Part of the journey of prayer will inevitably involve experiences of apparent failure.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church identifies some of these: discouragement, dryness, hesitancy about what God may be calling us to do, and even the darkness within our own hearts.

However, it is by exposing these things to the light that we can seek healing and forgiveness. The Church reminds us that it is crucial to anticipate and meet these apparent “failures” in the journey of prayer with a right mind and heart, ready to turn these obstacles into greater victories of humility and faith.