Spiritual dryness is not fun, so to help you overcome it, I’m going to lay out 8 tips for revamping your prayer life. Please note: I am by no means a spiritual director, these are just tips I have received.
1) Go to the sacraments
THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT ONE! There is radical power within confession and the Eucharist. What happens a lot though, is that one goes to them and expects to be healed or have this big moment. Then if they don’t they get that massive moment, they discouraged and stop going because they can’t feel Him. Here is the thing. Jesus is not a feeling, He is a person. Let me say that again: Jesus is not a feeling, He is a person. Just like your family or friends or loved ones, they will not always make you feel happy inside, but you keep showing up. He just wants you to show up. Go to confession once a month(or every other week), attend weekly Mass(or even daily Mass), go to Adoration every week… Be faithful and I promise there will be fruit. It is through consistent reception that the grace builds. It is so hard to see how God is working in your current life, but He is(even if you can’t feel or see it). By looking back on our lives, we may be able to see the growth and blessings a little easier. Which leads me to point 2.
2) Journal
Write down the good, the bad, and the ultra ugly. After a time, go back and see how much you have changed and how God has been working in your life. If you have already been journaling, go back and look at what you wrote. How have you grown? Do you see the goodness of God? Through writing, sometimes our problems can become solved and God can work through your past self.
3) Recognize the blessings of God
Start actively looking for things to be grateful for. It could be as simple as “thank you God for my bed at night”. When you are feeling particularly dry, try to list everything you are thankful for and how you saw God’s love. Maybe you just start with being grateful for something small, like coffee or a canceled class or candles. On my “what am I thankful for today” section in my calendar, one day it says “muffins and tea”. Really deep right? Start small and try to name as many as you can, there is good in everything.
4) Mix up your prayer life
Praying is like working out. You can do the same thing over and over again and that one muscle will get strong, but all the others won’t. As well, if you’re like me, you will also get bored. There are so many beautiful ways to pray, but you have to do it for more than a few days. Try to incorporate some of these into your prayer life for a month and see what works. You could…
Pray the rosary or/and a chaplet
Actively read the Bible
Just sit in front of a Tabernacle
Meditation
Daily Mass
Music/singing
Just straight up talk to Him
Journaling
5) Be in community
Join a Bible study, start a Bible study, talk to friends, join a Catholic club… When you are struggling to remember God’s promises, His goodness or just feeling “blah” about God, the worst thing you can do is be alone. Find a good Catholic community that sees you, knows you and loves you, but most importantly loves God. You most likely won’t be friends with everyone there, and that is okay, but find a couple of people to speak Truth to you and remind you of God’s awesome power. Find those people who are actively striving to know God and cling onto them.
6) Show up
I believe that 80% of prayer is just showing up. Go to Mass, go to confession, go to adoration, go to the tabernacle, put away the phone and just be present. There is no way that you are going to get to know anyone(God or other people), if you do not spend time with them. Even when it is inconvenient and you do not feel like it, go.
7) Listen
To know them you have to listen too. Whatever/However you pray, always end it with listening. Just be in His presence and let yourself be loved. Let Him convenience you that you are His Beloved, because that is what you are. You were designed to be loved.
8) Pray as you can, not as you can’t.
Sacraments are a must, but if you are not ready to spend an hour in silence with God, work your way up. Go for 5 minutes, then 10, then 20… Eventually hit that hour mark. Again praying is like working out. You cannot expect yourself to lift 100 pounds if you haven’t lifted 50.
Dryness will pass. I always think of St. Mother Teresa of Kolkata who, it is said, asked to be in desolation so she could offer it up for the people she was serving. Through her letters and people in her life, we found out after her death that she was in desolation for 30 years. Even if you cannot see Him, that does not mean He is not there. It is like, before you read this or followed the blog or met me, you didn't know I existed, you could not see me; but that does not mean I wasn’t alive. God is good and loves you infinitely, even when you cannot see or feel Him.
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