Saint Ephraim of Katounakia, originally from Boeotia, practiced asceticism in Mount Athos, where he completed his holy life at the age of 86. His grace and blessing were passed on to the faithful, who to this day read his teachings and follow his advice. In this way, they strengthen their spirit, gaining his consolation and protection.
We often ask ourselves:
- Why do I cry in church?
- Are tears necessary in prayer?
- What are tears of repentance?
Saint Ephraim spoke many times about the gift of tears, believing that it can save man, cleansing him of burdens and sins, lightening his conscience, and opening the way to God. He considered crying to be a blessing that smooths and strengthens unhindered communication with the Lord during prayer.
In his own words:
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"Tears come together with mental prayer; it is up to you to increase them little by little."
- Believe me, tears are nothing more than a habit. If you get used to crying, you will cry the next day, and the day after that, and you will reach a point where you will say: "Why am I crying? I don't know." However, do you know how much you clean yourself inside with those tears? Do you wash your shirt or your handkerchief with soap? It is the same with tears in prayer. Inside you, it cleanses, cleanses, cleanses, until other higher tears come.
The tears will make your brain hurt inside, your mind will hurt, because they are the first tears, which are called "purifying tears," they cleanse the tears inside.
- When the stage of "purifying" tears has passed, other "joyful" tears will come. These will make your face beautiful, and your fellow human beings, your colleagues, your fellow man, your brother, will see them under a different light. I mean, in a spiritual way.
- Then there are other tears, but these are shed by each person according to their inner strength, according to their zeal, according to their passion. That’s how each of us will encounter them.
- Cultivate tears. Cultivate the images, the thoughts that bring tears. I cultivated the image of the dead body of old Joseph (Saint Joseph the Hesycast). When I kissed him and we put him in the tomb. I thought that I too would soon become like that. I wondered if God would not accept me, would not forgive me, and so on.
Tears are between passion and apathy; tears cleanse. They are the tears of the beginner, that is, the tears of repentance; that makes you think: If I sin, will I be with Christ or with the devil? Will I be in hell forever? What will I do then? And so on.
- Then come the tears of grace. These tears are so sweet that when they came to me, I said: "My God, in Heaven I want nothing else but to cry like this." These tears come later.
- Tears are the food of our soul. Just as the body is nourished by good food and is revitalized, so too is the soul nourished by tears and revitalized.
When you pray, try to have tears. It becomes a habit, and you learn to always cry in your prayer. When you have tears in your prayer, any tears, you move forward. When the tears stop, you go backward
