Our prayer life is something that we seldom take the opportunity to speak with others about. But to grow in prayer, we need a guide to give us a different perspective of what is happening. For example, it is rather common for someone who has a strong faith and prayer life to hit some roadblocks in prayer. It is easy to be discouraged in our journey with God. In such situations it is helpful to have a trained person available to walk with us in this journey. Someone who is not a counselor or a therapist; rather, someone who is trained in the art of spiritual direction.

The goal of a spiritual director is to walk with someone and to give feedback and observations that assists in such difficult times. St. Ignatius of Loyola in his 4th Rule addresses spiritual desolation, or the roadblocks we encounter in prayer. Spiritual desolation is what happens when someone feels distanced from God, there exists a dryness in prayer and a lack in desire to pray. St. Ignatius recommends a couple of things. First, examine what is happening in life. Are you exhausted, lonely, hungry or angry? If so, these exterior elements might be influencing your prayer. Address the physical aspects of what is challenging and find a way to make the changes that are needed. If none of these things are present, then it is time to examine in detail what is happening in prayer.  St. Ignatius recommends several things that are helpful for overcoming difficult moments.

• First, he recommends that we persevere in prayer. Keep on praying no matter how difficult it is.
• Second, pay attention and note the thoughts, feelings and desires that you have during your prayer.

What were you thinking about, what did you hope would happen are all good questions to ask ourselves. Finally, Ignatius recommends that we take five minutes to write down what happened in our prayer once we have finished praying. One final piece of advice that he gives, is to find a good spiritual director that will help you walk through this process. I know that there are several spiritual directors available to us here in Owensboro. It might be good to take some time to talk with one and see if they can assist in the problems encountered. Our prayer life is central to our ministry. What we do and say comes from the very depths of our prayer. Maybe this week it would be helpful to take some time and acknowledge what is happening interiorly, and develop a game plan to make some changes in life.