One Must Not Be Troubled by the Scarcity of Spiritual Feelings and Other Interior Temptations

Although in the seventh chapter I have already spoken of dryness and coldness of heart and of the grief the soul experiences from it, I will say something more here that was not said there—namely, that dryness and coldness of heart, or the scarcity of spiritual joy and sweetness, bring much benefit to the soul when we receive and bear them with humility and patience. And if a person knew this benefit in advance, he would certainly feel no heaviness or grief when such a condition came upon him. For then he would not count this bitter scarcity of interior spiritual consolations as a sign of God’s disfavor, but would see in it an act of His special love, and would therefore receive it with joy as a great mercy of God.

It is already a source of consolation that such states are experienced chiefly by persons who with particular zeal devote themselves to the service of God and with particular attention strive to avoid all that can offend Him—and they experience them not at the beginning of their turning to God, but only after they have served Him long enough, when they have sufficiently purified their heart by sacred prayer and contrition, when they have felt a certain spiritual sweetness, warmth, and joy, and when as a result they have resolved to devote themselves entirely to God and have already begun that work. Nor do we see that sinners and those who are given over to the vanities of life and the world experience anything similar or undergo such temptations. From this it is clearly seen that this bitterness is an honorable and precious table, to which God invites His beloved ones for a feast; and though it is not pleasant to taste at the time, it brings us much benefit, even though this is not seen when we are tasting it. For the soul, being in a state of such dryness, tasting this bitterness and suffering from such temptations and thoughts—the very recollection of which causes trembling, poisons the heart and almost altogether kills the inner person—being, I say, in such a state, the soul learns not to trust itself or rely on its own good disposition, and acquires that true humility which God so desires from us; and beyond this, it is animated to seek a warmer love toward God, more careful attention to its own thoughts, and greater courage in bearing such temptations without harm, and emerges from this conflict with feelings trained to the more certain discernment ”of good and evil,” as St. Paul said (Heb. 5:14)—though, I repeat, not seeing these hidden good fruits, it is troubled and flees the said bitterness, since it does not wish to remain even a short time without tasting spiritual consolations, and without them counts every other spiritual exercise as time wasted and labor fruitless.