September 14, 2025

Dear Parishioners,

We often use the word “consolation” in prayer. Someone in spiritual consolation feels close to God and sees evidence of the fruits of the Holy Spirit in their life. They are increasing in faith, hope, and love, and are generally joyful, peaceful, kind, disciplined, and so forth. As opposed to someone in spiritual desolation who feels very far from God and struggles to pray. They are afflicted by a decline in faith, hope, and love, and generally could be seen as anxious, angry, indulgent and so forth.

What’s fascinating about consolation and desolation, among other things, is that consolation/desolation aren’t strictly tied to our external circumstances. For instance, someone experiencing the cross could be in consolation. I’ve seen this before in people who have cancer or are in difficult marriages or have a rough job. Outwardly they are suffering, but they are in spiritual consolation because God is very near to them and their souls are expanding in holiness. They are not happy, but they are joyful. Likewise, someone who has all the money in the world with no health or family problems can be in desolation. They have nothing to be sad about, but they cannot connect to God and they aren’t increasing in virtue.

We celebrate the cross this weekend with the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross. Yes, we praise and honor our Lord who died for us. But we also acknowledge, in general, the beauty of the cross in our lives. The cross can be a pathway to consolation. It is our way to God. When we are afflicted with the cross we can either draw close to God or we can perish. If we choose the way of the disciple–drawing close to God and not perishing–we will experience salvation right now.

I read recently an interesting play on the word consolation. The author called it “The Prayer of Consoulation.” The change of just one letter changes the whole meaning of consolation in a beautiful way. Consoulation means to unite your soul to the soul of another (“con” means “with”). If I’m in consolation right now, to consoul another would be to unite my soul with someone I know who is struggling and perhaps in desolation. Consoulation is more than sympathy, which has a distance to it. You might feel sorry for someone but you don’t actually share their pain with them. With consoulation, you leave your own self-absorption and, in a mystical way, fuse your consolation and joy and strength with the person suffering. This is real prayer, and it works.

Perhaps this could be a way we ponder the cross this week. St. Paul says “bear with one another in love” (Ephesians 4:2). When we look at someone suffering the cross and perhaps in desolation, maybe we could consoul them. This person may never know of the gift you gave them by joining your soul with theirs. But they’ll be helped. And God will be pleased. This is what it means to live in the Kingdom.

And guess what? Perhaps the reason you’re still here and survived your desolation was because someone consouled you.

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Our parish is blessed to have several opportunities for adult faith formation and community. On Monday, September 15th our men’s spiritual group, That Man is You, starts up again. This group meets Mondays at 7:30pm in the Kinane Center. Our women’s spiritual group, Walking With Purpose, begins on Wednesday, September 17th at 7:30pm in the Kinane Center. Finally, our parish Bible Study, on Wednesday evenings and Thursday mornings, also begins this week. Everyone is welcome, whether you’ve been part of these groups in the past or you are new. You’ll find more information on each of these groups inside the bulletin.

Yours in Christ,

Fr. James Wallace