On Tears

All the saints and the monks who have renounced the world wept throughout their entire lives in expectation of eternal consolation, according to the assurance of the Savior of the world: “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted” (Matt. 5:4).

So too must we weep for the forgiveness of our sins. To this let us be persuaded by the words of the Purple-robed Prophet:14 “Those who go out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, carrying their sheaves” (Ps. 125:5–6); and by the words of Isaac the Syrian: “Wet your cheeks with the tears of your eyes, that the Holy Spirit may rest upon you and wash you from the filth of your wickedness. Appease your Lord with tears, that He may come to you.”15

When we weep in prayer and laughter mingles with the tears, this is from the cunning of the devil. The secret and subtle workings of our enemy are difficult to perceive.

In one whose tears of compunction flow, the heart is illumined by the rays of the Sun of Righteousness—Christ our God.