Tears for the Soul

[Guest guest]

Tears for the Soul

 

Tears are often considered to be a sign of weakness or vulnerability

by many people. However tears can be a simple signal to the others,

a uniting force of the world……. of the common ties between all members of humanity.

 

Tears keep us connected to others, and their tears to connect us to them. We cry

for the love and compassion that Baba shows us….the same passion of love for

our brothers, sisters, and neighbours.

 

We may cry for sadness, happiness, and for many other reasons. But more than

anything else, we cry to release our emotions and reconnect with our inner

selves, the God in ourselves and in the rest of humanity. Tears keep us

connected to others, and their tears to connect us to them.

 

Sometimes, I find myself crying for no apparent reason....and upon introspection

realsise that it is simply a way to express my emotions in a way that words have

no ability to communicate.

 

There is strength in tears. We weep with gratitude over all the amazing gifts

from God that come our way. We cry when we share moments of great elation with

others. Tears enable us to get in touch with our deepest feelings. They help us

express our grief at endings and the loss of those who are precious to us.

 

Many religious traditions consider the act of crying a gift from God.

 

Jesus wept at the tomb of Lazarus. He also wept over the city of Jerusalem and

in our time, we weep over Jerusalem and Baghdad and New Orleans. A Yiddish

proverb says, ‘What soap is for the baby, tears are for the soul.’

 

The early Christian desert fathers and mothers had the highest regard for what

they called ‘the gift of tears.’ Alan Jones, dean of Grace Cathedral in San

Francisco, says these drops ‘are like the breaking of the waters of the womb

before the birth of a child.’ What a wonderful way to describe the connection

between pain and joy!

 

The religious traditions honour the gift of tears and have found ways to

ritualise it. During the Passover Seder, when Jews remember their escape from

Egypt, they bring salt water to their lips to symbolise the tears of bondage.

 

When a person died in ancient times, mourners put their tears in bottles and

sometimes even wore them around their necks. Over the ages, the weeping of

tears has been a sign of the mystical experiences of saints and repentant

sinners. These transcendent moments go beyond what the mind can comprehend.

 

Tears are a gift of grace from God, and their fruit is always joy. Weeping

arises from the heart and signifies an open and softened heart. Perhaps that is

why so many people are embarrassed to cry; they do not want to reveal their

vulnerability.

 

Yet many of us have felt the rich communal dimensions of crying with others.

Think of the great global funerals of Mother Teresa and Princess Diana where

millions around the world were united in a common experience of grief.

 

Recently....many of us have found ourselves crying easily and often, so much so

that for days crying has seemed to be our primary spiritual practice.

 

We have cried for the people who are hungry ill and helpless,

 

We have cried for the people trapped by the rains in Mumbai.

We have cried for the lives lost and the bodies floating in the flood waters.

 

We have cried for the people of the Gulf Coast who have lost homes, livelihoods,

and in some cases hope during the hurricane.

 

We have shed tears for the victims of Hurricane Katrina left unrescued for days

in New Orleans and other communities.

 

We have cried for the elderly men and women who have had to be carried from their homes.

 

We have cried for the children who have been evacuated far from familiar places,

schools, toys, and friends.

 

We have cried for the dogs, cats, and other companion animals left stranded on

porches and upstairs rooms.

 

We have cried for the lovingly tended gardens now submerged in fetid waters.

 

We have cried for the many cherished homes and businesses destroyed.

 

Our tears have mingled with the tears of victims and now they mingle with your tears.

 

I feel that it is God who has brought us all together as one community through

the gift of tears uniting us in a loving and caring brotherhood of mankind.

 

There are times when God asks nothing of his children except silence, patience

and tears. C S Robinson

 

 

Remain Blessed!

Duty is God, Work is Worship