March 17, 2017 - In fact, sometimes when I am doing precisely what God is leading me to do, I might feel negative pressure from others, or I might find the experience a challenge because I’m growing and learning. Yet if I sense in my spirit that I’m going the right way, this spiritual reality consoles me whether the day is bumpy or smooth. A person dwells in a state of desolation when she or he is moving away from God’s active presence in the world.

September 12, 2011 - Prayer is dry, difficult, and ... or physical desolation. Spiritual desolation, the saint tells us, comes upon those earnestly seeking God, for three principal, but not exhaustive, reasons....

August 21, 2024 - Desolation = from the Latin desolatus, ... depletes energy for living.” · Spiritual Desolation = an affective heaviness that directly impacts my relationship with God....

April 1, 2022 - Consolation is typically associated with “good” and desolation is taken to mean “bad”. While these two interpretations approach the truth, there’s a lot more to consolation and desolation than just feeling good or bad. To better understand these important concepts of Ignatian spirituality, I’ll refer to the Spiritual Exercises of St.

August 6, 2022 - Spiritual Desolation is those moments in our lives of Faith where our very Faith can be tested and tried.

May 19, 2023 - “Desolation is defined as A temporary darkening of the mind and disturbance of the will and emotions, permitted by God to purify the souls of his followers. It may be caused by the evil spirit or brought on by a variety of other causes, but ...

July 22, 2025 - St. Ignatius Loyola describes it as an obtuseness of soul, turmoil within it, an impulsive motion toward low and earthly things, or a disquiet from various agitations and temptations.

October 28, 2025 - First, we have to have a quick review of what we mean by “consolation and desolation” in the spiritual life. Usually, these terms refer to the felt presence of God in our soul (consolation), or the absence of that feeling (desolation).

October 17, 2024 - Strong bonds are built on unconditional love, and that’s the kind of relationship you have with God. Spiritual Desolation is there to remind you that you have become distant from God. But don’t let it get you down!

April 23, 2024 - We ought to view in the light of God’s holy will, the loss of persons who are helpful to us in a spiritual or material way. Pious souls often fail in this respect by not being resigned to the dispositions of God’s holy will.

July 2, 2024 - The rich man’s experience in this story from Mark, Chapter 10, illustrates what in Jesuit circles is called desolation. According to St. Ignatius of Loyola, desolation, along with its opposite, consolation, make up the two fundamental types of inner movements we encounter in the spiritual life.

July 15, 2022 - Desolation is the feeling of disconnectedness, dryness, and distance from God. An in-turning, focus on self or the inability to go beyond our limited perception of the moment. I don’t claim to know much about Ignatian Spirituality, but since my spiritual director is a Jesuit, I have come ...

December 22, 2020 - Kevin O’Brien, SJ writes, “Sometimes an experience of sadness, loneliness, or restlessness is a moment of conversion and intimacy with God and others. Times of human suffering can be moments of grace.” To put it in traditional terms, desolation moves you toward “earthly” things and consolation moves you toward “heavenly” things. In the Flow Consider the many parts of your life that are intentionally oriented toward love of God and neighbour: volunteering, being a parent, spiritual reading, going to church, daily prayer, or spiritual conversation with a loved one, to name a few.

January 14, 2026 - In Catholic spirituality, spiritual dryness or desolation is a lack of spiritual consolation in one's spiritual life. It is a form of spiritual crisis experienced subjectively as a sense of separation from God or lack of spiritual feeling, especially during contemplative prayer.

February 12, 2022 - Desolation is a great opportunity to receive the more difficult graces that can come only through a bit of suffering. God allows desolation for 3 difficult graces: repentance, fortitude, humility.

September 4, 2020 - Spiritual desolation in the Ignatian sense is a period of unrest and disquiet. It is a time of unsettlement when God feels far away. The soul in desolation struggles to pray and wonders why it even should pray.

September 27, 2017 - Rule seven calls us to think about desolation as a trial permitted by God; that is, to think about our desolation in a faith-based way. This runs contrary to the movement of desolation; for in desolation, the world feels meaningless. And the experience of meaningless suffering tends to erode our hope and confidence. Whereas, if we see meaning in our suffering, if we choose to see it as a trial permitted by God, it can give us strength. Rule eight gives us a glimpse of the spiritual boldness of Ignatius.

December 31, 2018 - Desolation is a new opportunity to love God for His own sake. To choose Him and trust in His goodness even when the “good feelings” of loving Him leave. God will either allow this to happen because we have been negligent in our spiritual ...

June 15, 2021 - Ignatius of Loyola to the inner state characterized by darkness, dryness, torpor, agitation, melancholy, earthly-mindedness, and an acute sense of distance from our Lord and Creator.

October 23, 2025 - This is who you are: a person far from God (spiritual identity). Do you feel little desire to pray today (spiritual desolation)? This is who you are: a person who does not love prayer (spiritual identity).