Spiritually Dry

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santiagoamr

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Hi,
I need a lot of prayer, I am not praying, nor am I going to Mass, much less confession, it has been like this for two years. Any thoughts are welcome

I have Faith, I trust in God that somehow or someway He will show me a path to reconciliation and the richness of the Holy Spirit, but so far, I am in complete apathy regarding anything except meditation and for a few minutes a day. I love Theology and Meditation, I love to dwell for hours on Gods Greatness, but for the last two years I have been dry except for a few occasions. I do not feel anything, except contempt for rituals and rites, including imagery, I feel like every protocol, rite or ritual are unimportant. I used to love the richness of of the cultural, and theological meanings of all those things that now I feel are just there, just because…
I am spiritually dry and are staring to get really frustrates. Went to mass three weeks ago and got really anxious with the music specially the singers (which were really bad), also got very frustrated with the homily, it felt to long, absurd and devoid of any richness.
I used to have real moments of inspiration and miss them so much, and I feel that they are not coming back. But I still have faith that God will get me through this somehow.
I feel my faith is unwavering, I have complete Faith in God even though I don’t feel anything and are in complete apathy to find or search my way back, I know that he loves me, I know that I want to be with him no matter what, even in my apathy, I know that he forgives me, I know that If he wants me to I will go to heaven, because I want nothing more, but I am still full of Apathy and disdain for the hierarchy, rituals, protocols, politics, education and Cannon of our Church.
I feel that Prayer does nothing at all, specially recitation (which I never really licked that much) I just mentally pray for a few seconds several times a day, mostly to ask for God’s help regarding this dryness I have, I haven’t even truly prayed for my father who died last year, and I wanted to do everything, I really wanted to get indulgences for him, because he was such a great man, the greatest I’ve known, it is the least he deserves, but I have done nothing.
Help Please
Thanks
Santiago
 
Your first step is to ask the Sacred Heart of Jesus to have mercy on you. Just keep repeating that thuout the day, “Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on me.” Just keep praying that, and he will find a way for you.

May God bless and keep you. May God’s face shine on you. May God be kind to you and give you peace.
 
Spiritual dryness can be a huge cross sometimes, especially when it is long lasting. There are various things that can cause it, a big reason being unconfessed sin. Go to confession and bare your soul to Christ, then perhaps you will feel better. But you may not, and you must be prepared to accept that and carry the burden out of love for Christ for as long as he desires to withhold his face from you, remembering that the prayers most pleasing to God are the prayers we say when we really don’t feel like praying. When we adore him even though we are suffering intensely, and when we find joy in him even though we are in spiritual darkness.

A great book I’d recommend for you is Essence of Prayer by Ruth Burrows, OCD. A friend of mine who is a priest read it in seminary and recommended it to me. I’ve only read half of it so far but it is very good.
 
Our priest, an old college professor, keeps telling us that the days you have the least desire to go to Mass are the days you NEED the Mass the most. Not sure if that helps, but it keeps me going…:rolleyes: he also says the God is there even when he is silent. 🤷

I also read that this dryness can last years.:eek:

I’m not sure I can make it years, but I know I can make it another day!

I wish I could help more…but I think alot of us are in the same boat.
 
The Lord made us all so different, what worked for me many not have the same impact on you. I also did not find solace during novus ordo mass, I tried several parishes. I did find solace during Adoration. Its quieter and Christ is there. I know He is everywhere, but I felt Him most especially during Adoration at the parishes. Sometimes I would pray, sometimes I would just kneel silently. Someone here at CAF recommended reading the Diary of St. Faustina. That is helping me grow closer to this once unknown saint. It helps going back in time to when she lived and how she struggled to stay close to Jesus. I have been underlying her spontaneous prayers, to model my own after.

I also believe that going to confession will be a wonderful start to the end of your dryness. We have to come clean and talk with God through our prayers. In my case, I tried so long to do just that but had no remedy, because I had been away too long, and couldnt find a way back into communion. Then I finally found a priest who had the time to listen. I am finally back in full communion with the church and my dryness is starting to lift and I am healing spiritually.

I pray you find your way back.
 
To a certain extent, I think that sticking to a routine can help even if it feels empty.

Even if you don’t feel like praying, sit yourself down for a period of time each day and say “I’m here, Lord.” Maybe nothing will happen. Then try it again the next day. You’re at least making yourself available and I think that’s all you can do. The same thing applies to Mass. Go even if it feels empty and pointless. Make yourself available. Ask the Holy Spirit to be with you.

You might also find it helpful to get a spiritual director, someone you can talk this over with in more depth.
 
Praying to the Holy Spirit to give you guidance, direction, strength & fortitude in your time of need.
 
A couple of months ago I was in a spiritual rut. I did not want to pray. It was hard, and frankly, it bored me. I tried adding music into my prayer life, and it has really helped my faith and prayer life. I personally am really fond of general liturgical music, like Dan Schutte or Marty Haugen…But whatever floats your boat.
 
santiagoamr said:
Hi,
I need a lot of prayer, I am not praying, nor am I going to Mass, much less confession, it has been like this for two years. Any thoughts are welcome.
Click to expand...
Santiago, you’ve already put your finger on what the problem is: you’re not going to Mass regularly, and you’re not going to Confession, and you apparently haven’t been doing so for two years.

Set aside three or four or five weeks and take those aspects of Catholicism seriously that you’ve been so consciously neglecting. Make a serious examination of conscience, confess your sins, and begin living a Sacramental life again. If you want to have consolations from the Holy Spirit – such as not feeling dark and empty, but feeling the presence of God and His great desire for you – then you absolutely must put in an effort to get out of the state of mortal sin and to cooperate with the little graces He’s already giving you.

Don’t worry about homilies or how people sing. You need the Sacraments, and nothing is going to make spiritual sense to you until you bite the bullet, “gird yourself like a man,” and do the things you should. 🙂

Don’t be like those people who refuse to go about things in the way they know they should, and who then curse the darkness instead of lighting a candle.
 
LilyPearls said:
Spiritual dryness can be a huge cross sometimes, especially when it is long lasting. There are various things that can cause it, a big reason being unconfessed sin. Go to confession and bare your soul to Christ, then perhaps you will feel better. But you may not, and you must be prepared to accept that and carry the burden out of love for Christ for as long as he desires to withhold his face from you, remembering that the prayers most pleasing to God are the prayers we say when we really don’t feel like praying. When we adore him even though we are suffering intensely, and when we find joy in him even though we are in spiritual darkness.

A great book I’d recommend for you is Essence of Prayer by Ruth Burrows, OCD. A friend of mine who is a priest read it in seminary and recommended it to me. I’ve only read half of it so far but it is very good.
Click to expand...
If you haven’t gone to Mass/Confession in two years. You’re not spiritually dry. You haven’t fulfilled the Church’s precepts in two years. Objectively speaking, you’re living in mortal sin. You need to make a really good examination of conscience, firmly resolve to amend your life and get yourself to confession and Mass at the next available moment.
 
santiagoamr said:
Hi,
I need a lot of prayer, I am not praying, nor am I going to Mass, much less confession, it has been like this for two years. Any thoughts are welcome

I have Faith, I trust in God that somehow or someway He will show me a path to reconciliation and the richness of the Holy Spirit, but so far, I am in complete apathy regarding anything except meditation and for a few minutes a day. I love Theology and Meditation, I love to dwell for hours on Gods Greatness, but for the last two years I have been dry except for a few occasions. I do not feel anything, except contempt for rituals and rites, including imagery, I feel like every protocol, rite or ritual are unimportant. I used to love the richness of of the cultural, and theological meanings of all those things that now I feel are just there, just because…
I am spiritually dry and are staring to get really frustrates. Went to mass three weeks ago and got really anxious with the music specially the singers (which were really bad), also got very frustrated with the homily, it felt to long, absurd and devoid of any richness.
I used to have real moments of inspiration and miss them so much, and I feel that they are not coming back. But I still have faith that God will get me through this somehow.
I feel my faith is unwavering, I have complete Faith in God even though I don’t feel anything and are in complete apathy to find or search my way back, I know that he loves me, I know that I want to be with him no matter what, even in my apathy, I know that he forgives me, I know that If he wants me to I will go to heaven, because I want nothing more, but I am still full of Apathy and disdain for the hierarchy, rituals, protocols, politics, education and Cannon of our Church.
I feel that Prayer does nothing at all, specially recitation (which I never really licked that much) I just mentally pray for a few seconds several times a day, mostly to ask for God’s help regarding this dryness I have, I haven’t even truly prayed for my father who died last year, and I wanted to do everything, I really wanted to get indulgences for him, because he was such a great man, the greatest I’ve known, it is the least he deserves, but I have done nothing.
Help Please
Thanks
Santiago
Click to expand...
God blesses those who actually struggle, and is near to the brokenhearted. The greater the struggle, the greater one’s eventual spirituality. God has not forsaken you, but wants you to transform your struggle into a ‘ladder’ that leads you upward, into God’s open arms. Don’t give up!!!

LOVE! ❤️
 
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