“For centuries Christian seekers viewed emotional and spiritual distress not as proof of God’s absence or our failure but as a pathway to God, lights lighting the road in the darkness, pointing us back home. . . . [The mystics] believed that seasons, even long seasons of spiritual darkness and distress, could be forerunners to increased insight and unity with God, with the Spirit.”- Catherine McNiel and Jason Hague
As Catherine McNiel and Jason Hague move on in Chapter 9 of Mid-Faith Crisis, they remind us that crises of faith are normal and even necessary steps on the journey to spiritual maturity. However, these steps are not fun, nor easy to survive. Yet, from within these roiling emotions God gently, eagerly, and persistently calls us. But, the authors counsel, we require help in order to see this, interpret it, and find a path forward.
Furthermore, back in the sixteenth century, Spanish priest and theologian St. Ignatius of Loyola introduced language to help us on that path forward. He talked of consolation and desolation. Ignatius of Loyola described them as movements of the soul. In other words, the pathway your soul is on at any given moment.
Therefore, Ignatius defined consolation as a movement toward hope, faith, charity, and all interior joy. In contrast, desolation describes a disturbance of the soul. Thus, it lacks hope and love, separating us from our Creator and Lord.
In conclusion, Catherine notes the value of these contrasting movements:
“There’s value in describing these opposites not as set-in-stone descriptors of a person’s inner state but as movements, like the movements in a symphony. They don’t last forever, often repeat, and often overlap. The flow in ways that are surprising and unpredictable. Like a symphony, both the jubilant and mournful moments are necessary to produce anything of lasting depth or beauty. If we are on any kind of spiritual journey, we will encounter a good mix of both.”
Today’s question: What helps you view distress as lights lighting the road in the darkness? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “Standing strong against the tides”