2026-07-12

“Ignatius lists three God-centered motives for such tears, two specific and one more encompassing: “whether out of sorrow for one’s sins, or for the passion of Christ our Lord, or because of other things directly ordered to his service and praise.” Such tears “out of sorrow for one’s sins” are not bitter, destructive tears of self-condemnation; they are the healing tears of the woman at the feet of Christ (Luke 7:36–50), tears that express an unburdening of the heart in the presence of infinite mercy and welcome”

The Discernment of Spirits: An Ignatian Guide for Everyday Living
Gallagher, Timothy M.