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The Gift of Tears is the term used for that experience sometimes arising from the Prayer of Quiet, that level of prayer wherein God initiates the soul into the beginnings of the higher states of prayer. The Prayer of Quiet can give rise to a great delight in the depths of the soul that overflows into gentle tears. The Gift of Tears is not an overwhelming feeling of grief for one’s sins or a natural expression of emotion. Fr. Thomas Dubay gives this description:I too get teary eyed at mass when I truly pay attention to the significance of what is taking place-I mean, it IS Calvary all over again! That is a huge deal! I understand your dilemma though, it can be embarrassing or just confusing, especially because some people have never cried at mass so they might not understand your tears or emotion. If you are still having trouble, I recommend The Wonders of the Mass, which is a little booklet that reveals to us how glorious the Mass truly is! Then you will feel completely justified at crying at every mass you attend.
Try to remind yourself, “If I was present at Jesus’ cross on Good Friday, would I be emotional? Would I cry?”
Hopefully the answer is yes! And the Mass IS Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross made present to us today. Just meditating on the mass and the holy Eucharist should be enough to move nearly anyone to tears.
However, some people have never experienced tears at mass. This is because, as Padre Pio put it, crying about holy things is a gift of God. This gift is called ‘the gift of tears.’ The gift of tears is given to people as a consolation. People that feel moved to tears by the Holy Spirit often feel extremely close to Our Lord, and their ‘spiritual well’ is overflowing.
Take this gift with joy but remember that it may not stay forever!
