The Tears of Things

We believe our greatest spiritual moments happen on the mountaintop—in times of clarity, victory, and ecstatic joy. We chase these highs, assuming they are the primary source of growth and connection to the divine. But what if the inverse is true? What if the moments that truly shape us, that break us open to something larger than ourselves, are found in failure? It’s a strange proposition: that our deepest, most painful losses—the job we didn’t get, the relationship that ended, the dream that died—are the spiritual path itself. This perspective suggests that holiness is achieved by walking directly through suffering, by allowing our failures and disappointments to become our most profound teachers.

This is the challenging territory explored by Richard Rohr in his book, The Tears of Things. For decades, as a Franciscan friar and globally recognized spiritual teacher, Rohr has guided countless people through the landscapes of faith and doubt. He noticed a persistent pattern: people were desperately trying to be perfect, to ascend, to win at spirituality. They saw their stumbles and sorrows as evidence of their inadequacy. Rohr wrote this book to offer a different way, one rooted in the ancient wisdom of the Christian contemplative tradition. He argues that it is in the 'tears of things,' in the very brokenness of life, that we find an unexpected and universal grace that perfection could never offer.

Module 1: The Prophetic Journey from Anger to Tears

Most of us think of prophets as angry, bearded men calling down fire and brimstone. Rohr suggests this is only the starting point. The true prophetic journey is an emotional and spiritual evolution. It begins with righteous anger, but it cannot end there.

The first stage is a necessary, virtuous anger at injustice. Think of the prophet Amos condemning the elite who "lie on ivory beds" while the poor suffer. This anger is a powerful motivator. It sees a problem and demands change. But remaining in a state of rage is spiritually immature. It leads to burnout, bitterness, and a dualistic "us versus them" worldview. So, what happens next? The prophet must move from anger into sadness. True spiritual maturity requires transforming anger into deep, empathetic sadness.

This sadness is a profound, shared grief for the brokenness of the world. Rohr introduces a Latin phrase, lacrimae rerum, which means "the tears of things." This captures a dual reality. There is sadness in things, an inherent tragedy in life. And there is sadness for things, our compassionate response to that tragedy. Jesus weeping over Jerusalem is a perfect model of this divine empathy. He is heartbroken by the city's blindness. This "way of tears" is the antidote to judgmentalism. As Rohr notes, "It is hard to be on the attack when you are weeping."

Building on that idea, this journey is a profound spiritual practice. Lamentation is the gateway to an adult faith that can hold paradox and suffering. Many of us are taught a childish faith. It's transactional. If you are good, God will reward you. If you are bad, you will be punished. The prophets challenge this. They show that life is filled with undeserved suffering and unearned grace. Embracing this reality requires a heart softened by tears, not hardened by certainty.

And here's the thing: this process changes the weeper first. Anger wants to punish the other. Sadness, however, transforms the self. It creates a space for forgiveness—not just for others, but for reality itself. It's an acceptance of the world's imperfection. This is why the prophet Ezekiel, when commanded to eat a scroll filled with "lamentations, weeping, and moanings," finds it tastes "sweet as honey." He has internalized the world's bitterness and transformed it into nourishing truth. This is the goal. You must transform your pain, or you will transmit it.