Article Tools
- Text Size
- Add a comment (
- Print-Friendly
- Email this article
I can't pray anymore. It's like there's a wall between me and God."
The statement came from a woman I was guiding through the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius (I'll call her Anna), and it was somewhat puzzling. Prayer had been coming so easily as Anna moved through her first weeks of meditation on God's love.“Are you sick?” I asked her. “Or are you having some difficulty in your relationships with other people?” Problems in these areas can sometimes affect a person’s prayer life.
No, Anna assured me, everything was fine. And she was still rising early every morning so that she could get an hour’s quiet time before reporting for work at seven. “I’m doing everything I was doing before. Why is this happening?”
The answer came only when I asked Anna what she was praying for. “I’ve been asking God to show me what sin is,” she said.
We looked at each other with sudden understanding. That was it: Anna’s prayer was being answered. Without any willful sin on her part, she was being given an interior experience of what sin is—namely, separation from God.
Anna’s prayer life returned to…
The full article is available to subscribers only
Access all articles, daily meditations and readings, as well as special resources, by becoming a subscriber. View subscription options.
Special Offer: Two week free web-only trial subscription. Sign up now.
Existing Print & Web-Only Subscribers: Login for full access.
