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When Prayer Feels Dry: Lessons in Perseverance from the Saints

Have you ever felt a disconnect in your spiritual journey? 

A dryness that makes prayer feel like a chore rather than a conversation with God? 

I have been there too—caught between moments of profound connection and long stretches of spiritual emptiness.

For a while, I struggled with prayer for this very reason. It became something I forced myself to do, often late at night, just to check it off my to-do list. I would sit down, distracted, and go through the motions, wondering why it felt so hollow.

I couldn't shake the questions that haunted me:
* Why do I feel so disconnected?
* Am I doing something wrong?
* What am I missing?

Desperate for answers, I turned to Google, searching for stories of saints who faced prayerlessness. 

I was stunned by what I found.

EVEN SAINTS STEUGGLED WITH PRAYERLESSNESS AND DISTRACTIONS 

One of the most shocking discoveries was St. Teresa of Calcutta (Mother Teresa). Her life inspired me long before I knew of her hidden struggles. She served with such joy, measuring distances by rosaries prayed (e.g., "two rosaries away"), and yet, she endured spiritual desolation for 50 years.

Fifty years of feeling disconnected from God, I cannot imagine how difficult it must have been. Yet she never wavered in her service.

St. Faustina's revelations also struck a chord: “I did nothing but struggle with blasphemies that rushed to my lips.” Even this great saint wrestled with inner turmoil.

And there was a saint—though I can’t recall their name—who decided to quit prayer altogether because of this dryness. It was only a vision of Jesus urging him to persevere that changed his mind.

These stories offered me solace. If saints could endure such trials, perhaps my struggles weren’t failures but an invitation to deeper faith.

Several words of wisdom stood out to me:
* Struggles are not sins but trials to endure.
* St. Thérèse of Lisieux’s words: “I feel no joy; I simply sing of what I want to believe.”
* Your faith is not your feelings and your feelings are not your faith.

These saints taught me that faith isn’t about feelings. It’s about trust.

A revelation 
Today, during an hour of online adoration, I received a revelation that pierced my heart: I am making my feelings my God if my prayer time is dictated by them.

This was a hard truth to swallow. I had let my emotions take the driver’s seat in my spiritual life. If I didn’t “feel” like praying or didn’t sense God’s presence, I treated it as a reason to hold back. But prayer isn’t about feelings; it’s about faithfulness.

The saints show us that dryness in prayer isn’t the end—it’s a test of our perseverance. It’s an invitation to love God for who He is, not for how He makes us feel.

If you’re struggling with dryness in prayer, remember:
* You’re not alone.
* Struggles can be a pathway to greater holiness.
* Faith isn’t about feeling; it’s about trusting.

Lean into prayer, even when it feels dry. God is there, even in the silence. And in that perseverance, you’ll discover a faith that’s deeper than any fleeting emotion.

Let us press on together, trusting that He is always near, even when we can’t feel Him.

--
31 Dec 2024
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