“a time to weep” (eccl 3:4)
“Let my eyes stream with tears day and night, without rest, over the great destruction which overwhelms the virgin daughter of my people, over her incurable wound.” —Jeremiah 14:17
Sometimes the best thing to do is cry. Jesus Himself cried (Lk 19:41). He called those weeping “blest” (Lk 6:21). Sometimes, like Jeremiah, we should pray to cry. Many of us reading this have not cried for years. Others cry often but for the wrong reasons. We must cry for things for which we’ve never cried. We may even need to cry for several days (Neh 1:4).
We should pray for some tears to be wiped away (Rv 21:4) and other tears to well up and pour out like a river. Jesus prophesied: “I tell you truly: you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices; you will grieve for a time, but your grief will be turned into joy” (Jn 16:20).
For the Lord to dry our tears, we must first cry. We should not be ashamed to cry, but rather ashamed to not cry, considering the evils in our midst. Tears of sorrow often precede tears of joy. Our Father counts our tears one by one. He stores them in His flask (Ps 56:9).
Prayer: Father, I want to “rejoice with those who rejoice” and “weep with those who weep” (Rm 12:15).
Promise: “The saints will shine like the sun in their Father’s kingdom. Let everyone heed what he hears!” —Mt 13:43
Praise: Edward received the gift of tears when he prayed for the Holy Spirit, tears of joy, not woe.
Reference: (Weep over the great spiritual destruction around us and then turn to joy by reading the Bible daily. For encouragement, order, listen to, or download these CD or DVD series on our website: Ignorance of Scriptures is Ignorance of Christ on CD 82-1 or DVD 82; How to Read the Bible on CD 82-3 or DVD 82; How to Pray the Bible on CD 46-3 or DVD 46; Principles of Bible Interpretation on CD 79-1 or DVD 79.)
Rescript: "In accord with the Code of Canon Law, I hereby grant the Nihil Obstat for One Bread, One Body covering the period from June 1, 2020 through July 31, 2020. Most Reverend Joseph R. Binzer, Auxiliary Bishop, Vicar General, Archdiocese of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio September 18, 2019"
The Nihil Obstat ("Permission to Publish") is a declaration that a book or pamphlet is considered to be free of doctrinal or moral error. It is not implied that those who have granted the Nihil Obstat agree with the contents, opinions, or statements expressed.