The
Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) describes spiritual dryness as a difficulty sometimes experienced in one's prayer life, which may lead to discouragement. Dryness can expose a lack of "rootedness" in the faith, but also provides an opportunity to cling more strongly to God. The CCC makes reference to the seed that fell on the rocks in
Parable of the Sower, as well as to the
Grain of Wheat allegory found in the
Gospel of John. The
Catholic Encyclopedia calls it a form of "passive purification," the fruit of which is "the purification of love, until the soul is so inflamed with love of God that it feels as if wounded and languishes with the desire to love Him still more intensely." The theme of spiritual dryness can be found in the
Book of Job, the
Psalms, the experiences of the
Prophets, and many passages of the
New Testament, as illustrated above. {{cite web | title = The Three Ages of the Interior Life: Ch 4 : The Passive Purification of the Senses and the Entrance into the Illuminative Way | author=Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange, OP |author-link=Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange ==Description by saints==