Does it please God to see our tears?

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Veritatis_Splendor

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Don’t get me wrong. It’s not like I am the most miserable person in the world. I have all the basic necessities in life. I am relatively in good health. There are a lot of things to be thankful for.

But I can no longer count the tears I have shed.

Not to go into details, but I’ve had a cross that had worn me down all my life. There’s still a huge part of my life that remains broken. It is about lacking a blessing that may be common for many and often taken for granted, and yet seems like a great, distant, unfulfilled dream for me. And it has caused me a lot of pain and tears. And along with that, great disappointments and unrealized plans.

Tonight, I cried a lot again.

This is just me babbling, repeating in different words the same age old question: why is there suffering in the world? And it tempts me to lose trust in God. To question his love for me.

I think I already came across all the answers. To name a few: that God allows evil only to draw a greater good out of it. That it is a chance for us to learn compassion. That it allows us to share in the suffering of Christ. To touch his wounds. To momentarily take his place on the Cross where he bleeds and writhes the pain. Then maybe we’ll learn the mystery of his Love. (It is a beautiful image. Thinking about it already consoles me.)

But it still baffles me. Why is this tremendous lover, in all his omnipotence, able to contain himself seeing his beloved children suffer? Why does he allow it? If I love someone, I would do all in my power to save that person from his/her pain. But why is the All-Powerful God holding back? The answers above may satisfy the mind, but sometimes, a heart in pain may find them hard to understand.

This is the same God who wept for Lazarus and called him forth out of the tomb. The same God who, without anyone asking him to, stopped a funeral procession just like that and brought a widow’s son to life. Alas, he is also the same God who just gazed at the tears of his own Mother as he hung from the Cross.

Ah, such is the mystery of God.
 
A wise and thoughtful post. Thanks for posting it.

No matter how much we know, it’s still hard. It still hurts just the same.

Suffering, like pleasure, is a transient event. It does not last. So at least there is that.

When we suffer well, we gain merit in heaven. And I like that thought. I see someone else is replying right now that has known a huge amount of physical suffering. Much more than I do!

Turn towards the communion of the Saints. Become close friends with them, get to know them well- as you pass through the sufferings of this short pilgrimage. They will be a comfort to you and help in difficult times.
 
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The omnipotent God both knows and sees the end result of those tears. Those temporal, passing tears are for your eternal benefit. Remember that Saint Paul assures us that we will always have an escape from being tested beyond our strength. (1 Cor 10:13) We err when we do not ask, beg, plead for the strength to bear our crosses. And, we must not expect consolation in this life - that is assured only in the next life.

Read the Book of Tobit - an easy read and fantastic scripture. Lots of tears in it. Tears of sorrow turned to tears of joy.

IMO, the most comforting verse in the Old Testament is Tobit 12:13 from the Vulgate:
“Because you were acceptable to God, it was necessary that testing should prove thee.”
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Acceptable to God - what could possibly be more comforting? And, God retains the right to test us.

What could be more comforting? John 16 : 33
“In this world you will have tribulation. But take heart, for I have overcome this world.”
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I think it is a beautiful post. You have the answers already, a question you have answered yourself.

One of my ministries in my parish is to conduct memorial prayer service for a deceased person. I am often asked to give a brief reflection on a Bible passage before we say the Rosary.

I used that opportunity to say some word of comfort especially for the grieving family. It has been quite a standard line for me to say that Christians, unlike other people, are not overcome nor defeated by death and suffering. They would bring us sadness, yes, because we are humans, it would be not normal if we wouldn’t, but we have greater hope despite our suffering and that is eternal life.

Then I begin to explain how we are just resident aliens in this world - it is not our eternal home. We are just passing by until we go back to the loving arms of the Father God in His eternal Kingdom.

It is only for us to make the best of our stay here on earth for the glory of God.

I think how true that is. Like everybody else, we are not spared of suffering, loss, disappointment, and even death, no matter or despite being believers in Jesus Christ.

Knowing the greater glory which lies ahead of us, Christians should get over them easier and faster than other people and move one.

And like I would say, cherishing the loving memory of a loved one who departed.

Similarly, like Job said, we should also cherish all that passed by our life for they always give us something - strength, maturity, lesson and wisdom.

Perhaps to make us better prepared for the next one.

God bless.
 
In humility there is great beauty.
No logic and no amount of argument sometimes does not help.
Beauty is revealed in our humility and meekness.
 
I sometimes want to cry for male Americans who are incarcerated for nonsense with a woman willing to wait. While we have other males thrown into jails by their wives who want to be with someone else. There are a lot of imbalances in the world. Some fight for you and some fight against you.

Music is a critical tool to alleviate a lot of the emotion I go through. If not for it, I would probably cry every day. I had to make a long list of songs and group them as to what pumped me up and reminded me if hard times. Eventually, I learned which songs counter those rough moods and now I don’t even have to think about it. I just “know” what I need to hear. It works like medicine for the heart.

I’m sorry for what you’re going through, maybe give this technique a go?
 
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Good morning. First let me say I do not believe that God wants to see our tears and surely it would not please Him…He is a loving and merciful God, Do you think that Jesus does not hurt when He sees His children cry and suffer There are things that happen in one’s life, natural things that cause heartache and physical pain. We should ask God to help us through it and He will. That alone will ease whatever we are going through And gazing at His Mother from the cross, Jesus did look into Her tearful eyes with His own tears and pain and gave His Mother to us through St. John God Bless you.🦋🦋.
 
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Veritatis_Splendor said:
To momentarily take his place on the Cross where he bleeds and writhes the pain.
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See, you do know the answer.
Only, you forget when the pain becomes particularly intense.

Our religion is different, because the God we worship struggled too, and hurt too, and was abandoned by his friends and died most unjustly.

And God understands when we’re weak and cry out, “oh come on, God, this again?”

I wish I had the magic words to make your pain go away.
Hugs :hugs: and :pray:t2::pray:t2::pray:t2: For you…
 
I would let someone I love suffer, in certain things, if it is good for them in some way. I imagine God does this too but in a better more perfect way. If nobody ever suffers then joy won’t mean much.

I don’t know what you are going through but some are given larger crosses to carry in life. Your reward will be great for your suffering one day. Don’t lose faith. No, it does not please God to see our tears.
 
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Tears or not, it pleases God to watch us persevere unto the end. Only struggle leads to victory, and those struggles, because of our weakness, produce tears. As to tears, Jesus wept over Lazarus as well as over Jerusalem. If my God took human flesh so that He could weep, then it is a blessing for us to weep. It is then that we are most Christ-like. Our Lord taught this and the great Saints have reinforced it at a level which is more comprehensible to us.
 
Me too @Veritatis_splendor , I wake up crying avout many things I realize only in dreams or after dreams haunting me - my own unfulfilment, the suffering of the Copts, other things that bother me. I only once had the strength to read psalm 50 upon wakening broken like that. Not that I am complaining for this unusual.life of mine. But how do I resolve it? The only thing I see is still… understanding that He suffered more on the Cross, all.my troubles today also. He may not give me answers but He can help.me carry this through. Not be alone in your own sorrow because it is nothing new.
Why we we suffer?
I remember when Jesus healed the paralytic who was brought by his friends to Him. And He said “your faith has healed him.” So your spiritual problems and strife may bw helping others.
We must not covet. It is as it is. Son of God suffered more. I am saying also.to convince myself I am not in the posession of salvation. Just…that we still must hope.
Each suffer in their own way. He said join Him.in carrying a Cross, not in joy. Or not yet 😊
 
This just arrived via email.
God Provides What We Truly Need

The Lord can leave us wanting relative to certain things (sometimes judged indispensable in the eyes of the world), but He never leaves us deprived of what is essential: His presence, His peace and all that is necessary for the complete fulfillment of our lives, according to His plans for us.

Fr. Jacques Philippe, Searching for and Maintaining Peace
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A great little spiritual masterpiece of a book - and which I truly need to read again.
 
I hope it doesn’t please him. I too don’t understand why he would test me to the point of breaking, and I have…many times. And then he will probably look me in the eyes and send me to hell for not being hopelessly in love with him after all of this. Sssiiiigh.

We can only hold on and try our best, I guess.
 
Blessed are they who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
Jesus himself said this. Do we trust him or not?
The Church as the Body of Christ is well aware of our tears. In heaven, she tells us, all tears will be wiped away.
Julian of Norwich tells us that when we appear before God at our death we “will have no questions to ask him.” I take that to mean that in a flash we will absolutely understand how all our tears, pains, strivings, lack of understanding here on earth have contributed toward our salvation. And we will be wonderfully surprised and delighted!
 
Hugs to you too, Lea.
I’m remembering you in my prayers
 
Wow, that’s a heartbreaking situation.

Yes, music is lovely.

Sometimes, coffee works wonders too. 😃
 
Sometimes, my prayer turns into reproach. But I pray it doesn’t turn into anger. When I think of Christ suffering with me, my heart softens.

Praying for you too.
 
In her marvelous prayer journal (title: “He and I”) Gabrielle Bossis writes in response to her own question about human suffering “If I had another way to draw you more intimately to Me, I would choose it”.

Sometimes Our Lord wants “a part of us” that we haven’t given to Him in a while.

And He wants total unity with us, across our entire self, which includes our sorrow.
 
When Gold or Silver is being refined in fire, I doubt they are saying ahhhh…this feels so good. I’m glad we are being treated like this. But the end effect tells the tale.

Another interesting thing I learned about this analogy is that, the way the smith knows that his work is done is when he can finally see his reflection in the metal when all impurities have been drawn out of it.
 
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