Dry rosary

[Sir_Knight]

I have heard it frequently said (and I have even said it myself) that it is better to say one Hail Mary with fevor and devotion than to say an entire rosay absent-mindedly.

What about when a person is experiencing a period of spiritual dryness? Should the person say the rosary absent-mindedly in order to work past the dryness or should the person stop praying when they notice the fevor disappearing?

 

[springbreeze]

Dear friend

It would be a nightmare for you or any other person who is suffering from dryness to set out and try and complete a whole Rosary. Dryness serves a purpose to remind us that we are reliant on God for all things, especially spiritual growth. During these times of dryness God desires we** will** to remain close to Him, because it is in these dry times that people can and do, give up.

The dry times are when we truly grow spiritually. We learn many things about the good gifts of God purely because of their apparent absence. They are not absent, they are hidden for a time and we are asked to tread purely in faith without the reward of consolation.

I’ve often thought, would I stop having contact with a good and faithful friend because I can’t think of anything to say to them nor do I feel like talking to them and they are silent for a time with me. That can’t be the case to break contact; the honest thing to do would be to say, ‘I don’t know what to talk with you about and I don’t really feel like it, come over and be with me anyway.’

It’s the same with God. God loves our honesty, He already knows what’s going on with each of us. There is great benefit in telling God that we are dry and don’t feel like praying, would He just be with us and us be with Him. Every situation handed to Him is a situation under His Providence and we can trust Him to aid us in all things we hand to Him.

In these times of dryness we can say to God, ‘I cannot even force myself to say one Hail Mary, but give me the strength and I will say it,’ then set out to say one Hail Mary, see if we can go on to say two, if not offer what you can because to God all things offered up have infinite value.

Our Hail Mary said with much effort is greater than 100 Hail Mary’s easily said.

Friend, your dryness is not a cause for worry, but a cause to rejoice, God has graced this to you for your benefit and has greatly Blessed you, walk with Him even closer in this time, even if you just say to Him ‘I am here with you Lord, I love you and I trust you.’

God desires we love Him in faith even when the way is dark and we can see no apparent reward for our efforts or consolation, we go by faith because this is also a gift, we live in hope because this gift supports the gift of faith, but love, love as St Paul said is the greatest of these and love is not love unless it is freely given without any reason to do so…

God Bless you and much love and peace to you

 

[urquhart]

“God turns all this light of theirs into darkness, and shuts against them the door and the source of the sweet spiritual water which they were tasting in God whensoever and for as long as they desired. (For, as they were weak and tender, there was no door closed to them, as Saint John says in the Apocalypse, iii, 8). And thus He leaves them so completely in the dark that they know not whither to go with their sensible imagination and meditation; for they cannot advance a step in meditation, as they were wont to do afore time, their inward senses being submerged in this night, and left with such dryness that not only do they experience no pleasure and consolation in the spiritual things and good exercises wherein they were wont to find their delights and pleasures, but instead, on the contrary, they find insipidity and bitterness in the said things. For, as I have said, God now sees that they have grown a little, and are becoming strong enough to lay aside their swaddling clothes and be taken from the gentle breast; so He sets them down from His arms and teaches them to walk on their own feet; which they feel to be very strange, for everything seems to be going wrong with them.”

John of the Cross, Book 1, Ch. 8, Para. 3

If this rings a bell, read more here:
ourladyswarriors.org/saints/darknite.htm#CHAPTER%20I

 

[Fergal]

Let us have recourse to the saints for this one. They have already experienced what we now experience. St Faustina said: "One hour spent at the foot of the Altar or Cross in the greatest dryness of spirit is dearer to me than a hundred years of worldly pleasures."

August 15, 1937. Father Andrasz’s instructions to Sr Faustina included the following line on spiritual dryness:.
*** These times of dryness and stark awareness of one’s wretchedness, which God has permitted, allow the soul to know how little it can do by itself. They will teach you how much you should appreciate Gods’ graces.

***Perhaps the greatest lesson to Sr Faustina cane from Our Lord himself: August 16, 1937. After Holy Communion, I saw the Lord Jesus in all His majesty, and He said to me, My daughter, during the weeks when you neither saw Me nor felt My presence, I was more profoundly united to you than at time when you experienced ecstasy. And the faithfulness and fragrance of your prayer have reached me. After these words, my soul became flooded with God’s consolation.
Friend, in this light then we should treasure times of dryness for they are precious times of teaching and learning.

 

[Fizendell]

Sir Knight:

I don’t have any great quotes to give you or authority to back me up here, but as one who has recently returned to the Church and been working through an incredible range of issues and emotions - yes, there have been times that I didn’t know if I should bother praying my rosary for the day. And while in some ways it felt… forced, robotic, dry - whatever the word, it has always been amazing that by the time I reached the end of that rosary, I did feel better.

I have come to realize that not everything is going to be heart-skipping, tear-jerking or awe-inspiring.

Don’t allow yourself to think you shouldn’t pray simply because you don’t “feel right.” Pray anyway. Ask a saint, our Blessed Mother and the Holy Spirit to help you pray.

I hope I’m not wrong or naive about this… I just think there should never be a time when we think we shouldn’t bother praying.

=)
Kat

 

[Didi]

Fizendell:

Don’t allow yourself to think you shouldn’t pray simply because you don’t “feel right.” Pray anyway. Ask a saint, our Blessed Mother and the Holy Spirit to help you pray.
Kat

I agree with you, Kat. I’ve had this same problem in the past, just not “feeling” as I sometimes do after I pray, or having a really hard time concentrating, getting distracted easily.

I brought this up to my priest during confession and he said that Our Lord and Our Lady greatly appreciate those who persevere in prayer despite how we feel or how it makes us feel. God rewards our faithfullness and often appreciates these prayers even more because they are such an effort.

So, I say, keep on praying no matter what!

 

[compactdiss]

God works. I came on tonight to make a post about this same thing. I say a lot of prayers. I say them in trafic, while waiting on lunch and so on. Sometimes I say to myself why am I praying, I think maybe that I should have a reason-I still keep praying. I don’t know if it does anything good-but I do it anyway. Maybe in time I will see the results. I get kind of upset about feeling the need to have something or someone to pray about but I guess it doesn’t hurt.

 

[ElizabethJoy]

I LOVE this thread!

Compactdiss, I read somewhere that prayers offered without intention are not wasted, they are used where they are most needed. (I think it was in St. Faustina’s diary) No need to be nervous about praying for something in particular. Who knows how you may have helped someone who is forgotten in Purgatory, or a soul who is dying and has no comfort until you offer your prayer? You keep on praying - you may not know for a long time how many are blessing you for those prayers!

Elizabeth

 

[Sir_Knight]

Thank you everyone for your advise and words of encouragement.

 

[cheddarsox]

I think that prayer is a gift to us that serves many purposes. Even when we feel “dry”, there are other purposes it can serve. It keeps the connection open, the habit intact, can offer simple comfort in it’s familiarity, sometimes it can even bore us into a much needed sleep. LOL. I say take all the various gifts and comforts it can bring. keep on praying!

blessings,
cheddar

 

[Saint_Andrew]

Hello

Interesting and great replies, I do get that dryness when praying, but I do not give up, perserverance is the name of the game.

To pray the Rosary without and passing thoughts or distractions is a great challenge.

God Bless
Saint Andrew.

 

[jrabs]

springbreeze:

Dear friend

It would be a nightmare for you or any other person who is suffering from dryness to set out and try and complete a whole Rosary. Dryness serves a purpose to remind us that we are reliant on God for all things, especially spiritual growth. During these times of dryness God desires we** will** to remain close to Him, because it is in these dry times that people can and do, give up.

Beautiful post, T. thanks

 

[tkdnick]

springbreeze:

Dear friend

It would be a nightmare for you or any other person who is suffering from dryness to set out and try and complete a whole Rosary. Dryness serves a purpose to remind us that we are reliant on God for all things, especially spiritual growth. During these times of dryness God desires we** will** to remain close to Him, because it is in these dry times that people can and do, give up.

The dry times are when we truly grow spiritually. We learn many things about the good gifts of God purely because of their apparent absence. They are not absent, they are hidden for a time and we are asked to tread purely in faith without the reward of consolation.

I’ve often thought, would I stop having contact with a good and faithful friend because I can’t think of anything to say to them nor do I feel like talking to them and they are silent for a time with me. That can’t be the case to break contact; the honest thing to do would be to say, ‘I don’t know what to talk with you about and I don’t really feel like it, come over and be with me anyway.’

It’s the same with God. God loves our honesty, He already knows what’s going on with each of us. There is great benefit in telling God that we are dry and don’t feel like praying, would He just be with us and us be with Him. Every situation handed to Him is a situation under His Providence and we can trust Him to aid us in all things we hand to Him.

In these times of dryness we can say to God, ‘I cannot even force myself to say one Hail Mary, but give me the strength and I will say it,’ then set out to say one Hail Mary, see if we can go on to say two, if not offer what you can because to God all things offered up have infinite value.

Our Hail Mary said with much effort is greater than 100 Hail Mary’s easily said.

Friend, your dryness is not a cause for worry, but a cause to rejoice, God has graced this to you for your benefit and has greatly Blessed you, walk with Him even closer in this time, even if you just say to Him ‘I am here with you Lord, I love you and I trust you.’

God desires we love Him in faith even when the way is dark and we can see no apparent reward for our efforts or consolation, we go by faith because this is also a gift, we live in hope because this gift supports the gift of faith, but love, love as St Paul said is the greatest of these and love is not love unless it is freely given without any reason to do so…

God Bless you and much love and peace to you

Thank you! That was awesome! I have been going through the same type of situation and had stopped praying the Rosary completely. I just “didn’t have time”. I will now make time, at least for a start.