Saints LightWhen Prayer Is Dry: Distraction, Dryness and Perseverance
Distraction and dryness come to everyone who prays; gently return to God, check for causes you can fix, and keep showing up, because faithful dry prayer is real love.
What this lesson teaches
- Distraction and dryness are normal parts of the battle of prayer, not signs of failure.
- Meet distraction by gently returning to God, again and again.
- Dryness can have causes we can fix, or be God purifying our love, as St John of the Cross taught.
- Perseverance in dry prayer is itself a deep act of love.
Catechism paragraphs this lesson cites
- CCC 2725
- CCC 2729-2733
- CCC 2742-2745
CCC means the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Saints Light teaches it in its own words and never quotes it. Look up any paragraph in a printed copy or at vatican.va. See every lesson by paragraph in the Catechism index.
Scripture read in this lesson: Luke 18:1; Psalm 62:2 (63:1 in most modern Bibles); Matthew 26:41.
A sample question from this lesson
What is the best response to distraction in prayer?
- Stop praying until your mind is calm
- Gently turn back to God each time, without fighting every thought
- Pray faster so there is no room for thoughts
- Confess every distraction as a sin
Show the answer
Gently turn back to God each time, without fighting every thought. The lesson, following CCC 2729 and St Francis de Sales, advises gently returning to the Lord, as often as needed.
The lesson in the app has three questions, each with an explanation.
Words to know
- Dark night
- St John of the Cross's term for a time when God withdraws consolation to purify our love.
- Acedia
- Spiritual sloth: a weary indifference that cannot be bothered to pray.
More terms in the Catholic glossary. More passages in the Scripture index.
Read the full lesson in the app
"When Prayer Is Dry: Distraction, Dryness and Perseverance" is lesson 10 of Learning to Pray. In Saints Light you get the whole teaching, the Scripture quoted in full, all three questions and a step to live it this week.
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