Which prayer is good for spiritual dryness?

[shanishani7]

I feel a little bit of hopeless, depressed and emptiness. Also feel much difficult in many aspects including financial, work, health, no love, and little friendship with others. Sometimes feeling being isolated and have nothing.

I’m not sure why but feel many difficulties in my life.

What kind of prayer is good? Or which saint will help me on this?

My hope and faith is fading…

 

[fred_conty]

I believe more than anyone else, our dear mother in heaven is the one person who will answer. I would recommend wearing and using the miraculous medal of Mary.

She gave the medal to St. Catherine in Paris France in 1830. Mary said that those who wear her blessed medal and had trust in her, that she would obtain for them GREAT and ABUNDANT graces.

To use the medal properly, not only wear it, but also use it in prayer. That is, just tell Mary what you need to help you, and then thank her for making such a great promise. Then realize that Mary keeps her word and won’t let you down. She will make it come true if you place yourself in her care and accept her word.

Mary is your real mother. Any good mother always helps her child and Mary will come thru for you her child. But remember to ask for GREAT graces, not just graces. And after you do, just know that you will receive your answer of help.

May Mary give you hope thru the gift of her medal.

 

[shanishani7]

I believe more than anyone else, our dear mother in heaven is the one person who will answer. I would recommend wearing and using the miraculous medal of Mary.

She gave the medal to St. Catherine in Paris France in 1830. Mary said that those who wear her blessed medal and had trust in her, that she would obtain for them GREAT and ABUNDANT graces.

To use the medal properly, not only wear it, but also use it in prayer. That is, just tell Mary what you need to help you, and then thank her for making such a great promise. Then realize that Mary keeps her word and won’t let you down. She will make it come true if you place yourself in her care and accept her word.

Mary is your real mother. Any good mother always helps her child and Mary will come thru for you her child. But remember to ask for GREAT graces, not just graces. And after you do, just know that you will receive your answer of help.

May Mary give you hope thru the gift of her medal.

Thanks for answering. I wear miraculous medal everyday, but didn’t pray the medal prayer. I pray rosary sometimes and talk with her, but seem nothing much happening…

I only heard her spoke to me one night (on Mother’s day) half year ago, but I didn’t really get the meaning… She asked me to – give up all worldly things.

I am not sure if she wants me to really walk the path of Religious Life. Still don’t know until this moment.

 

[fred_conty]

Thanks for answering. I wear miraculous medal everyday, but didn’t pray the medal prayer. I pray rosary sometimes and talk with her, but seem nothing much happening…

I only heard her spoke to me one night (on Mother’s day) half year ago, but I didn’t really get the meaning… She asked me to – give up all worldly things.

I am not sure if she wants me to really walk the path of Religious Life. Still don’t know until this moment.

Be sure and use her medal and ask her thru her medal that she wants you to wear. That is when the answers come…thru her medal. Just gently remind her of the great graces promised and then ask for them. And that is the tact needed with absolute trust in her.

I’m not down playing the rosary, for that is something that brings us everyday graces. But special favors are given if her medal is used properly. Because she doesn’t say things she doesn’t mean.

May Mary of good hope fill you with every joy.

 

[ready]

You should pray the Holy Rosary daily to Mother Mary. God bless you.

 

[Crown_of_Stars]

I go through these times of spiritual dryness too, so I understand how you must be feeling. We all do, even the saints did, even Mother Theresa did. It’s part of our human nature, but as long as we care and want to try to become refreshed in our faith, that’s better than giving up entirely. As the others before me have said, I would pray the rosary, even one decade before going to bed at night. That’s what I do sometimes, when I’m just too tired to say a whole rosary. I also like to read little prayer books before bed too. It may work for you, however, to do these things in the morning. Or both.

 

[Mystical_Seeker]

Here’s an easy to read book on prayer, that covers different types of prayer and how to deal with various problems with praying. It was written by a Jesuit and is used at some seminaries for intro to prayer class…

There is a “look inside” at amazon:


Mark Thibodeaux S.J. (Author)

On “dryness”

CHAPTER TWELVE
When I’m Bored With God
Dealing With Dryness

Orientation The previous chapter explained that I shouldn’t worry about distractions that come and go in my prayer because they ultimately have little lasting impact. But at some point in my prayer life, I may go through a longer and much more difficult period, wherein my prayer simply dries up. I will receive no graces to enrich my life—no delightful and inspiring treasures floating to the surface. Instead, every prayer time will be filled with restlessness and/or boredom. The problem with dryness is not that something bad happens in prayer, but rather that nothing is happening at all. I just sit there by myself with no sign of the presence of God.

The vast majority of beginners quit praying at this point. Most do not consciously choose to stop praying; they just gradually pray a little less and a little less until one day, they look back and realize that they hardly pray at all anymore. Very seldom do they realize or admit that the reason they quit was because they got bored and lost interest. After all, who would admit—even to themselves—that they were bored with God? Instead, they simply convince themselves that they are just too busy right now and that they will return to it when things slow down (which never happens).

What is tragic about this problem is that this moment of dryness may well be the most momentous of my prayer life. Often, it is at this moment that God is inviting me to a much deeper and more mature relationship with him. Most beginners don’t realize how close they are to something really big. All they know is the emptiness of the experience.

There are three possible causes of the experience of dryness: (1) It could be an external problem; (2) it could be a deeper spiritual problem; or (3) it could be God calling me to a very special period of growth, sometimes called the desert experience. If I have a spiritual director/mentor or a good friend with whom I can share my prayer experiences, the two of us can explore these possibilities together. It is difficult to figure them out on my own because the negative emotions that accompany this dry period might hamper my objectivity. Someone on the outside of the dryness will be able to help me keep the issues in proper perspective.

Thibodeaux S.J., Mark (2011-08-09). Armchair Mystic: Easing into Contemplative Prayer (Kindle Locations 2652-2676). St. Anthony Messenger Press. Kindle Edition.

 

[Mystical_Seeker]

This chapter briefly explores these three possible causes, paying particular attention to the call of the desert (the third cause). The next chapter explores that calling even further by proposing a few metaphors that help to understand what might be happening in this strange and mysterious moment of my prayer life. It concludes with a few modest suggestions to help the beginner deal with (and maybe even thrive in) the desert. Details, Details, Details My dry period may be caused by some external problem. I may simply need to make a few adjustments in the details of how I pray. Here are a few considerations: I consider my prayer space and body position. My place and position should be quiet and comfortable, but not so much that I fall asleep easily. Most people prefer a comfy straight-back chair (such as an armchair or a recliner) in a dimly lit room. But others find that lying flat on one’s back, taking a walk or sitting in a lotus position on the floor works for them. I consider the time of day when I pray. If I am too sleepy, hungry, energetic or preoccupied in the early morning, the time most people prefer, I can try the noon hour, the evening or even the late night hour. I consider the prayer activities I am presently using. If I have been doing the same thing in my prayer for a while, perhaps I simply need to vary my activities. My job or schoolwork may be causing me “information overload,” and I find myself uncontrollably analyzing Scripture in the same way I analyze whatever comes across my desk. If so, I try spending less of my prayer time reading and more of it simply sitting in the silence of God. I consider my emotional state. Perhaps I am going through a stressful time at school or work or in one of my relationships. Anxiety or fatigue will make it very difficult to concentrate during prayer. Instead of fighting to forget it, I try to make that anxiety the focal point of the prayer. After all, God’s desire is for me to be happy and healthy. I spend my prayer time telling God all about the problem and listening to God’s response. If the anxiety is particularly intense and I feel that I need more time before facing it head-on, I take my mind off of it by temporarily doing more activities in my prayer. The repetition of a mantra or praying the rosary can often have a soothing affect. Who, Me? If the problem is not external, then perhaps it is a spiritual problem. My

Thibodeaux S.J., Mark (2011-08-09). Armchair Mystic: Easing into Contemplative Prayer (Kindle Locations 2677-2705). St. Anthony Messenger Press. Kindle Edition.

prayer may be uncomfortable because it does not resonate with the way I am presently living my life. Maybe there is some unacknowledged sinful side of my life that is causing my soul to avoid God. Guilty children often blow their cover by their obvious state of discomfort in the presence of their parents. A priest walking through high school corridors will often have the same experience. If parents and priests can evoke such discomfort in guilty parties, how much more uncomfortable will our sinful souls be in the presence of our heavenly Father!

It is important to note that the problem is not about God’s anger or wrath. God is not punishing me in my prayer time. The Father of Love does not play those games. The problem is my discomfort in the presence of such love. In the book of Exodus, the Lord looked down upon the Israelites and lovingly cared for them as they crossed the Red Sea. When the Egyptians pursued them, however, the Lord glanced at them and they found their chariots bogged down in the mud. They were paralyzed. When reading this story people often imagine that the loving gaze of God upon the Israelites was completely different from the powerful glance of God that stopped the Egyptians in their tracks. But I wonder if maybe God gave both peoples the same glance. It’s just that the oppressive Egyptians were paralyzed in the face of such love (see Exodus 14:10-31).

Saint Ignatius says that for those living a Christ-like life, God’s presence is as water on a sponge. Like the sponge, I effortlessly absorb God and am filled up by him. But for those in need of conversion, God’s touch feels like the crashing of the ocean against the craggy coast.1 Prayer is not pleasant because my soul is not in a condition to receive its graces. My cup of salvation will not overflow with the goodness and kindness of God, as in Psalm 23, because it is already filled with other gods, not nearly so good and kind. So this dry period in my prayer life may be a sort of wake-up call for me. If this is the case, I know what I need to do: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near” (Matthew 4:17).**

Journey Into the Unknown

It could very well be that the dryness does not come from anything exterior or through any fault of my own. In fact, the dryness may not be a problem at all but rather a calling from God for me to enter into a very special phase of my prayer life. God may be calling me into the desert. This experience is the subject of much of the writing of the mystics. Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, calling herself a little ball in the hand of the child Jesus, says of this experience, “Jesus pierced His little plaything; He wanted to see what there was inside it, and having seen, content with His discovery, He let His little ball fall to the ground and He went off to

Thibodeaux S.J., Mark (2011-08-09). Armchair Mystic: Easing into Contemplative Prayer (Kindle Locations 2705-2730). St. Anthony Messenger Press. Kindle Edition.

 

[Mystical_Seeker]

sleep.”2 Saint Ignatius considers this experience to be one type of “desolation,” Saint John of the Cross calls it “the dark night of the soul” and a present-day spiritual writer, Sister Ruth Burrows, calls it the “lights-off” experience. In this chapter, it will generally be referred to as the desert experience or as the experience of dryness.

A local Dallas radio station hosted a mystery vacation contest, wherein the winner was to show up at the airport packed and prepared for anything. In fact, she was not told where and what her vacation would be until the plane touched down at its destination. This is a good analogy of a person’s prayer life. Each of us who embarks on a prayer life is beginning a unique mystery trip with God as our pilot. Your trip may be to a beautiful sandy beach, while mine may be to a dusty dude ranch. You may be climbing cold and treacherous mountains, while I dance with gorillas in a hot and humid jungle. Actually, it’s even more wondrous than this. For each individual’s prayer life contains within it a series of unique trips. Our prayer lives are as varied and complex as our real lives.

Within this diversity of prayer experiences, an occasional pray-er has practically always had an easy-going trip. Prayer for this person has generally always been a fishing excursion filled with exciting catches of divine grace. Many people assume that anyone who prays has this type of experience all the time. This is the experience many people expect to have when they begin a prayer life. After all, Jesus did say, “Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you” (Matthew 7:7).

But the truth is that for most pray-ers, God has set a more unusual itinerary. In the midst of the great fishing trips and relaxing sandy beaches, God may sooner or later call me into the desert. Such a trip is not an easy one. It may demand a great deal of perseverance and stamina. Again, the length and breadth of this desert will vary greatly from one person to another. For some, the desert will be small and of little consequence, but for others—many others—the desert is unimaginably vast.

If I have been blessed by a calling into the desert (and yes, it is indeed a blessing), I will go through long periods when the treasure-filled waters dry up and I find myself sitting in my boat on a dry desert wasteland. No longer will I joyfully, peacefully bask in the consoling presence of God. There will be no sense of God’s presence at all and I will begin to doubt if there ever was. I will call upon God to come and rescue me, and will be shocked when nothing happens. In place of God’s presence will be a myriad of uncomfortable and unpleasant emotions: anger, fear, loneliness, restlessness, frustration, doubt and, most of all, boredom. I will be

Thibodeaux S.J., Mark (2011-08-09). Armchair Mystic: Easing into Contemplative Prayer (Kindle Locations 2730-2754). St. Anthony Messenger Press. Kindle Edition.

bored out of my mind. I will want to scream and run from the room. My once precious prayer space will be the last place I will want to visit. I will dread the coming of my daily prayer hour. I will lift the sofa cushions of my mind, searching for the Does It Count? game pieces I tossed away when I committed myself to prayer.3

Jesus must have gone through this painful experience as he endured the crucifixion. Some Christians believe that Jesus was all-knowing at all points of his life. But if he was “like us in all things but sin,”4 then at least on some level, he had to know what it was like to stand alone in a fog of doubt and confusion. “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”5 he cried out to his Father. It was this very darkness and confusion that made the crucifixion so painful for him.

Conclusion

So, despite my expectations, prayer may not always be a consoling and inspiring experience. There may be very difficult periods when it will be anything but that. These difficult periods are sometimes caused by exterior problems or by my own sinfulness. If so, there are things that I can do to fix the problem. But it may be that the problem is not a problem at all, but rather is a calling by God into the desert.

But why would God allow or even will for me to have such a difficult experience? This question is explored in the next chapter.

Notes 1 * SpirEx, 335. 2 * Story of a Soul: The Autobiography of St. Thérèse of Lisieux (Washing-ton, D.C.: ICS Publications, 1976), p. 136. 3 * See “Calling and Commitment,” Chapter One, p. 7. 4 * CCC, #467. See also Hebrews 4:15. 5 * Mark 15:34.

Thibodeaux S.J., Mark (2011-08-09). Armchair Mystic: Easing into Contemplative Prayer (Kindle Locations 2754-2783). St. Anthony Messenger Press. Kindle Edition.

 

[Robert_Sock]

feastofsaints.com/waycrossfrancis.htm

 

[shanishani7]

Here’s an easy to read book on prayer, that covers different types of prayer and how to deal with various problems with praying. It was written by a Jesuit and is used at some seminaries for intro to prayer class…

There is a “look inside” at amazon:


Mark Thibodeaux S.J. (Author)

On “dryness”

CHAPTER TWELVE
When I’m Bored With God
Dealing With Dryness

Orientation The previous chapter explained that I shouldn’t worry about distractions that come and go in my prayer because they ultimately have little lasting impact. But at some point in my prayer life, I may go through a longer and much more difficult period, wherein my prayer simply dries up. I will receive no graces to enrich my life—no delightful and inspiring treasures floating to the surface. Instead, every prayer time will be filled with restlessness and/or boredom. The problem with dryness is not that something bad happens in prayer, but rather that nothing is happening at all. I just sit there by myself with no sign of the presence of God.

The vast majority of beginners quit praying at this point. Most do not consciously choose to stop praying; they just gradually pray a little less and a little less until one day, they look back and realize that they hardly pray at all anymore. Very seldom do they realize or admit that the reason they quit was because they got bored and lost interest. After all, who would admit—even to themselves—that they were bored with God? Instead, they simply convince themselves that they are just too busy right now and that they will return to it when things slow down (which never happens).

What is tragic about this problem is that this moment of dryness may well be the most momentous of my prayer life. Often, it is at this moment that God is inviting me to a much deeper and more mature relationship with him. Most beginners don’t realize how close they are to something really big. All they know is the emptiness of the experience.

There are three possible causes of the experience of dryness: (1) It could be an external problem; (2) it could be a deeper spiritual problem; or (3) it could be God calling me to a very special period of growth, sometimes called the desert experience. If I have a spiritual director/mentor or a good friend with whom I can share my prayer experiences, the two of us can explore these possibilities together. It is difficult to figure them out on my own because the negative emotions that accompany this dry period might hamper my objectivity. Someone on the outside of the dryness will be able to help me keep the issues in proper perspective.

Thibodeaux S.J., Mark (2011-08-09). Armchair Mystic: Easing into Contemplative Prayer (Kindle Locations 2652-2676). St. Anthony Messenger Press. Kindle Edition.

Thank you so much for the passage. This is exactly what I was going through.

Last week I prayed and talked to God about my feeling and emptiness. Suddenly more and more activities come as friends suddenly invited me to join. And I enjoyed the activities and was happy. However, after so much outer entertainment my mind is full of these moments when sleeping which made the peaceful mind left me. These days I feel that the real joy and peace could only be given by God alone - A time when God is inside you and in prayer.

These all should be experiences God wants to let me know. He heard me and give me what I wanted, and finally let me know what is the most important and the best.

Even I still have a little worries, I started to have a little hope and light…

I am happy and thankful God really hears.

 

[Nelka]

Novena to the Sacred Heart.

 

[janiruchan]

Vocal prayers…especially the Rosary.

I’ve had several spiritual dryness and had done meditation etc but felt more depressed because of the seeming absence.
By faith, even without feeling anything or any consolation or what…I pray the Rosary.

 

[Deus_tecum]

I feel a little bit of hopeless, depressed and emptiness. Also feel much difficult in many aspects including financial, work, health, no love, and little friendship with others. Sometimes feeling being isolated and have nothing.

I’m not sure why but feel many difficulties in my life.

What kind of prayer is good? Or which saint will help me on this?

My hope and faith is fading…

Frankly you sound depressed, and in addition to prayer I think you should consider making positive changes in fitness and nutrition.