In the spiritual journey, many saints have traversed periods of profound inner darkness. Among these, Mother Teresa of Calcutta represents a luminous example of faithfulness despite the darkness. For nearly fifty years of her life, Mother Teresa experienced spiritual desolation, a perceived absence of God’s presence that she called her “dark night.” Yet, despite this darkness, she never yielded to spiritual laziness. Each day, without fail, she began with adoration of the Eucharist, followed by Holy Mass and constant prayers that accompanied her tireless service to the poorest of the poor. Her life clearly demonstrates the difference between spiritual darkness and spiritual laziness.
This fundamental distinction was beautifully illuminated by Don Dolindo Ruotolo in his spiritual reflections. In his autobiography “Fui Chiamato Dolindo Che Significa Dolore” (I Was Called Dolindo Which Means Suffering), Don Dolindo reports an interior locution received from the Lord on May 6, 1918, in which this important difference is clarified.
The Lord, through Don Dolindo, warns us: “Be careful not to confuse spiritual darkness with spiritual laziness. Laziness makes you feel boredom in prayer; darkness makes you feel aridity. Even in aridity you can pray, because you can speak to me as children.” These words reveal to us that while laziness distances us from prayer by generating disgust and boredom, spiritual darkness is instead a condition of aridity in which, despite everything, we can continue to turn to God as His children.
And the Lord promises that this state of aridity is not destined to last: “Arid prayer lasts only a short time and soon the ice melts, when there is no desire for self-satisfaction in your heart. Begin to pray; I will hear you speak and I will open the door, because I know I love you very much.” Here is the key: to begin praying, even in spiritual dryness, trusting in God’s love that listens and opens the door of His heart.
In moments of inner darkness, the advice is clear: “In inner darkness you must not neglect your piety, you must not interrupt your good practices, but you must be constant.” It is precisely this constancy that Mother Teresa exemplified in her life, persevering in prayer and service despite the absence of sensible consolations.
Don Dolindo emphasizes the importance of spiritual sobriety: “I want you to be sober, so that the sacred fire that blazes in you is distributed in your ordinary life and makes it all a hymn of blessing and praise before God.” Spiritual sobriety allows fervor to be not just a momentary experience but to become a force that permeates all of daily life, transforming it into continuous prayer.
In darkness, Don Dolindo suggests a simple but powerful prayer: “Blessed be the Name of God, be adored, be thanked.” This prayer, he tells us, “is like the spark that revives all the fire that seems extinguished, it is the current of air that gives it new vigor and makes it more active.” It is a prayer that reignites the flame of faith even in the darkest moments.
Surprisingly, the Lord reveals that these periods of darkness are actually a grace: “Do not be troubled therefore in these darknesses, which are also a mercy, because they free you from falling into the exhaustion of the spirit.” If we were always in sensible fervor, the soul would become exhausted. Spiritual darkness thus becomes a time of salutary rest where, no longer seeing the divine light, we instead see our misery, humble ourselves, weep, consider ourselves last of all, renew our resolutions, and seek God with greater longing.
Jesus, speaking through Don Dolindo, concludes with a touching reassurance: “Walk with great simplicity before my gaze and do not fear, because I know where I must guide you and I know how to proportion your steps in the salutary pastures that must nourish you.” God knows the path. He knows where to guide us, and how to adapt our steps to the pastures that nourish us.
The lesson we can draw from Mother Teresa’s example and Don Dolindo’s teachings is that spiritual darkness is not a failure, but an opportunity for growth. Like Mother Teresa who, despite her “dark night,” tirelessly continued to serve Christ in the poorest, we too are called to persevere in prayer and good works during periods of aridity.
Spiritual darkness teaches us to seek God not for the consolations He gives us, but for Himself. In this darkness, paradoxically, we take the most resolute steps toward God, because it is here that we learn to walk no longer in the light of sensible consolations, but in the pure light of faith.
In these moments, we can find comfort by turning to Mary, the Mother who knew the deepest darkness at the foot of the Cross. As Don Dolindo often taught, Mary is our sure guide in spiritual darkness, the one who knows how to hold our hand when we no longer see the light. By entrusting ourselves to her, we find the strength to persevere in faith, even when the path seems darkest. Mary, star of the morning, always illuminates our path toward Jesus.
Author’s Note: If you would like to read more about Don Dolindo’s spirituality, check out these books: Don Dolindo’s Books.
Ruotolo, D. (2020). Fui chiamato dolindo che significa dolore. Pagine di autobiografia. Casa Mariana Editrice. Apostolato Stampa. Chapter 57.
Photo by Nicholas Szewczyk on Unsplash
