Chapter 70: Of the tears of Jesus over Lazarus

O GRACIOUS and holy Tears of my Lord Jesus Christ, so lovingly and so copiously shed at the death and raising to life of Lazarus, out of sympathy with Mary and Martha and their friends, and with the Jews who were weeping with them, come, I pray You, to my aid when my heart is dry, and break down the stubbornness of my will: do this, I pray You, especially when in prayer and meditation I ought, in true penitence, to weep over my sins, and so get rid of all their filth, whether those stains upon my soul have been contracted openly or secretly, and are of thought, or word, or deed! By day and by night, both morning and evening, do I bewail them, O Lord, as often as I call to mind my evil-doings and all the benefits which in Your mercy You have showered upon me and upon all mankind. Amen.

Of the Tears of Jesus over Jerusalem

O sacred and loving Tears of my Lord Jesus Christ so compassionately shed from streaming eyes at the thought of the overthrow and destruction of the faithless city of Jerusalem! The dwellers therein, by reason of their unbelief, could take no profit from You, but to me and to all faithful and devout souls You are very pleasing and very dear.

Slow of heart, therefore, and wretched man though I be, I pray You to fall abundantly upon me, and to wash away from the face of my soul the filth with which all the many sins of my whole life have defiled it; that so, being made inwardly pure, I may be found meet to join the company of the holy Angels in Heaven, there with them to behold the Father's beauteous Face. When this sad life is over, may I, through the intercession of all the Saints, find mercy before my just Judge, our Lord Jesus Christ; and at the general resurrection of the dead may I, for the infinite merits of His Sacred Death and Passion, be found worthy of a place among the blest, in the heavenly Jerusalem. Amen.

Of the tears of the Blessed Virgin Mary as she stood at the Cross's foot

O loving, O holy, and most sorrowful tears which, on the first Good Friday, when she beheld the most bitter Cross and Passion of Christ, the blessed and undefiled Mary, ever Virgin, shed by reason of her inward fellow-suffering with her Son, how often did you run down over her cheeks and breast to the skirts of her clothing; how often did you plentifully moisten the veil which covered her sacred head, and falling upon her sacred feet bedew the dust of the earth. Oh that in following our Lady's footsteps I might secretly gather with my hand into a small vessel the hot tears which fell from her sacred eyes, and might wash with them not only my feet, which I have so often soiled by giving way to evil thoughts and wrong desires, but also my hands and my head, that is my evil words and actions, and so might obtain remission of all the sins which day by day I commit.

O loving Mother of God, Mary ever Virgin, be gracious to me, and by your bitter laments and devout prayers blot out all my sins! O dearest Mary, come in my last hour to the help of my soul; come with the host of angels and of saints to defend me from fear of the enemy and from the pains of hell! Remember the precious Blood which your beloved Son shed, and the Death which, all innocent as He was, He suffered for me, a sinner: remember His Side pierced with the lance; remember all the tears which you did shed throughout your whole life; have pity on me when I am in my last agony, and lift up my heart to you; for in your merits and in the prayers of the saints do I place my trust, O clement, O loving, O most sweet Virgin Mary, Mother of God! Amen.

Of the washing of the soul by the many tears of blessed Mary Magdalene and other Saints

As often as I think of the Tears of Christ, and call to mind the weeping and the mourning of the saints, I cannot help being secretly displeased with myself and feeling utterly put to shame in the sight of God: I feel that I deserve to be beaten with many stripes, and to be overwhelmed with reproaches; I stand aghast at myself, for I am full of sores and I mourn not, I am smitten and I grieve not, I am mangy and I groan not, I am filthy and I wash not, I am poisoned and I seek no antidote; I am weak and feeble, but I seek not the timely help of the Physician of my soul.

Woe is me that the words and the deeds of Jesus move me not so quickly to tears as do the foolish tales of men to laughter. I sin daily, and in almost every moment of my life I go wrong in one way or another, and leave undone what I ought to have done, and yet I wear a cheerful countenance.

Woe is me that I do not fall with Mary Magdalene at Jesus' feet, and do not weep for sorrow of heart, that so with her I may win forgiveness. O Mary, remember me now, and lovingly plead for me to Jesus so long as I live in this frail body, and in so many ways offend.

Woe is me that, whether I am in choir or in my cell, I weep not with Peter when I hear the cock crow, or the birds warning me by their song to rise at once from my bed and pray for pardon of all the sins and negligences of which I have been guilty by day and by night.

Woe is me that with blessed Paul I do not continually mourn and weep for all the evil which, whether wilfully or thoughtlessly, I have committed, for which I ought always to be sorry, to be mourning and praying; bearing patiently and lovingly the while all the trials and burdens laid upon me.

Woe is me that I neither have, nor can attain to, the purity of Saint John the Apostle; and yet do not grieve so much for my own vileness as he mourned and wept over the sins of others.

O holy John, beloved Apostle of Christ, and most faithful guardian[3] of blessed Mary ever Virgin, humbly and with a contrite heart I beseech you to stand by my side in this my weary life on earth; and even as at the foot of the Cross you did support the blessed Virgin Mother in her grief and tears, so to support me in the perilous hour of death; that the cruel enemy may not get the better of me in the fight, and that I may be strong in the faith, and may put my trust not in myself but in the Passion of Christ, and in the merits and prayers of the saints. In that hour of my greatest need grant me the support of your faithful prayers, and above all of those holy and very bitter tears, which during the Passion of Christ you did so plenteously shed, out of sympathy with the tears and mournful sighs of the Mother of Jesus, the wailing of Mary Magdalene, and the heartrending lamentations of your fellow-disciples and of the holy women; for those tears of yours were not shed in God's sight to no purpose, but were in truth most profitable to me and to the whole world; nay, to this day they profit me, and teach me to weep and to mourn with you, and daily to call to mind the Passion of my Lord Jesus Christ, to grieve for my sins, and to pray without ceasing.

O loving Jesus, would that I could gather up all Your Tears, and the tears of Your Mother Mary, those of blessed Mary Magdalene, that most faithful bewailer of Your Passion, those of all the saints whether men or women, and those of all Your faithful servants whether men or women, into one large and strong vessel; would that I could heat it with the fire of the Holy Spirit: would that I could throw into and bathe in it my soul, and by weeping and mourning earnestly, could wash away the stains of all my sins, whether of my past or of my daily life; would that I could therein, as if in the waters of Baptism, or in those of Jordan's stream, cleanse, purify and make white my soul, and be born again, be renewed, and be created afresh; that so, washed and made pure by the prayers and tears of the saints from all my sins and offences, I might be found worthy in this life present to find grace and mercy with You, and at my death to join Your Saints in glory everlasting. I ask this for Your Sake, O Lord Jesus Christ, Who with the Father, etc. Amen.