Introduction to the Devout Life: Fourth Part--Chapter 15

Welcome back, Catholic Pilgrims, to the last reading from the Fourth Part.  If you remember, the Fourth Part has been all about temptations. Last time, we talked about dryness and barrenness in the spiritual life. There is a real temptation when we feel dryness to think that God has utterly abandoned us and that nothing we do makes any difference. We think this because we don't feel anything. We like to feel consolations in our relationship with God and when we do good works we like to feel full of fire and passion when we do them.  However, sometimes we don't and the temptation is to give up. Today, we are going to hear about a person who came into the faith full of zeal and then the dryness set in. St. Francis is going to give us examples of what to do and what not to do during periods of dryness.  So, let's open our books to Chapter Fifteen of the Fourth Part.