Письмо 2
Discerning the Source of Tears
The author distinguishes between tears arising from natural human weakness and those that are gifts of divine grace.
You often weep, as I gather from your earlier words and from the incident you described. There are tears from weakness of heart, from a very soft disposition, from illness; some people even force themselves into weeping; and there are also tears that come from grace.
The Nature of Spiritual Weeping
True spiritual tears are defined by the interior state of the heart and the transformative work of God rather than the physical act of crying.
The worth of tears isn't measured by the water that runs from the eyes, but by what is going on in the soul while they fall and after them. Since I don't have the grace of tears myself, I won't presume to reason about them; I only guess that tears of grace are tied to many changes in the heart. The main thing is that the heart should then burn in the fire of God's judgment—not with pain and scorching, but with compunction, brought by hope from the throne of the merciful God, who judges sin and has mercy on the sinner.1 It also seems to me that these tears should come only toward the end of one's labors—not outward labors, but the work of cleansing the heart—as a final washing or rinsing of the soul.2 Furthermore, they don't last for an hour, or a day or two, but for years. Also, they say there is a kind of weeping of the heart without tears, which is just as precious and powerful as actual tears. The latter is better for those who live with others, who can see.3 And yet the Lord who saves all arranges everything!4
Read the original Russian
Вы часто плачете, как заключаю из прежних речей и того случая, который описан вами. Есть слезы от слабости сердца, от большой мягкости характера, от болезни, и насильно раздражают себя иные на плачь, есть слезы и от благодати.
Цена слез не водою, текущею из глаз, определяется, а тем, что бывает на душе при них и после них. Не имея благодати слез, не берусь рассуждать о них, догадываюсь только, что благодатные слезы состоят в связи со многими изменениями в сердце. Главное, – сердце должно тогда гореть в огне суда Божия, но без боли и сжения, а с умилением, – приносимым надеждою от престола милосердаго Бога, судящаго грех и милующаго грешника. Также думается мне, что слезы сии должны приходить уже под конец трудов, – не внешних, а трудов над очищением сердца, – как последнее омытие или сполоскание души. Еще – бывают они не час, не день и два, а годы. Еще – есть, говорят, какой-то плач сердца без слез, но также ценный и сильный, как и слезы. Последний лучше для живущих с другими, кои могут видеть. Все же строит всех спасающий Господь!
Notes
- 1 ↩Russian умиление rendered as compunction (grace-softened tender contrition), not mere emotion or sentimentality.
- 2 ↩сполоскание rendered as rinsing (final rinse after washing); keeps the domestic/laundry image of a last clean rinse of the soul.
- 3 ↩Последний points back to tearless weeping of the heart (s6), preferred in company because outward tears can be seen.
- 4 ↩строит taken as providential ordering/building of the whole work of salvation, not mere construction.
Letters on the Christian Life companion
Rule yourself daily, not just on retreat
Chosen Portion turns the mirror into a daily practice — a short reading and examining question each morning before you lead anyone.
Chosen Portion makes the mirror daily: the ruler-formation questions this collection preserves become a two-minute morning examination in the app.
- A daily formation reading drawn from centuries of counsel to those in authority
- One pointed examination question a day — two minutes, before the meetings start
- Track your practice over weeks and watch the examined life become a habit