“Whoever loves the Savior with a courageous love does not cease to love Him in times of temptation, aridity, and desolation.” (Alphonsus Liguori)
Dear St. Alphonsus, we believe you, and we too wish to show our fidelity to the Lord in this way. But how can we love in such situations—when our hearts feel cold, when we feel completely without strength and utterly desolate, or when we are torn apart by severe temptations? In such moments, a declaration of love to the Lord might almost seem like hypocrisy to us, because it is not sustained at all by warm feelings. Perhaps we are even in a dark inner state and feel aversion toward Your Word and all religious acts. Dear Alphonsus, we do not feel courageous in such moments, but rather indecisive and sluggish. What then?
Our Saint would surely not hesitate to answer and might remind us that the Savior Himself, even in the hours of His utmost humiliation, never ceased to love—to love in deed, to love with the will. He would likely comfort us and say that in such situations, God simply wants us to trust Him without further thought. He would say that we should pour out all our misery before Him, along with all the darkness associated with it. Perhaps he would add that in such situations, we can only bear witness to our love with the “last shred of will.” But precisely this would then be a sign of strength.
Let us simply pray in such dark hours: “Whatever happens, however weak and imperfect I may be, I know in faith, dear Father, that You love me, and that is my strength!”