Sometimes, loving seems dull and ineffective. Sometimes being silent and calm seems hopeless.
Sometimes, the solid view of the truth creates a stark landscape in the mind of long, cold, grey deserts.
Sometimes, we are not what we need to be for a certain situation to turn away from evil and turn to good.
Sometimes, all we can do is surrender to God again and again, even when He is silent.
Sometimes, our prayers fly up like tired birds.
Sometimes, the City of God seems like a far away vision, lost in fog, but one knows it is solid.
This is called the Dark Night of the Soul.