Tears During Mass

By Laura Pearl -
I often find myself in tears during Mass.  Not always, but sometimes.  And these tears come out of the blue, when I least expect them.  If I don't remember to tuck some tissues into my purse before I head out the door, chances are I'm going to be in trouble.  I'm going to be wiping my nose on my sleeve like a five-year-old.

Sometimes it's the lyrics of a particularly moving hymn that make me cry, or the stirring music combined with the unequaled beauty of a Catholic church's interior.  Sometimes it's just that in those particular surroundings, I feel closer to God, and that nearness hits me just so and goes right to my core--to my very soul.  And I am left feeling vulnerable and unworthy of His love, and yet profoundly loved by Him.

I've talked before about how seeing my sons dressed in tuxes, standing on the altar in the role of groomsmen at one another's weddings, reduces me to tears.  But even when there isn't something particularly noteworthy going on, such as the singularly wonderful experience of witnessing one of my boys exchanging vows with his soul mate, I can be moved just by the sight of any or all of my sons.  Anywhere, anytime.  And looking at them in church, during the Mass--watch out!  There will be tears, and hankies, and nose-blowing.  It's almost guaranteed.

(Read the rest of the post here.)

Comments

  1. Mrs.C.8:56 pm, July 28, 2014

    Laura, I've had similar experiences. My daughters are always checking my face when something sad happens or during a particularly moving homily or hymn at mass, because they know more likely than not, my eyes will be filled with tears.

    Here is an article about Pope Francis and "the gift of tears".

    http://ncronline.org/blogs/francis-chronicles/pope-francis-extols-gift-tears

    Mrs. C.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Laura Pearl2:12 am, July 29, 2014

    Thanks for the link, Mrs. C. I especially liked when the pope said Mary accompanies us on the journey as we experiences the great and humble mystery of the Cross. "Each one of us must take it. With the mother, weeping on our knees."

    I checked out your blog, and it looks like we are similar in that we write posts about faith, but also about the many different things that might be of interest to women and mothers.

    God bless!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Mrs.C.11:58 am, July 29, 2014

    I checked out your blog too and I ordered your book for my soon-to-be-13 yr old daughter. I'm sure she'll love it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Laura Pearl4:56 pm, July 29, 2014

      Oh, I hope she enjoys it! It has the Catholic Writer's Gulid Seal of Approval--but it deals with teenage pregnancy and abortion, so you might want to read it first. It is unabashedly pro-chastity and pro-life, and I wrote it with teens in mind; and I definitely think it's ideal for high school aged readers through adults. But I just wanted to warn you that you might want to read it yourself first.

      My sister-in-law subs at a Catholic school, and she knows 8th grade readers who have read and enjoyed it.

      Thanks for the support! God bless you!

      Delete
  4. Mrs.C.9:09 pm, July 29, 2014

    Thanks Laura. I will read it first but I have a feeling we will be ok. I also have a daughter who will be 15 shortly and we've had some pretty serious talks about some of these issues which her sister was included in on. I would have liked to have waited until they were a little older but there is just so much out there that kids run into at early ages that I felt it necessary to be open with them. In the event that I feel it's a little too advanced for my 13 year old (she's more of a reader than my older daughter), I will either give it to her sister for her January birthday or hold onto it for a year.

    I just appreciate that you took the time to write a good book that I can give my teens to read. There is so much trash out there and it's refreshing to find authors who are willing to put in the time to provide decent reading material for this age group.

    Mrs. C.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Laura Pearl10:17 pm, July 29, 2014

    I found a typo in each of my replies to your comments! That doesn't look too good for me, does it? :)

    My greatest desire was to reach even one teenage soul with this book, to encourage her to fight the good fight and make the right choices. I'm so sad that kids these days are bombarded with so much dangerous information at such young ages!

    I'm working on another Catholic YA novel for Bezalel Books--it should be out in the spring of 2015.

    ReplyDelete

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