Eleventh of Year A - Consolation & Desolation
June 2008
Sitting outside in my back garden one late evening recently I noticed that there were two layers of cloud. The upper layer, which was much higher than the lower layer, glowed golden and silvery white, bathed in the rays of the setting sun. The lower layer, for which the sun had already set, was dark gray and holding the threat of rain and wind, was rapidly obscuring the upper layer. As I watched, the upper layer was totally obscured by the lower layer.
Had I not been alert and looked up a little earlier I would be totally unaware of the existence of the shining upper layer which was still there but now totally invisible to me.
The parallel with my spiritual life; with my relationship with God, was very clear to me. The times when faith in God was clear and obvious to me, bringing delight and warmth into my life. The times when belief in God was a struggle or non existent; when God and the things of God were obscured or totally invisible.
At these latter times the earlier memories and experiences of the closeness of God can buoy us up and strengthen our wavering faith.
All the great spiritual writers speak of this. They speak of the times of great spiritual consolation and the times of great spiritual desolation. This is normal.
This should not surprise you. I am sure that in your married life there are times when your life overflows with joy and times when you wonder what moment of insanity prompted you to marry this particular person or get married at all.
These ‘bad’ periods are very painful but very necessary. They test and purify my faith in God or my love for, and commitment to, my marriage partner and family.
At such times one can only sit tight and weather the storm, buoyed up by thoughts and memories of the good times.