Desolation and Consolation, Pt. 1

Spiritual Consolation and Desolation are two major themes and experiences to be had in the course of the Christian's lifetime. These are the typical "feelings" that are experienced in the life of prayer and faith. However, it is often times, not the feelings one might immediately think of.

Spiritual Desolation is the periods of time in our lives where God feels distant and inaccessible in prayer, where Faith feels "weak". We might, at times, feel that we need confess in Sacramental Confession that we have allowed our Faith to being to die or grow small.

Spiritual Consolation, on the other had is also involved with feelings. Again, however, it is most likely not the feelings one would immediately expect. Consolation does not mean that the person is in. a state of constant happiness or that life it always present. Rather, Consolation is the times when we feel that God is extremely near to us.

The Christian should spend his/her life seeking to remain in Spiritual Consolation. Over the next few weeks, I will use this weekly article to lay out these states of Consolation and Desolation, what they mean, how they are felt, what causes us to be in the state of either one, how we can move from one to the other, and how even physical health can effect these states.

The purpose of looking more closely at these is that we can learn to take our spiritual temperature so have some sort of a reference point to understand the current status of our Spiritual Health. When we know how to evaluate the "vital signs" of our spiritual life, we then can more accurately address our spiritual health. Further, as we can become more attuned to our Spiritual Needs and Health we can adjust the ways in which we interact with others, leading them to a more intimate relationship with God and His Church. In the end, this and all things in and around our life in the Church should lead us to a more perfect relationship with God.