One more point today, in response to a question today.
A definition is necessary for what St. Ignatius calls "desolation", which is the time of no consolations. This is a good and it is not the same as depression. If one is depressed, one should not be going to a spiritual advisor, but a trained Catholic psychiatrist or psychologist. Make sure he or she is a Thomist.
But, desolation just means suffering, and lots of it. It is a life where suffering cannot be avoided. For some of us, this could be cancer, or the death of a loved one, or a failed marriage. For some, this suffering is not faced properly but avoided by activity and a lack of reflection.
Silence is a must in desolation. Only in silence can one sense the suffering Christ. Desolation demands attention. And, the immersion into suffering creates silence. I know this....
Reflection is absolutely necessary in desolation. So is faith. It is a time for trusting in God without consolations. Desolation is for mature souls only. Those who have gone through the basic stages of purification and are now entering the striping of the ego and the complete purification of the senses and spirit know this desolation.
St. John of the Cross calls this the Dark Night. God has removed Himself so that one can be purified for His Real Self, not as one imagines Him. He leaves but He has not really left. He is Present, but only in the Passion.
I do not think there are many young people who experience desolation in the Dark Night. If you are young and in inescapable suffering, take it as a gift. The yes to God in desolation is the yes of Christ in Gethsemane.
