During times of spiritual difficulty and purification, it may feel like God has abandoned us, but this is not the case. God allows us to experience these feelings to purify us of selfishness and strengthen our virtues. Like Mother Teresa, we should focus on loving and serving others, even when we don’t feel God’s presence, because He is always with us, guiding us towards sainthood.
The journey to holiness involves four stages: the active and passive nights of the senses, and the active and passive nights of the spirit. While we can actively pursue virtues like humility, true perfection requires God’s transformative work through trials and darkness. These experiences, though painful, are ultimately rewards that purify us and deepen our charity, the foundation of all virtues.
