Tears in the Lives of the Saints
Tears in the Lives of the Saints (1)
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Saint Arsanius was one of the saints most known for weeping…
It was said that his eyelashes fell out from excessive weeping, and two furrows (grooves) were formed on each of his cheeks from the abundance of tears. In the summer, he used to wet the palm leaves with his tears, and he would place a piece of cloth on his knees to catch the tears that fell from his eyes.
At the hour of his death, he wept greatly, and his disciples said to him, “Even you, our father, fear this hour?!” He replied, “The dread of this hour has been with me since the day I entered monasticism.”
If the great Saint Arsanius wept in such a way, what should we say about ourselves?
And what shall we say about the fear of that hour which accompanied him? And who did it accompany? Arsanius the Great—the example of solitude and silence in the monastic garden, whom Pope Theophilus longed to meet. The saints used to say to him, “Why do you flee from us, Father?” He would answer, “God knows that I love you all, but I cannot speak with God and with people at the same time.”
Arsanius the Great, who would stand to pray at sunset, with the sun behind him, and remain standing in prayer until it rose before him again, spending the whole night in prayer…
Arsanius the humble, the teacher of the sons of kings, who used to consult that uneducated Egyptian monk and say that he had not yet learned the alphabet that the Egyptian knew. He also said that though he had learned Latin and Greek, he had not yet learned how to sort beans with the monks of Scetis.
What sins did Saint Arsanius commit that caused him to weep and fear that hour?!
After all this, shall we hasten to comfort and joy at the beginning of the way, boasting that our sins are forgiven? Seeking gifts? Demanding our share in the inheritance? And forgetting ourselves!!
Truly, David the Prophet, who well experienced tears in his life, said: “Those who sow in tears shall reap in joy” (Psalm 126:5).
It is said that when the holy Pope Theophilus was dying, he said, “Blessed are you, Abba Arsanius, for you have wept all your life for this hour.” -
And when Abba Pimen heard that Saint Arsanius had departed, he said, “Blessed are you, Abba Arsanius, for you have wept for yourself in this world…
For the one who does not weep for himself in this world will surely weep forever in the next. His weeping here is by choice, but there it will be because of the punishment he receives. It is impossible for a person to escape weeping—either here or there.”
Truly, David the Prophet, who well experienced tears in his life, said: “Those who sow in tears shall reap in joy” (Psalm 126:5). -
Another famous example of tears is Saint Isidore, the priest of the Cells.
He was in charge of three thousand monks. He saw visions, and the demons feared and fled from him. He could cast out demons easily…! Once, the devil appeared to him and said, “Is it not enough for you that we cannot pass by your cell, nor the one next to it, and that a brother who was once ours in the desert now attacks us with his prayers day and night?”…
And yet, Saint Isidore wept with abundant tears. He wept loudly, so that his disciple in the next room heard him and entered, saying, “Why do you weep, Father?” The saint replied, “My son, I weep for my sins.” The disciple said, “Even you, our father, have sins to weep over?!” He answered, “Truly, my son, if God were to reveal to me all my sins, even if three or four others joined me in weeping, it would not be enough!”
These saints had a deep sensitivity toward sin, knowing that it is exceedingly sinful and wounds the loving heart of God.
They did not think of sin’s punishment but of God’s feelings—that they had not yet pleased Him, despite the high level of spirituality they had reached. They saw that this “shortcoming,” when measured against the perfection they sought, was the sin for which they wept with tears… -
Among those who wept with tears was Saint Pachomius, the father of community monasticism.
After his prayer, his disciples found the ground where he stood soaked with tears. -
Saint Macarius the Great was also famous for his tears.
When the time of his departure drew near, the fathers asked him to come so they might receive his blessing before his passing, instead of all the monks of the mountain going to him. When he came to them, they gathered around him and asked for a word of benefit. The saint wept and said to them, “Let us weep, my brethren, and let our eyes overflow with tears before we go to the place where our tears will burn our bodies.” Then they all wept and fell on their faces, saying, “Pray for us, Father.” -
Among those who became famous for their tears was Saint Paphnutius, disciple and successor of Saint Macarius the Great.
From his early youth, he grew in holiness, and all the fathers admired and loved him. He became head of Scetis after Saint Macarius.
This saint told his disciples, “When I was a boy, I found a cucumber that had fallen from the camel drivers, so I took it and ate it. Whenever I remember this story, I weep.” This happened when he was young. Later, he became a monk, grew in grace, became head of Scetis, cast out demons, and Pope Theophilus longed to hear a word of benefit from his mouth. Yet every time he remembered that story, he wept…
This weeping was not for forgiveness of sin, for David the Prophet wept even after God had forgiven him, after Nathan the Prophet said to him: “The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die” (2 Samuel 12:13).
The sensitive person does not weep only to seek forgiveness but out of sorrow for having fallen so low, for having grieved the Holy Spirit dwelling in him, and for having boldly broken the commandments of the loving God who created him in His image and likeness, and thus lost that image through sin.
Weep, my brother, here, so that the Lord may wipe your eyes.
But if you do not weep here, what will Christ wipe from your eyes in the next world? The one who does not weep here will have fountains of tears of despair flowing from his eyes—tears that no one can wipe away, tears that cannot extinguish the surrounding fire.
It is noteworthy that the Church invites us daily to weep for our sins in the second watch of the Midnight Prayer, where we say: “Give me, O Lord, many fountains of tears, as You gave in the past to the sinful woman, and make me worthy to wash Your feet, which set me free from the path of error, and to offer You precious ointment, and to gain for myself a pure life through repentance.”
Thus, we place before us the Gospel of the sinful woman (Luke 7), praying it daily at midnight and learning from her tears and repentance. Each of us stands before God and says: “Give me, O Lord, many fountains of tears, that I may weep for my pride, my anger, my cruelty, my impurity, my negligence, my sins of tongue, heart, and mind… my lack of love for You and for people, my lack of seriousness in spiritual matters, and my lack of diligence in keeping Your commandments.”
How much have the holy fathers spoken about weeping and tears!
A brother asked Saint Abba Pimen, “What should I do about my sins?” He answered, “The one who wants his sins to be wiped away can do so through weeping, for weeping is the way the Scriptures have taught us. The fathers also wept continually. There is no other way.”
Abba Noah asked Saint Macarius, “Tell me a word of benefit.” The elder said, “Flee from people.” Abba Noah asked, “What do you mean, Father, by ‘flee from people’?” The elder said, “Sit in your cell and weep for your sins.”
The spiritual elder said, “Blessed are those whose cheeks are burned by the tears of Your love, for these tears water the speaking earth that was burned by fire and bring forth the fruits of the Spirit.”
God asks us to weep continually and says to us in the book of Joel the Prophet: “Turn to Me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning” (Joel 2:12). And in the book of Malachi: “Covering the altar of the Lord with tears, with weeping and crying out” (Malachi 2:13).
We need these tears as long as we are on earth. It is enough that our Lord Jesus Christ said in His Beatitudes: “Blessed are you who weep now…” (Luke 6:21). The word “now” means here on earth, and the words “for you shall be comforted” mean there in heaven, for tears bear the fruit of comfort.
These tears that should mark every person’s life have causes that strengthen them and causes that weaken them.
What are these causes?
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Article by His Holiness Pope Shenouda III – Al-Keraza Magazine – Year 18 – Issues 7, 8 (March 2, 1990)
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