Tractatus Alter, Pars Prior, Cap. 10. De lacrimis lesu super Lazarum.

Tractatus Alter, Pars Prior, Cap. 10. De lacrimis lesu super Lazarum.

O Lord, may the holy and pious tears of my Lord Jesus Christ, shed in compassion at the death and resurrection of Lazarus, along with Mary and Martha and their other friends, and the loving and abundant tears shed by the weeping Jews, come to my aid in the dryness of my heart. Move the hardness of my heart, especially in the place and time of prayer and meditation, to weep for my sins and to cleanse all the impurities of my heart, mouth, and actions, whether committed secretly or openly, for I am truly sorry. I grieve, Lord, over these things, day and night, morning and evening, whenever I remember my sins and your blessings, which you have generously and abundantly bestowed upon me and all of humankind. Amen. About the tears of Jesus over Jerusalem. O compassionate and holy tears of my Lord Jesus Christ, shed from great compassion over the ruin and destruction of the treacherous city of Jerusalem, flowing abundantly from Your eyes, even though they are not beneficial to the unbelievers, yet they are greatly cherished and loved by me and by all who believe and are devoted. So I, a lazy and miserable man, ask you to pour down upon me abundantly and wash clean the face of my soul from all the filth of sin that has stained it throughout my entire life, so that, purified within, I may become worthy to see the beautiful face of the Father with the holy angels in heaven. O that, with the intercession of all the saints, I may find great mercy with my just Judge, the Lord Jesus Christ, after the sorrow of this life, and through His sacred passion and death, even after the general resurrection of the dead, may I be introduced among the elect into the heavenly Jerusalem. Amen. About the tears of the blessed Virgin Mary beside the cross. O tears of the blessed and ever-virgin Mary, so holy and deeply sorrowful, which flowed from her eyes on the day of preparation, born from the depths of compassion at the sight of Christ's most bitter passion and cross, how often you ran down her cheeks and chest, all the way to the hem of his garment, and you abundantly soaked the sacred veil of his holy head, and in falling upon his holy feet, you moistened the dust of the earth. Oh, if only I had then followed the footprints of my Lady's feet and gathered the warm tears from her holy eyes in a secret vessel to wash not only my feet, which I have often stained with evil thoughts and indecent affections, but also my hands and head, that is, the words I speak and the wrong actions I commit, for the remission of all my sins committed daily. O loving Mother of God, Virgin Mary, be gracious to me; wipe away all my faults through your most bitter sorrows and your most devoted intercessions. O dearest Mary, help my soul in the final hour of my life, and come with the multitude of angels and saints to defend me against the terrors of my enemies and the pains of hell. Remember the precious blood and the innocent death of your beloved Son, Jesus Christ, who suffered for me, a sinner, and was pierced by the lance, and all the tears you shed throughout your life, and have mercy on me as I approach my end and sigh to you, because I trust greatly in your merits and the prayers of the saints, O merciful, O loving, O sweetest Mother of God, Virgin Mary. Amen. About the washing of the soul from the many tears of blessed Mary Magdalene and the other saints. Whenever I think of Christ's tears and the tears and groans of other saints, I silently feel ashamed of myself and deeply blush before God, judging myself worthy of many wounds and reprimands, and I am astonished because I am so wretched and do not mourn, struck down yet I do not grieve, sick yet I do not groan, in despair yet I do not wash myself clean, intoxicated yet I do not seek the remedy, weak and infirm yet I do not seek the physician of salvation. Woe to me, for I am not moved to tears so quickly by the words and deeds of Jesus as I am by the stories of men to laughter. For I sin daily and almost every moment I exceed in some way, and what I ought to do, I do not accomplish, and yet I laugh. Woe to me, because I do not fall at the feet of Jesus with Mary Magdalene, and I do not weep from the pain in my heart, so that I may deserve forgiveness with her. O Mary, remember me also in this hour and pray for me to Jesus with your loving supplication, as long as I live in this fragile body and sin in many ways. Woe to me, because I do not weep with the holy Apostle Peter, hearing the rooster crow in the choir or in a secret place, or seeing some birds in the field reminding me to rise quickly from my bed and pray for all my sins and neglects committed day and night in this world. Woe to me, because I do not continually grieve and weep with blessed Paul over the many evils I have committed, whether knowingly or unknowingly, for which I ought to always feel sorrow, groan, and pray, and patiently and devoutly endure all adversities and burdens that confront me. Woe to me, because I do not have the purity of Saint John the Apostle, nor can I attain it; yet I do not grieve and weep over my impurity as much as he did over the sins of others. O holy John, beloved apostle of Christ and most faithful guardian of the blessed Mary, ever virgin, I humbly beseech you with a contrite heart, assist me in this laborious life and in the perilous death that I face, along with Mary, the mother of Jesus, and the holy angels; just as you stood by the most blessed virgin mother in her sorrow and weeping beneath the cross, so that the malicious enemy may not prevail against me in the struggle, and that I may be strong in faith and confident in the passion of Christ and in the merits and prayers of the saints, and not in myself. May your devoted prayers come to my aid in my greatest need, especially those holy and most bitter tears you shed many times out of deep compassion during Christ's passion, along with the weeping and groaning of the sorrowful Mother of Jesus and the wailing of Mary Magdalene, and the immense lamentations of all the disciples and holy women who fell to the ground; these did not flow in vain before God, but truly benefited the whole world and me most of all, and they still benefit and teach me to weep and mourn and to remember daily the passion of my Lord Jesus Christ, to groan often for my sins, and to pray incessantly. O loving Jesus, I wish I could gather all your tears and those of your holy mother Mary, and the most blessed Mary Magdalene, the devoted lamenter of your passion, along with the tears of all the saints and holy ones, of all your devoted servants and handmaidens, into one great and firm vessel, and warm it with the fire of the Holy Spirit, so that I could cast my soul into it and bathe in it, washing away all the stains of my past and daily sins, lamenting and weeping seriously, cleansing, purifying, and making it white, as if in the bath of baptism and in the Jordan River, to be reborn, renewed, and refreshed, so that, washed and purified from all offenses and sins by the prayers and tears of the saints, I may find mercy and grace before you, living and dying, and may obtain eternal glory with your saints. Through you, Jesus Christ, who with the Father, etc.