Difference between the Passive Night of the Senses and Desolation

[SupposesRoses]

Hi all!

     I've been doing some reading about the passive night of the senses and also about consolation/desolation in the spiritual life.  There seem to be some similarities between the passive night of the senses, but I am having a hard time figuring out the differences.  Are these things distinct conditions?  Would one do similar things during desolation and in the passive night?  Can these happen at the same time?  I can't wait to hear your thoughts! 

[Anastasia]

As far as I know, desolation according to St Ignatius is the state that moves a person away from God.  A person is focused on himself, not on God.

In the “passive night of the senses” (by the way, usually someone understands where he was only in a hind side) a person is, as St John of the Cross puts it, painfully focused on God. He feels spiritually impotent. Nothing of the worldly things satisfy him but he does not find a habitual satisfaction in God either. It is a kind of sitting dully and waiting. There are thoughts like “I cannot do anything, God is far“, fear that a person lost God and so on. I suspect that the psyche of each individual gives a particular shape to that experience.

It seems to me that “the night” is lengthy while “desolation” is short. It is like a sudden assault. I perceive it to be more “neurotic”, with many thoughts, stirrings, anger etc.

As for the actions I think they are similar in spirit. A person should do things that help her not to sink. In a case of the “night” the pivotal thing is to be patient and surrender to God, “waiting on Him”. Eastern Orthodoxy also advices to read Psalms. Yet, the same Psalms are excellent doing desolation as well. I feel that “desolation” demands more radical things, a response to the enemy while “the night” – just sitting and continue focusing on God.

Finally, in both cases it is important to carry on with a usual rule.

[Anastasia]

I have a fresh example. While typing the response I noticed I could go to Mass immediately yet I felt almost repugnance because recently I have been digging into child sexual abuse and (most importantly) our parish has been covering up the abuse of various kinds. The response of my psyche was well justified yet I allowed it to extend disproportionally. I felt that something bad was going on so I forced myself to go. I went; there was a priest who is here by a contract, not connected with the abusive history of the parish. Participating in Mass and receiving communion immediately put everything in a prospect: the abuse is real but Christ also real. Also, I recalled the prophesy of our Orthodox Saints about the time when the evil would be so much present in the Church that all that faithful could do is to go to Liturgy and receive while it is possible. Desolation stopped abruptly. That episode had all those typical features of desolation: a neurotic spiral, turning away from God, not feeling that I belonged to His house etc. The motto was "screw you all!"

Speaking of "the night", the experience was totally different. It has been stretching over years; there was always longing for God, for being with Him. The motto "please do not leave me".

I hope it helps.

Edited November 18, 2020 by Anastasia

[SupposesRoses]

Thanks so much, @Anastasia!  This helped a ton!