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The Lord says: “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted” (Matthew 5:4), meaning those who cry for sins, and yet no one cries with this cry and does not care about the perishing soul. On the contrary, we are not commanded to do this [cry for the dead], and yet we do it. Well, you say, is it possible for a person not to cry? Yes, I don’t forbid this; I only forbid you to be tormented, to cry immoderately. I am not a beast and I am not inhuman. I know that nature is revealed in this and that it seeks community and daily communication. It's impossible not to be sad. Christ himself showed this because he shed tears over Lazarus. Do the same: cry, but quietly, but decently, but with the fear of God. If you cry like this, it will be a sign not that you do not believe in the resurrection, but that separation is difficult for you. After all, we also cry for those who go on the road and are separated from us; but not like those who despair. So do you, cry. As if escorting someone going in a strange direction. I say this not to make it a law for you, but out of condescension. In fact, if the deceased was a sinner and offended God a lot, then he should cry, or, better yet, not only cry, because there is no benefit for him, but also do what can bring him some relief, alms and offerings. However, even in this case one must rejoice, because the opportunity to sin has been taken away from him. If he is a righteous man, then he should rejoice even more, because he is safe and has already gotten rid of the uncertainty of the future. If this is a young man [we should rejoice] - that he is soon freed from the evils surrounding us. If the elder - that he departed, having enjoyed to satiety what is considered coveted. But you, forgetting to think about this, make the maids weep, as if you were doing honor to the departed. This is extreme dishonor! Honor for the deceased is not weeping and sobbing, but sacred songs, psalmody, and a good life. Such a person, having departed from here, will depart with the Angels, even if there was no one with his remains. But a depraved person, even if the whole city saw him off, will not receive any fruit from it. Do you want to honor the deceased? Almost him in a different way - through alms, charity, liturgies. What is the use of crying a lot? And I also heard about another grave evil; They say that many even attract lovers to themselves through crying, and by the excessiveness of their cries they gain the glory of wives who love their husbands. What a diabolical invention! What a satanic invention (8)! "Woe is me! for... There are no merciful people on earth” (Mic. 7:1, 2). And now is the time for us to cry, or, better yet, we should say these words every day. We achieve nothing with prayers, nothing with advice and exhortations: therefore, all that remains is to cry. This is what Christ did: when the Jerusalemites, after many of His admonitions, did not take advantage of them at all, He wept over their blindness. This is what the prophets do, and this is what we should do now. Now is the time for crying, tears and lamentation. Now is the time for us to say: “Call the mourners... send for those skilled in this matter, so that they come” (Jer. 9:17). Perhaps through this we will be able to heal from illness those who build bright houses and acquire fields by theft. It is time to cry, but you too, robbed and offended, take part in my cry; add my tears to your cry. But let us cry not for ourselves, but for them: they did not offend you, but they destroyed themselves. You will receive the Kingdom of Heaven for your offense; and they, for the wrong purchase, will receive Gehenna. Therefore, it is better to be offended than to offend. Let us weep for them, but not with human weeping, but with the Holy Scriptures, with which the prophets also wept. Let us weep bitterly with Isaiah and say: “Woe to you who add house to house, adding field to field, so that there is no room left for others, as if you alone were settled on the earth... these many houses will be empty, large and beautiful - without inhabitants” (Is. 5: 8, 9). Let us cry together with Nahum and say with him: woe to him who builds his house on high! Or, better yet, let us weep for them as Christ himself did for those who lived at that time, saying: “Woe to you, you rich! for you have already received your reward and your consolation” (Luke 6:24)! So, I beg you, let us also begin to cry unceasingly; and if it is not indecent, then we will even begin to hit ourselves in the chest at the sight of the carelessness of our brothers. We will not mourn the one who has already died, but we will mourn the predator, the covetous, the money-lover, the insatiable. Why cry for the dead, to whom no benefit can be brought? Let us cry for those for whom change is still possible. But while we cry, maybe they laugh? And it is worthy of tears that they laugh at what should be lamented. If they were in any way moved by our sobs, then they should stop crying in the hope of their correction. But since they remain insensitive, we will continue to cry: not just for the rich, but for the money-lovers, the covetous and the predators. Wealth is not evil: it can be used usefully if, for example, we spend it on those in need. But evil is covetousness; it prepares endless executions. So, let's start crying. Maybe there will be some kind of correction [from this]. If those who have fallen [into this sin] are not freed [from it], then perhaps others will not be subject to this evil, but will beware of it. But God grant that they too will be freed from this disease, and none of us will be exposed to it (8). Eyes are not only servants of vision, but also accomplices of repentance. Happy are you if you have kept the baptismal font; if you, as a person, have already managed to squander her gifts, set in motion the sources of tears. You have a whole well: draw sorrow from the depths of your heart, touch both twin eyes, shed streams of tears, drown your sins with tears. Minor rivulets from the rain carry away light stems; However, rivers and rivers of considerable depth, stormy mountain streams are able to carry away stumps and heavy stones deep in the water. Weigh your sins. If your sin is insignificant, a few tears are enough; if the sin is great, then the flow of tears must be greater. If you have confidence in life, and a willingness to cry, and a contrite heart, and you have not yet cried all your tears for yourself, then give me some of your tears: cry for your brother’s sins. “And you became proud instead of weeping” (1 Cor. 5:2). Samuel did not sin, but he weeps for Saul who sinned. Paul is a chosen vessel, but he grieves for us. “Who is tempted,” he says, “for whom would I not be inflamed?” (2 Cor. 11:29). Do you see that my temptations are breaking Paul’s heart? However, it is necessary that each of us has enough tears for our sins (9). You might be interested in: