There are times when we pray, and we are filled with happiness and peace. There are other times when we pray, and we experience no positive emotions at all. This lack of emotion in prayer is called dryness.
There are three reasons why we may experience dryness in prayer. First, it may be due to unconfessed sin. Second, it may be due to physical and/or mental exhaustion or illness. Third, it may be due to the fact that God does not want us to experience positive emotions in prayer for a period of time.
There are a few things we can do to try to eliminate dryness. We can examine our consciences and deal with any unconfessed sin. We can take a sacramental like a rosary or crucifix and hold it close to us for a few minutes. We can meditate before a crucifix or image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus on the unfathomable love of God for us. We can take a nap or go to bed early if we are physically spent. If none of these remove the dryness, then we need to gently and patiently accept it as God's will, and continue to pray and move towards God in sincerity. God is using the "fire" of dryness to purify us and draw us to a deeper intimacy with himself.
In times of dryness, may God give us the grace not to despise them but to patiently endure them, so he can accomplish the good work he intends to do in us.
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