Tears

[Rose]

Tears of repentance are one thing, tears that flow because of divine compunction are another. The first are like a river in a spate that sweeps away all the bastions of sin; the second are to the soul like rain or snow to a field, making it yield a bountiful crop of spiritual knowledge.
—Nikitas Stithatos

Could someone please expand on the above? Is it one's state of mind that distinguish between the two?

Thank you in advance

[matt]

In my own understanding and in speaking with others, and this may be way off, there are different types of tears. ONe would accompany sorrow over one's own sins, usually with a specific action or word in mind over which one is sorrowful and turning to the Lord. The other form of tears, which I would identify as divine or grace-given compunction, comes as an illumination. This may only occur a few times in one's life, and why it is given I do not know, but there is a flow of tears wherein the heart and mind is illumined with a deep spiritual knowing. At these times the Christian seems to have passed through a veil or the scales have fallen off the eyes so that the one thing needful is so clearly apparent and burning that it is impossible but to weep in a sorrowful joy over all of what God has done for the whole world in His economy from the Incarnation down to the tiniest blade of grass outside the window. I was caught by the words of Nikitas Stithatos concerning this. My own understanding is that this form of tears is also often accompanied by the divine light spoken of by so many and detailed by Motovilov in his expereince with St Seraphim.

One thing that I have wondered over, and hopfully you all can help, is if there is a distinction made in the Tradition bwn a natural illumination and a divine illumination wherein both have the occurance of radiant splendour. Is this distinction made? I seem to remember reading that once or hearing it from someone. Both would be seen as grace-filled and God-given, but only the latter as the uncreated light.

Matt

There is a very good book on the subject of repentance in the fathers of the desert by Irenee Hausherr (I may have spelled that incorrectly) entitled "Penthos" which goes over this in great detail.

Matt

[Charalambos Andrew Geo]

In prayers there is an asking for tears, but ask your spiritual advisor/father, staretz or geronda,

[Moses Anthony]

Dear Rose,

This is just my humble opinion!

It seems to me that whether or not one may cry tears of repentance or compunction; it is,as all things are in the spiritual life, a matter of the heart. The Holy Spirit convicts mankind of sin, righteousness, and judgement, but if our hearts are hardened it matters little what the Spirit convicts us of, we will still go our way.

Tears of repentance leads us to forgiveness, cleansing, and joy. Whereas the heart/nous (take your pick) may be pricked by the Holy Spirit in compunction, it isn't necessarily as a result of sin. The story is told of an Orthodox Christian who was in attendance during Holy Week at a Western Rite service. When the refrain of a hymn was sung, "...Testify against Me", he began to weep. Feeling himself to be lowly instead of standing, weeping , he knelt and reached up to kiss the Blessed Cross of our Lord, when time came to reverence it. He had been to confession!

In that instance his tears resulted in enlightenment. Whether or not he continues in the light God so mercifully showed him, is another question, which could result in another time of conviction by the Blessed Holy Spirit.

As I said, this is just my opinion.

a sinful and unworthy servant

[Fr Raphael Vereshack]

rom my reading of the book In Peace Let us Pray to the Lord- an Orthodox Interpretation of the Gifts of the Spirit (by Fr. Alexis Trader of the Holy Mt.) I would say that James is on the right track. The "tears that flow because of divine compunction" would refer to an actual Divine gift when the Holy Spirit comes to the human heart and causes the prayer of 'Abba Father' and tears. This can only come however as a result of selflessly & faithfully following Christ's commandments, of having followed the path of purification (ie repentance & humility) & illumination which leads to glorification (deification or perceiving the glory of Christ).

If the above interpretation is correct than the "tears of repentance" would refer to the more 'natural' state of having our conscience aroused due to our sin. This is part of the repentance we bring to confession and may be accompanied by sorrow for what we have done.

One of the crucial points about the difference between these two types of tears is that of realising in humility that if we repent and feel sorrow for what we have done we are still only at the beginning of the spiritual path and have not reached any great heights. Until we reach the Love of Christ through the Holy Spirit (ie the higher stages of glorification) and are ourselves filled with His love for all other creatures, any virtue (including repentance) risks falling back into pride. So love as St Paul said is the heights.

In Christ- Fr Raphael

[Owen Jones]

Compunction is the feeling of being aroused to an intense state of remorse and guilt over sin. Repentence is the state of sincere longing to then conform oneself to God's will. So, if one is trying to construct a strict taxonomy for the phenomenon, then I would think that compunction is the precursor to repentence.

These can happen suddenly, and without warning, without any intentionality on the part of the person, (like Sgt. York in the famous scene in which the lightening blows up his musket!), but Christian discipline is designed to implement certain spiritual exercises that can create the conditions for these states to more likely occur, in order that we can be exhorcized of our demons and begin to make spiritual progress.

[Seraphim]

Thought this may help:

"All Saints, and monks who have renounced the world, have spent their whole lives in weeping, in the hope of eternal consolation, according to the assurance of the Saviour of the world. "Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted".

And thus should we weep for the forgiveness of our sins. The words of the bearer of the purple should convince us of this: Going they went and wept, casting their seeds; but coming they shall come with joyfulness, carrying their sheaves. (Ps. 125:6-7) as well as the words of St. Isaac the Syrian: "Moisten your cheeks with the tears of your eyes, that the Holy Spirit may abide in you, and cleanse the filth of your malice. Move your Lord with your tears, that He may help you." (Homily 68)

When we weep at prayer, and laughter mixes in, then know that this comes from the cunning of the devil. It is difficult to understand the stealthy subtle workings of our enemy.

The heart of one who weeps tears of tender feeling (umileniye) is illumined by rays of the Sun of righteousness - Christ our God."

[Rose]

Thank you all. In humility I cannot relate my experiences with tears. However, your words have lit a lamp of understanding. Thank you again.

Rose