MANILA, Jan. 17, 2015 — Filipinos from all walks of life came in throngs to meet Pope Francis, waiting under the heat of the sun or cold rain just to catch a glimpse of the bishop in white. And when he passes by, tears flow – spiritual tears, as they are called.
During the regular press briefing for the Papal Visit held at the Diamond Hotel, Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle revealed that those who shed tears when they see the pope could be experiencing a profound spiritual moment.
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| Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle (Photo: Basilio Sepe) |
Divine, profound
“In Christian tradition there is a thing called the gift of tears,” the cardinal said. He added that people who experience the divine and profound express the moment by shedding tears.
Tagle said people who see and witness the pope shed tears of joy and consolation after realizing that they “matter and [are] considered important”.
Vatican Press Office Director Fr. Federico Lombardi, SJ added that this is especially true for the survivors of Typhoon Yolanda who wept openly during the papal Mass at Tacloban airport. He said what the people were experiencing was a feeling of being comforted and not being alone.
Heart-felt weeping
Pope Francis spoke about the gift of tears in his homily during the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross in Sept. 14, 2013.
The pope said the mystery of the Cross can only be understood, “a little bit, by kneeling, in prayer, but also through tears: they are the tearsthat bring us close to this mystery.”
“Without weeping, heart-felt weeping,” the Holy Father emphasized, we can never understand this mystery of the Holy Cross.
Saints noted to possess this gift are Sts. Catherine of Siena, Ignatius of Loyola, and the stigmatist Pio of Pietrelcina, who was witnessed and filmed weeping at the moment of consecration at Mass. (Rommel Lopez / CBCPNews)
“In Christian tradition there is a thing called the gift of tears,” the cardinal said. He added that people who experience the divine and profound express the moment by shedding tears.
Tagle said people who see and witness the pope shed tears of joy and consolation after realizing that they “matter and [are] considered important”.
Vatican Press Office Director Fr. Federico Lombardi, SJ added that this is especially true for the survivors of Typhoon Yolanda who wept openly during the papal Mass at Tacloban airport. He said what the people were experiencing was a feeling of being comforted and not being alone.
Heart-felt weeping
Pope Francis spoke about the gift of tears in his homily during the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross in Sept. 14, 2013.
The pope said the mystery of the Cross can only be understood, “a little bit, by kneeling, in prayer, but also through tears: they are the tearsthat bring us close to this mystery.”
“Without weeping, heart-felt weeping,” the Holy Father emphasized, we can never understand this mystery of the Holy Cross.
Saints noted to possess this gift are Sts. Catherine of Siena, Ignatius of Loyola, and the stigmatist Pio of Pietrelcina, who was witnessed and filmed weeping at the moment of consecration at Mass. (Rommel Lopez / CBCPNews)
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