4. Fight against desolation
Spiritual desolation is experienced as a darkness before divine truth, an insensitivity to the divine Word, laziness in doing good and distance from the Lord. It can have an unexpected strength, and make one vacillate in the good intentions one had just a day before.
St. Ignatius said that when one is in a state of desolation, it is important to pray and meditate more, examine one’s conscience (to understand why you are in a state of desolation) and then apply a proper remedy and punishment.
5. Fight against laziness
If you don’t have anything to do, the Devil will give you plenty of tasks. St. John Bosco wasn’t fond of vacation time for the boys at the oratory, precisely because he knew that having too much time on one’s hands was often accompanied by many temptations.
