The gift of tears
Some mystics displayed their devotion through prolonged bouts of hysterical crying
In her memoirs, Margery Kempe recalled a monk telling her that he wished she was locked up in a house of stone. Pilgrims and archbishops were also, it seems, irritated by the 15th-century English mystic, declaring their desire that she go elsewhere to practise her devotion. But why?
The answer appears to lie in the sheer fervour of that devotion. When travelling with her fellow pilgrims, Margery chastised them for talking about frivolous things instead of God. In response, they made her sit alone on a small stool at the end of the table – and later, they tried to ditch her entirely. She insisted on wearing white, a custom usually reserved for virgins, even though she had given birth to 14 children.
Above all, Margery’s visions of Christ were repeatedly punctuated by crying fits so long and loud that it’s said they were more like “roarings”. Margery tells us that often she could barely breathe for crying, and she could not control or contain them – try as she might. Any small reminder of Christ and his suffering could set off these fits, from the sight of a small boy being hit by his father, to a horse being struck when ridden.
According to the Book of Margery Kempe, many of Margery’s contemporaries doubted whether her visions were genuine. However, her tears did have a precedence that was sanctioned by the church. Male ecclesiastical authorities understood the ‘gift of tears’ to be a sign of devotion sent by God, which the recipient could neither control nor prevent, but which would help facilitate mystical experiences.