"Tears are a little-known subject spiritually to most people, and Maggie Ross is very helpful in giving us both a historical grounding and a contemporary personal relevance for it."--Tilden Edwards, Shalem Institute for Spiritual Formation"Maggie Ross has written a lovely, intelligent, and costly book: costly in that it is evident that it cost her a great deal to write it, and costly in that the conscientious reader cannot but be challenged by it."--Alan Jones, Dean of Grace Cathedral, San Francisco"This is the only major work on tears today. A fountain in the desert, this book fills a genuine need--which is more than most books can claim."--David Steindl-Rast, OSB"Maggie Ross skillfully examines the gift and way of tears in relation to the evolution of Christian thought and spiritual theology. Her thesis that 'tears release us from the prison of power and control into the vast love and infinite possibility of God' is truly ecumenical."--William H. Frey II, author of Crying: The Mystery of Tears