I'm dry

[scapularkid8]

How can I…cope with this. I’ve come to realize the cross doesn’t lie in my desire to rid myself of dryness, it comes in the fact that I must learn to live with it. I figure to live with it, I must understand it.

Are there any saints that wrote commentaries on spiritual dryness that I can read (preferably online!)?

 

[littleone]

How can I…cope with this. I’ve come to realize the cross doesn’t lie in my desire to rid myself of dryness, it comes in the fact that I must learn to live with it. I figure to live with it, I must understand it.

Are there any saints that wrote commentaries on spiritual dryness that I can read (preferably online!)?

Every saint had their dryness EVERY person following Jesus has their dryness. Sometimes the dryness is so fierce. Take a look at Moses 40 years, Jesus 40 days is the desert, St Therese spoke about the dryness in her saying the rosery. The dryness is the time when all God has taught us has to settle in and it is the time when we dont feel the presence of God but remember the poem foot steps. "Jesus why was it that in the time when I was at my worst time you were not to be seen. “I would see your and my foot steps, but at my worst time I saw only mine”. Jesus replyed “That time that was so dry you saw one pare of foot steps because I was carrieing you I knew that it was far too hard for you”.
That is the cross Jesus carried on the cross, carries for us each day, that is the reason why Jesus tells us to take up our cross and follow Him. we don’t know who we might be helping when we take up that cross, It can be such a long dry desert.

God bless
littleone

 

[Didi]

I’ve experienced this dryness several times, one time being so bad that I had a lengthy discussion with my priest about it.

He said one of the most important things during these times is to stay faithful to prayer. Especially praying a daily offering prayer, because then we are offering everything we do and feel to God. My priest also said that God appreciates the prayers during dry times so much more because we are praying out of fidelity and love for God, even when we feel nothing.

Here’s a sample of a daily offering prayer:

Dear Lord Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I offer you my day – my work, my rest, my prayers, my joys, my sufferings – in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world, in reparation for my sins and the sins of the world, for the intentions of Our Holy Father, for my friends and family, for the intentions of Your Most Sacred Heart and Mary’s Immaculate Heart, for (any special intention here), for all poor souls in purgatory and for those most in need of Your mercy and grace.

 

[pray4peace]

I have had the dryness as well. I feel blah sometimes. The way I handle it is head on. I don’t give into it, but go straight to Jesus and ask Him to help me with the problem. I start by reading a Psalm praising Him and then read about Him in New Testament. I will say the rosary or the Divine Mercy Chaplet. The main thing is to be persistent, and this helps break the dryness. You can meditate on Jesus on the Cross.

I do feel dryness is a trial to strengthen us. You can offer up the dryness as a cross. We have crosses of all types and this is one of them.

You are not alone with it, as it is something that a lot deal with at one time or another.

Blessings

 

[scapularkid8]

when I pray though, no words come…I just can’t find them.

 

[puzzleannie]

aridity is the natural spiritual condition of mature Christians who are well advanced in the spiritual life, and are faithful in prayer, obedient to the commandments, and fully living as a disciple of Christ. This dryness is the desert, the means by which Christ prepares those who love him for closer union with him, and is a necessary state of progression.

the condition of persons who have fallen away from the sacraments, become lax in prayer and devotion, and are unmotivated to do works of charity and piety is not aridity or dryness, it is a spiritual sloth, and needs to be addressed by the usual spiritual means, increase in prayer and devotion–even when there is no consolation and “I am getting nothing out of it”–return to the sacraments, penance, fasting and alms-giving and charitable works.

 

[Didi]

when I pray though, no words come…I just can’t find them.

“Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with sighs too deep for words.” Romans 8:26

If we are offering our day to God, He takes our moans and groans and sighs and cries and turns them into prayers!

When I can’t find the words, I turn to prayers of the saints, many of which can be found here: ewtn.com/Devotionals/prayers/index.htm

I also ask Our Mother Mary and the angels and saints in heaven to pray for me.

Sometimes the simplest prayers are the best, anyway:

“Jesus, I trust in You.”

“Lord, have mercy on me.”

“Jesus, help me.”

 

[PhilotheaZ]

Are there any saints that wrote commentaries on spiritual dryness that I can read (preferably online!)?

Saint John of the Cross deals with this in his treatise Dark Night of the Soul. The entire work is online. I would recommend reading the whole book, but if you don’t have time and would rather cut to the part dealing directly with dryness, you may want to start here: ecatholic2000.com/stjohn/drknt7.shtml

To start at the beginning, just change the page number in the url (e.g., change the “7” in /drknt7 to “1” or “2”). To advance pages, just click “Next” at the bottom of any page.

The “lines” and “stanzas” refer to St. John of the Cross’s poem on the dark night, which is given at the beginning of the work: ecatholic2000.com/stjohn/drknt3.shtml . He expands on lines of the poem throughout the work.

 

[littleone]

when I pray though, no words come…I just can’t find them.

This then is a time when you can ask the Holy Spirit to help you, He might give yo a special toung from your spirit to pray to God.

God bless
littleone

 

[AveSantaMaria]

*Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with Thee. Blessed art Thou among women and blessed is the fruit of Thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen. *

Come Holy Spirit, come by means of the powerful intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, your well beloved spouse. Come Holy Spirit, come by means of the powerful intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, your well beloved spouse. Come Holy Spirit, come by means of the powerful intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, your well beloved spouse.

Dark Night of the Soul, as someone mentioned, is a book on the dark night of the soul, not exactly spiritual dryness but close. St. John of the Cross wrote it and I suspect it was based on his experiences of being kidnapped and tortured for an extended period of time.

True Devotion to Mary by St. Louis Mary de Montfort is a cure for dryness. Why devote yourself to Mary, he says?

**2. A Share in Mary’s faith **
**214. ** Mary will share her faith with you. Her faith on earth was stronger than that of all the patriarchs, prophets, apostles and saints. Now that she is reigning in heaven she no longer has this faith, since she sees everything clearly in God by the light of glory. However, with the consent of Almighty God she did not lose it when entering heaven. She has **preserved it for her faithful servants ** in the Church Militant. Therefore, the more you gain the friendship of this noble Queen and Virgin, the more you will be inspired by faith in your daily life. ** It will cause you to depend less upon sensible and extraordinary feelings. For it is a lively faith animated by charity enabling you to do everything from no other motive than that of pure love. It is a firm faith, unshakeable as a rock, prompting you to remain firm and steadfast in the midst of storms and tempests. It is an active and probing faith with like some mysterious pass-key admits you into the very heart of God himself. It is a courageous faith which inspires you to undertake and carry out without hesitation great things for God and the salvation of souls. Lastly, this faith will be your flaming torch, your very life with God, your secret fund of divine Wisdom, and an all-powerful weapon for you to enlighten those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death. ** It inflames those who are lukewarm and need the gold of fervent love. It restores to life those who are dead through sin. **It moves and transforms hearts of marble and cedars of Lebanon by gentle and convincing argument. ** Finally, this faith will strengthen you to resist the devil and the other enemies of salvation.

Come Holy Spirit, come by means of the powerful intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, your well beloved spouse. Come Holy Spirit, come by means of the powerful intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, your well beloved spouse. Come Holy Spirit, come by means of the powerful intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, your well beloved spouse.

*Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with Thee. Blessed art Thou among women and blessed is the fruit of Thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen. *

 

[beckycmarie]

How can I…cope with this. I’ve come to realize the cross doesn’t lie in my desire to rid myself of dryness, it comes in the fact that I must learn to live with it. I figure to live with it, I must understand it.

Are there any saints that wrote commentaries on spiritual dryness that I can read (preferably online!)?

How about commentary on the commentary of the saints?

When I’m Found in the Desert Place

 

[bpbasilphx]

Think about this:

Jesus promised us we would be able to tread upon serpents and scorpions.

After walking through the desert for so long that your shoes fall apart, eventually, your feet will become tough enough to do JUST THAT!

He never said that getting this ability to tread on serpents and scorpions would be a pleasant experience–only that we would be able to do so.