In the hitherto untranslated: On the Lament of the Dove, (De Gemitu Columbae) St. Robert sets out to make every member of the Church, from the humble housewife to men, clergy, religious and even bishops, aware of the need to weep for their sins, and rejoice with Christ and the saints. He lays out the foundations of penance in Scripture, and the explores the sources for tears in twelve chapters, covering the fall of the angels, the failures of clergy, the failures of laity, the pains of hell and the suffering in purgatory. Then explores the fruits of meditating on these matters, the happiness of the faithful, the release of souls from purgatory, and the glory of God. St. Robert lays out his considerable learning but focuses it very simply, in commentating on liturgical hymns, opening up Holy Scripture, and the writings of the fathers and lives of the saints to adorn the work.
This is truly a book to save your soul, and can be read again and again in meditation.
"Tears and mourning are not an end in themselves; they are the pathway to true joy. The saints knew this. God calls us to something much richer, but something only delivered by the Cross and our deep appreciation, through tears, of our need for it. In this magnificent treatise, Saint Robert Bellarmine explores the biblical and spiritual teaching on mourning for sin and the gift of tears. Drawing richly from the Pentateuch, the Prophets, the Gospels, the Epistles, the saints, and the spiritual masters, he shows why tears and mourning over personal and collective sin are both necessary and grace-filled. He also offers a profound reflection on what we ought to lament: first, our own sins; then disorder and lukewarmness in the Church at every level; the suffering, injustice, temptation, and disregard for God's love and providence in the world around us; Hell for the unrepentant; and the suffering souls in purgatory. It is, in effect, a catalogue of many realities we too often fail to ponder and bring to prayer.
"And these laments bear fruit. They deepen our appreciation for God's mercy and forgiveness, increase our holy and reverential fear of Him, and stir in us a zeal to imitate the Lord's mercy and compassion toward others. The authentic gift of tears also fosters both personal and communal healing and reform, while the faithful departed benefit from the fruits of our prayers and tears." -Msgr. Charles Pope
