What should I do when prayer feels dry or God feels absent?

Keep praying, even without consolation. God may seem absent, but His faithfulness is deeper than your feelings, and dry prayer offered in love can be especially sincere.

Understand what dryness is. Spiritual dryness is a lack of felt comfort, insight, or desire during prayer. The Catechism describes it as a common difficulty in which the heart feels separated from God and prayer seems to have no taste (CCC 2731). Dryness does not by itself mean you have failed, lost faith, or been abandoned. Jesus promised to remain with His Church always (Mt 28:20), and nothing can separate those in grace from His love (Rom 8:38-39).

Respond with steady faithfulness. Keep your normal prayer time, even if you can manage only a simple act of faith: "Jesus, I believe. Help my unbelief" (Mk 9:24). Read a psalm slowly. Pray the Our Father. Sit before the tabernacle. Bring God the truth about your condition rather than pretending to feel devotion. The Psalms themselves include cries of desolation, such as, "My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?" (Ps 22:2). Jesus prayed those words from the cross (Mt 27:46).

Examine possible causes. Dryness can have many sources. Fatigue, grief, depression, stress, physical illness, distraction, or an overloaded schedule can affect prayer. Deliberate sin can also dull the heart. Make an honest examination of conscience. If you are aware of mortal sin, seek confession promptly and refrain from Communion until absolved (CCC 1457; Canon 916). If no serious sin is present, do not invent one. Scrupulous self-accusation does not heal prayer.

Accept purification without self-diagnosis. Sometimes God permits dryness so that we learn to love Him for His own sake rather than for pleasant experiences. The saints describe deeper purifications of prayer, but a difficult week should not automatically be labeled a "dark night." That term belongs to a specific spiritual tradition and is best discerned with an experienced priest or spiritual director. The ordinary duty remains simple: watch, pray, repent, and persevere (CCC 2729-2733).

Use the help God provides. Attend Sunday Mass, receive the Eucharist worthily, go to confession regularly, and stay close to Scripture. Speak with a priest if dryness lasts a long time or causes serious distress. If it accompanies persistent hopelessness, anxiety, or depression, seek competent mental health care as well. Spiritual and medical help can work together.

For now, choose one brief daily prayer time and keep it for a week. Offer God your presence, even when you cannot feel His.