The one who seeks God only when prayer brings sweetness has not yet learned to seek God Himself, but only His consolations.
At the beginning of the spiritual life, the Lord often allows the soul to taste the sweetness of grace, strengthening it and awakening a longing for Him. Yet, in due time, He may hide that consolation—not because He loves less, but because He desires to teach the soul to love the Giver more than His gifts.
True love remains steadfast even when it feels nothing. It prays without sweetness, obeys without reward, and endures without asking for signs. In this quiet faithfulness, the heart is purified of self-love and begins to desire God for His own sake.
Do not measure your prayer by tears, nor your faith by feelings. Grace is no less present when it is unseen. Just as roots grow in the darkness of the earth, so the soul often grows the most during seasons when it seems that nothing is happening.
Seek God, not merely what you receive from Him. Then even His silence will become to you a word of love.
“O God, You are my God; earnestly I seek You; my soul thirsts for You.” (Psalm 63:1)
