depressed or in the dark night or both? I know you can’t know everything about my situation via... Read More
I discovered my root sin is vanity and I am struggling with this…
January 20, 2011 by Anonymous
Filed under Aridity or Dryness, Prayer, Q and A, Root Sin, Self Knowledge, Sin, Suffering
Q: Dear Father Edward, I just came to realize through spiritual direction, prayer and many graces that my root sin in Vanity!!! And I am having a very hard time knowing this fact. I feel like God is now leaving me alone (not feeling His presence) to test me and I am struggling with this fact. How do I continue to keep my faith strong and deal with the everyday insecurities in myself that I face? People have said to me that... Read More
