Dryness Is Not Failure
There will be times when:
Prayer feels empty.
You feel nothing at Mass.
You wonder if God is listening.
Faith feels flat.
This does not mean you have lost faith.
It means you are human.
Many people quietly drift at this stage because they assume:
“If I don’t feel anything, something must be wrong.”
Not necessarily.
Faith Is Not a Feeling
Faith is not:
Emotional intensity.
Spiritual excitement.
Constant reassurance.
A warm interior sense.
Faith is assent to truth.
Faith is trust in what God has revealed.
Feelings may accompany it.
They may also disappear.
When feelings disappear, faith remains a choice.
Even the Saints Experienced Dryness
St Teresa of Calcutta endured decades of spiritual dryness.
Many saints describe periods of:
Silence.
Interior darkness.
Absence of consolation.
Dryness is not proof of God’s absence.
It is often proof that your faith is maturing.
God sometimes withdraws sensible comfort
so that you love Him for Himself, not for what you feel.
Why Dryness Strengthens Faith
When prayer feels consoling, it is easy.
When prayer feels empty, it becomes pure fidelity.
Christ in Gethsemane did not feel comfort.
Yet He remained obedient.
“Not my will, but yours, be done.”
(Luke 22:42)
Mature faith continues even when emotional reward is absent.
The Danger of Chasing Experience
Some people leave the Church because:
“They didn’t feel anything.”
So they chase:
Emotional highs.
Spiritual intensity.
New experiences.
But emotional religion cannot sustain a lifetime.
The Eucharist is not powerful because it feels powerful.
It is powerful because it is Christ.
Truth does not depend on mood.
When Prayer Feels Empty
Do not panic.
Instead:
Shorten prayer if needed, but do not stop.
Stay physically present at Mass.
Speak simply to God.
Continue your discipline.
Go to Confession honestly.
Dryness is not cured by quitting.
It is endured by faithfulness.
Possible Causes of Dryness
Sometimes dryness is:
Spiritual growth.
Emotional fatigue.
Distraction.
Sin dulling the soul.
Stress or anxiety.
Physical exhaustion.
Examine calmly.
But do not assume the worst.
Do Not Confuse Doubt with Dryness
Dryness:
“I feel nothing.”
Doubt:
“I question whether this is true.”
They are different.
Dryness is emotional.
Doubt is intellectual.
Both can be faced honestly.
Neither requires panic.
Silence Is Part of Prayer
In a noisy world, silence feels uncomfortable.
But silence is not absence.
God is not obligated to produce emotional reassurance.
Faith often grows in quiet endurance.
You are not meant to constantly feel uplifted.
You are meant to remain faithful.
When to Seek Help
If dryness becomes:
Deep despair.
Persistent anxiety.
Severe emotional struggle.
Speak to a priest.
Sometimes spiritual dryness and mental health intersect.
Grace and practical support work together.
Questions to Ask Yourself
Do I expect prayer to feel good?
Do I stop praying when it feels empty?
Am I faithful in dryness?
Have I confused emotion with belief?
Answer honestly.
Mature faith survives silence.
Final Thought
There will be days when God feels distant.
On those days, do not measure faith by emotion.
Measure it by fidelity.
Remain.
Stay.
Pray anyway.
Faith deepens not in constant consolation —
but in perseverance.
St. Mary's, St. John Bosco and St. Edward's 