Going through a dark night of the soul

[Kyle2253]

I am looking for any help and especially prayers in my spiritual journey. I feel like I am currently in a dark night of the soul and I am wondering what to do. I know that this is a time to preserve in prayer and seek God, but I feel so lost right now. I have been struggling in my prayer life and just in my daily walk with God because it seems like I no longer feel His presence like I used to.
I have heard people suggest St. John of the Cross’ writing on the topic (I ordered a book and and waiting for it’s delivery), but I was wondering if there are any materials that any of you might suggest as well? I would really appreciate some help/advice, especially from those who have experienced this, along with your prayers.
Thank you and God Bless you all!

 

[Servant31]

Hey Kyle, hang in there mate things will clear up eventually. I’ll pray for you.

 

[Lormar]

The very first thing any spiritual advisor will tell you is that feelings have nothing to do with anything. It’s the will - not feelings - that propel us.
What you are going through is not unusual. This too shall pass. Just keep going no matter how you feel. Feelings are not facts.

 

[julietteamdg]

Hi!
St. John of the Cross is def the resource to read at this time, please do so.

Spiritual aridity (the feeling of God no longer being there) happens because God, in His infinite wisdom, sees it would be better for us experience this. It would be very beneficial for us to view every tribulation as an opportunity for grace from Our Lord Himself.

Something that shocked me when I first heard of it, is that St. Teresa of Calcutta felt a deep, separation from God for decades of her life. She struggled to do the amazing things she did, and endured a dark night of the soul for decades.

I have difficulties in prayer as well, and really the most important thing is to not stop praying, even little things. An Our Father when you arise is better than nothing at all. Start small.

I’ll be praying for you, and the best advice I can give you is to pray, pray for perseverance, and ask St. Teresa of Calcutta and St. John of the Cross for their intercession.

 

[carmelitequotes]

I have heard people suggest St. John of the Cross’ writing on the topic (I ordered a book and and waiting for it’s delivery), but I was wondering if there are any materials that any of you might suggest as well? I would really appreciate some help/advice, especially from those who have experienced this, along with your prayers.

Hi Kyle, there’s a book that you may be able to find through your local bookseller (also available in e-book) that is easier to read for one who is a neophyte to the works of St. John of the Cross, and as an old Carmelite I highly recommend it: "When the Well Runs Dry: Prayer Beyond the Beginnings" by Father Thomas H Green, SJ.

Both Fr Green’s 1st edition in 1977 and 2nd ed. in 1997 offer a skillful blend of spiritual guidance from the writings of both St Teresa and St John of the Cross. His intent: to address the very “complaint” that you and other “beginners” in the “purgative way” experience… I no longer feel His presence like I used to. Hence the name of his book, “When the Well Runs Dry” because that’s pretty much what it can feel like.

When your volume of St. John of the Cross arrives, I would suggest that you dip your toes in the sanjuanist waters gently. You could start with the Sayings of Light and Love, for example, to get an idea of St. John’s writing style (assuming that you ordered the Kavanaugh/Rodriguez translation from ICS Publications). Do you read Spanish? Search for St John’s poems online.

I have many quotes from St. John of the Cross on my blog, “Elijah’s Breeze” oint_right:t5: carmelitequotes.blog oint_left:t5: touching on a variety of themes and subjects, plus novenas to St. John of the Cross if you want to ask him to intercede for you here and now.

Bottom line: God doesn’t abandon his faithful ones, ever. St. Therese writes in more than one place about Jesus being “asleep in the boat” and that could be what is going on in your spiritual life, too. The Lord is snoozing while you’re cruising!

You’ve surely heard the great quote by St John of the Cross, Sayings of Light & Love, no. 60:

When evening comes, you will be examined in love.

What many people don’t know is that’s barely half of what he said. Here’s the rest:

Learn to love as God desires to be loved and abandon your own ways of acting.

Learning to love God as he desires to be loved at this moment means giving up your reliance on feelings in order to rely more on pure faith in your journey with Him.

The humble are those who hide in their own nothingness and know how to abandon themselves to God (Sayings of Light & Love, 163).

Here’s a promise of prayers!

 

[brown_bear]

Normally God consoles us.

With aridity or desolation we console God, but often we don’t realize it.

[Actually anyone who does God’s will cheers up God, but aridity is a special moment]

 

[Roguish]

I feel like I am currently in a dark night of the soul and I am wondering what to do. I know that this is a time to preserve in prayer and seek God, but I feel so lost right now. I have been struggling in my prayer life and just in my daily walk with God because it seems like I no longer feel His presence like I used to.

@Kyle2253 I would say, stop trying to avoid the sense of abandonment and depression, of being lost. Rather, move into it. The Dark Night is a long dark tunnel that you must pass through; reversing course halfway into the tunnel because it’s dark and creepy and lonely is the human thing to do, but from a Christian perspective not the right thing. We’re not aiming for the human course of action, but for the superhuman course of action. And that is into the dark tunnel, deeper and deeper, until hopefully we will emerge out the Other End. And when we say “hopefully” we don’t mean that we’re not sure – we are sure, but for long periods of time we may not feel that certainty and hope. As @Lormar pointed out above, we musn’t navigate by feelings, but by will, or, as I would put it: by dogged Faith. It’s like navigating a ship through dense fog: you don’t know what’s coming, and you have no idea how long the journey is going to be, but you insist on following your compass North anyway. It’s madness in the eyes of unbelievers. Yet it’s what God calls believers to do.

St. John’s writings are indeed very helpful. Hope you’ll receive your order soon. I personally found Molinos’ “Spiritual Guide” good as well, though admittedly Molinos has not always had the approval of the Church.

Also, stay away as much as possible from people who insist that you must “cheer up”. Seek the company of those who understand the gravity of the Christian path; of those who understand that we’re not seeking to experience happy times in this world, but are willing to sacrifice everything in order to be restored unto uninterrupted Bliss. If such company is hard to find, be alone.

Last, be prepared for a long journey. The Dark Night isn’t necessarily short. As @julietteamdg pointed out above, St. Teresa felt deprived of God’s Presence for several decades. Don’t worry if you discover that the road is long and mostly miserable. It is like that for many of us.

 

[otjm]

You might consider reading what Mother Theresa has had to say as she suffered the same.

And if there is a parish near you which has Adoration, you might spend some time there on a regular basis.

 

[Dan_Defender]

Pray, pray, pray! God always helps the faithful.
The Imitation of Christ is always a good read.

 

[Anne1964]

You also might like to read The Fire Within by Fr. Thomas Dubay. He explains St. John of the Cross and Dt. Teresa of Avila’s writings in a clear manner.