Hence they would be very foolish who would think that God is failing them because of their lack of spiritual sweetness and delight, or would rejoice, thinking they possess God because of the presence of this sweetness. And they would be more foolish if they were to go in search of this sweetness in God and rejoice and be detained in it. With such an attitude they would no longer be seeking God with their wills grounded in the emptiness of faith and charity, but they would be seeking spiritual satisfaction and sweetness, which are creatures, by following after their own pleasure and appetite. And thus they would no longer be loving God purely, above all things, which means centering all the strength of one's will on him.
SAINT JOHN OF THE CROSS
The purpose and end of life is to become a saint. You were made for God, and you will find satisfaction for your soul only in Him. I have to remind myself of this every single day. For many people, the purpose of life is to achieve great things in various fields of endeavor. This is vanity. For those unlikely to achieve greatness, they settle on chasing after a good time. This requires time, money, and energy. This is also vanity.
It is no surprise that both of these mentalities can creep into our spiritual lives. For those desperate for greatness, they become religious hypocrites. They want the glory of the reputation for saintliness without actually being a saint. For those desperate for a good time, they crave a religious experience that makes them feel good inside. So, they seek out an emotional and ecstatic experience in a form of spiritual hedonism.
The antidote to these twin temptations is known as desolation. Consolation is when you enjoy certain things God sends your way. Desolation is when He deprives you of these things. If you read any of the saints, they all describe these periods of desolation. Saint John of the Cross called it "the dark night of the soul." This dark night of the soul is indispensable for advancement in holiness.
Once you know about consolation and desolation, you learn to take the good with the bad in life in a practice known as ambidexterity. When times are good, you learn to keep the knife at your throat. Good times never last. Conversely, when times are bad, you learn to trust entirely in God and His Providence even when you can't see it or feel it. In both good and bad, you develop an internal compass that points true north in good seas and storms. You become indifferent to things and immune to comfort and despair.
Right now, it is hot and dry where I live. The grass has died, and our garden hangs on by the daily watering we do. The weather forecasts predict rain, and the dark clouds form. Nothing comes out of the sky. It is concerning to me because of the upcoming Fourth of July fireworks and the potential for fire. At the end of the summer, I will become a hurricane watcher. You get the picture.
It would be nice if there was a place that always had pleasant weather. This place does not exist. I used to think it was San Diego, but they just had a spell of bad weather. The better attitude is the Swedish attitude that holds that there is no bad weather but only bad clothing choices. They would know. Similarly, there are no bad seasons in the life of the Catholic but only bad formation.
When I was a Protestant, I thought bad times in my life meant that God had abandoned me, or that I was doing something wrong. I also craved spiritual experiences and "revival." This was all stupidity on my part, but the upside is that I see all of this same stupidity has crept into our parishes. For every nutty Protestant thing, there is a Catholic counterpart. I can recognize the errors because I have already lived through them.
The one error that I will point out is the one that believes that a Catholic renewal will be sparked by some emotionally driven fervor stoked by a huckster wanting to make a buck off of the faithful. People want that consolation even if it is artificial and manufactured. These things are light on catechesis but heavy on "encounter." In the long run, you leave deflated with a lighter wallet.
I never go seeking these consolations. Outside of prayer and Mass, my primary spiritual activity is reading. I read the Holy Bible, and I read the writings of the saints and the doctors of the Church. I do not seek transformation through some emotional fervor but by the renewing of my mind as prescribed by Saint Paul in Romans 12:2. The mind is renewed with the learning of solid doctrine and not cheerleading and motivational speaking.
The other error that I will point out is the one that believes that renewal comes from building, fundraising, organization, and activities. This error is popular because it points to visible things. It's hard to point to holiness and devotion as these are mostly internal. It is easy to point to a new church even if it is in the shape of a UFO with clown liturgies taking place inside. You know it is alive inside with the praise band music, the happy clappy garbage, and the "spirit of community" around the sacred picnic table.
Once upon a time, you could go to church and be left alone. You could have a genuine encounter with the Lord. Today, this silence and stillness is under constant assault by the modernist community organizers. They do not have the faith, so they are trying to replace that faith with Marxism.
Why does God allow this? This is desolation. The Roman Catholic Church is in a serious dry spell as those without the faith drive her into the ground. You have to get to a place where all of your strength of will is centered on God alone. Desolation is where we see the purity of our love for Him.
I continue to garden even though there is no rain. I continue to believe and follow the Lord in these times of desolation. You have to be a saint to put up with it all.
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Recycled from the Smoke of Satan blog
