“Tears of sorrow, tears of treason, tears of pain, and tears of denial

Maybe it’s me, but I’ve noticed a lot of people
crying lately – or at least talking about tears.
“…my tears have become my food by night and by day as I heard it
said all the daylong; ‘Where is your God?’” psalm 42
There have been tears of sorrow: The passing of friends and
acquaintances - Walter Ineson, Irene Hickey, Sister Mary Pius,
Maurice Galvin, Bob Stanion, CFR and too many more.
There have been tears of joy: I’ve been travelling a lot lately
and have spent a lot of time in airports – a great place for
tears.
“It’s so good to see you!”; “I’m glad your flight was safe”; “It’s
been so long”; “…we missed you terribly.”
And of course, tears of frustration: “I missed my connection!”
“I can’t believe they lost my luggage… again!”
Hoy Quisiera Llorar Igual Que Pedro
By Joaquin Madurga
Pedro te negó tres veces, mil veces yo te negué.
Pedro denied you three times;
I denied you a thousand times
I left for Rome the day after the “Miracle on the Hudson” occurred.
I didn’t get much of a chance to see the delayed reactions of
people until I returned to the U.S. a month later. It was like a
“months-mind Mass” from days of old: gathering those involved,
recounting the details. There were tears of gratitude as crew and
passengers reunited on ‘Larry King Live’: “I’m so glad you’re alive
and safe.”“I’m so grateful for your quick thinking”; “I thought we
were goners.”“You are a hero to me”. “I can’t thank you enough!”
Lucky me! I had eleven flights on my trip – all on time and not one
of them landed in a river. No lost luggage. The meeting in Frascati,
the Chapters in Guam and Okinawa, the fraternal visits to Tokyo
and Hawaii were all opportunities to deepen fraternal bonds.
What a joy!
Si Pedro lloró su culpa, mi culpa yo lloraré.
If Pedro cried his fault, my fault I will cry
Si Pedro lloró su culpa, mi culpa yo lloraré.
Hoy quisiera llorar igual que Pedro
Today I wish to cry like Peter
porque al igual que Pedro te he negado.
because like Peter I have denied you.
Hoy te vengo a decir que me arrepiento,
Today I come to say that I have repented,
y que soy de los tuyos, y que sigo a tu lado.
I recently shed tears of sorrow over a news story in Westchester
about seven Latino men arrested for trespassing. They were living
in the woods on private property under a lean-to as they sought
day work to send money back home to their families. The owner, a
local politician, told the reporter: “they’re better off in jail; at least
they’ll be warm and get three meals a day”. How sad!
That I am yours and I walk by your side.
Hoy quisiera llorar igual que Pedro
Today I wish to cry like Peter
porque al igual que Pedro te he negado.
because like Peter I have denied you.
Te he negado, Señor, y fui cobarde
I have denied you, Lord, and I was a coward
porque no quise dar por Ti la cara.
because I couldn’t turn my face to you.
Tuve miedo y fingí no conocerte,
I was afraid and pretended not to know you.
y al pasar Tú a mi lado, yo te he dado la espalda.
And when you went by, I turned my back.
Hoy quisiera llorar igual que Pedro
Today I wish to cry like Peter
porque al igual que Pedro te he negado.
because like Peter I have denied you.
I shed tears of joy reading a small piece in the Sacred Heart Parish
bulletin recently. Mrs. Irene Hickey, recently deceased, a long-time
parish member and one-time employee of the Province’s
Communication Office, used to ably coordinate the monthly
preparation of food for the Yonkers’ “Sharing Community” a
program to shelter and feed the hungry and homeless. Even in
her final years, wheelchair-bound and very sick, people were told
to pick up their empty pans at “Irene Hickey’s house” to fill with
ziti for the Sharing Community. Now that she has passed on to
eternal life, the bulletin reads: “please pick up your pans at the
“Hickey house”. What a wonderful legacy! It never skipped a beat.
“Hoy quisiera llorar igual que Pedro”…. Today I wish to cry like
Peter - because like Peter I have denied you. If Peter denied you
three times, I have denied you a thousand….
Today I come to say that I have repented,
that I am yours and I walk by your side……
“Tears of sorrow, tears of treason, tears of pain, and
tears of denial can become tears of gratitude and joy.”
John Gallagher, O.F.M. Cap.