Chapter 68: A prayer for obtaining from God the grace of tears

TURN, O my soul, to the Lord your God, with all your heart, in weeping and in mourning, and pray for the remission of all your sins, and for forgiveness of your neglect of the opportunities of doing good which God has given you from the first day and hour of your life up to the present moment; for with humble prayer, contrition of heart, tears and sighs for our daily shortcomings, and with intercession for all who are troubled, tempted, or heavy laden, God is well-pleased. It is a holy and a pious duty to pray to God for oneself and for one's neighbours; for in this world there is no one without sin, no one who is not in danger. True peace and everlasting rest are to be found in Heaven alone; in our pilgrimage on earth we all have sorrow and trouble; in Hell the fire is never quenched, and its pains are never-ending. To You, then, O Lord my God, do I and will I pray from my heart, with my mouth, and by my work, for all the sins which I have committed, whether by doing those things which I ought not to have done, or by leaving undone those things which I ought to have done. Accept my sorrow, which I offer to You with full purpose and desire of amendment; I resign myself and all that I have into Your Hands, praying only for Your grace, and that You will forgive me all the sins which I have committed in the course of this my pilgrimage, for the merits, and through the intercession, of Your most holy Mother Mary and of all Your Saints, who in this vale of tears, very often shed for themselves, and of their charity for others, tears which were fruitful and profitable. Oh that it might be given to me to follow the example of those Saints, in avoiding idle talk and worldly gossip, and the taking part in foolish and silly chatter.

Jesus prayed upon a mountain, watched all night, wept often, never laughed frivolously, never spoke a light word. When He was accused before the Governor He held His peace; when He spoke He spoke modestly; when He made answer even to ungodly men He made it gently.

Mary, the mother of Jesus, also prayed very often; she wept most bitterly at the Passion of her Son; she sorrowed most grievously, and endured most meekly; when she was out of doors she was modest, and when she was at home she was not restless. In the streets she was circumspect, in the house she was not noisy. She visited her holy kinswoman Elizabeth; and having greeted that humble and pious lady, she offered gifts to her, made obeisance to her, blessed her, and bade her farewell. Having finished her errand of mercy, she returned after the birth of John with all speed to Nazareth. When Jesus was preaching the gospel to the multitudes Mary listened attentively, heard the word with joy, was quick in understanding it, kept it fixed in her mind, meditated on it frequently, uttered it sweetly, and gave thanks to God in all things worthily,

Mary Magdalene also wept bitterly in contrition for her sins, sweetly in thankfulness for benefits received, copiously as compassionating Christ's anguish, eagerly when pondering the joys of Heaven.

Holy Peter also wept, sorrowing deeply whenever, on hearing the cock crow thrice in the night, he called to mind his denial of his Master in days past. That frailty of his lips, into which he had unawares fallen, was the cause to him of a lifelong sorrow for his fault, and of a mighty sympathy with the sorrows of his brethren. O the blessedness of those tears which so speedily washed away all the stains of that offence!

Saint Paul also wept bitterly over the error of his early days, in persecuting Holy Church, and over the sins of others, and the falling away from the faith of the Judaizers and the incontinent. He longed to bring all men to the true faith and to repent of their sins: he longed to inspire them with earnestness in a holy life and conversation, and in following to the end the example of Christ.

Saint John the Apostle also wept bitterly at the Passion of Christ: he stood all the while at the foot of the Cross, comforting and supporting Mary the Mother of Jesus. He wept also over the going astray of many, and over the waxing cold of the love of others: he wept too over a certain youth led astray by the pleasures of the table, but won back and reformed through much shedding of tears.

Our holy father Augustine also wept much over his evil-doings in the world, even as he himself humbly confesses in his writings, thus teaching all those who have turned to God that past sins, though pardoned in confession, should be sorrowfully recalled to mind, by way of stimulating humility, and in order that by this means we may with God's help be kept from again committing them, and may daily mourn, weep and pray over them. The same holy and devout father wept copiously when the hymns, psalms, and canticles were being sung in church; and the quicker he was able to turn away his thoughts from things earthly, the brighter burnt the flame of his love for things heavenly. It was his habit to mourn over the troubles of others, to rejoice with them when all was well with them, to cheer the afflicted with the honey of charity, and to succour the needy.

There are also many other examples of holy men and devout women who have won special grace from God by the shedding of holy tears.