When the soul first dedicates itself to the spiritual life, God usually encourages the beginner by granting him special favours and sense consolations. These are of great benefit to the soul but beginners are apt to develop a kind of spiritual gluttony for them. And so at that point God usually brings to an end this flow of sensible fervour in order to test the fidelity of beginners and to bring them to a purer form of love for the giver instead of for his gifts.
Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange OP (1877–1964)