Friar Augusto Uriarte, OAR, shares in this reflection his experience as a journalist during the 38th Provincial Chapter of the Province of Saint Thomas of Villanueva. From the perspective of an observer and listener, he discovers a profoundly human moment: the tears of several friars which, far from expressing weakness, reveal the strength of fraternity, gratitude, and a life dedicated to the service of their brothers.
Authority as service stems from love for one’s brothers
In a chapter hall, I saw tears fall from the eyes of more than one religious. They were not tears of sadness or defeat. They were tears of friendship, gratitude, fraternity, sincerity, and deep emotion. Tears that spoke more than many speeches; tears born from a grateful heart and a life dedicated to the service of one’s brothers.
We often imagine that those who hold significant responsibility within the Church possess an unbreakable strength, as if ministry made them immune to weariness, worries, or emotion. However, behind every habit there is a man; behind every office, a brother who feels, who loves, who suffers, and who also needs to be sustained by the affection and prayer of others.
One only needs to pause for a moment to consider all that rests on the shoulders of a Prior Provincial. Countless responsibilities fall upon him that brook no delay: discerning the paths of the Province, seeking solutions to difficulties, animating the life of communities, accompanying friars in their joys and sufferings, watching over the health and care of each brother, promoting vocations, sustaining the mission shared with the laity, and ensuring that each ministry continues to offer fruitful service to the People of God.
These are not simply administrative tasks. They are people, stories, hopes, conflicts, delicate decisions, and nights of prayer. These are burdens that cannot be measured solely by the amount of work, but by the human and spiritual weight they entail. Contemplating this reality, one cannot help but wonder: What a great cross rests on his shoulders! What a heavy timber he must have carried during these years! And yet, the answer appears simply: he has been able to walk because God has sustained his steps. Faith, trust in the Lord, and the affection of his brothers have been the Cyrenian that made it possible to continue the journey.
But there comes a moment when the heart no longer finds enough words to express what has been experienced. Then tears speak.
As the voices of so many brothers resonated in the chapter hall, publicly thanking him for his service, highlighting his closeness, his courage in facing difficult moments, his capacity for listening, his constant availability, his concern for the friars, for the communities, for the laity, and especially for the poor, those eyes began to moisten. Every word of recognition broke down the barriers that the service of governance so often demands. He who for years had sought to sustain others, was now sustained by the sincere affection of his brothers.
It was not the weeping of weakness, but of gratitude. It was the emotion of one who discovers that silent effort did not go unnoticed; that daily dedication left its mark on the lives of many people; that the good done, though often hidden, blossomed in the hearts of those who shared the journey.
At that moment I understood something profoundly human and profoundly evangelical: “friars also cry”. They cry because they love. They cry because they have given their lives. They cry because fraternity is not a concept written in Constitutions, but an experience that becomes flesh in an embrace, in sincere words, and in grateful recognition.
Tears are also part of discipleship
Jesus himself wept. He wept at the tomb of his friend Lazarus; he wept over Jerusalem; he wept in Gethsemane. His tears did not diminish his strength; on the contrary, they revealed the depth of his love. Those who have consecrated their lives to following Christ also discover that tears are part of discipleship. They are not a sign of fragility, but of a heart that remains alive, capable of being moved, of being grateful, and of allowing itself to be touched by received love.
Perhaps we need to re-evaluate those tears that often remain hidden. In a culture that tends to associate strength with toughness, the Gospel reminds us that true strength is the capacity to love without reservation. And whoever loves deeply also feels deeply.
A Provincial Chapter that taught the true meaning of fraternity
That chapter scene was not merely an emotional moment. It was a silent catechesis on fraternity. It reminded us that governance in religious life does not consist solely of administering structures, but of caring for people; that authority finds its fullness when it becomes service; and that the greatest recognition a superior can receive is not the achievements attained, but the sincere affection of the brothers with whom he shared the journey.
Therefore, since that day, every time I remember those tears, I repeat to myself with a grateful smile: “Yes, friars also cry. And thank God they do, because those tears reveal that their heart continues to beat to the rhythm of the Gospel and of fraternity.”
