Yesterday I stumbled across an article by Katherine Harvey in Historical Research, about the times when mediaeval bishops lost it, and broke out into spiritual tears. She writes:

As well as the historical interest, this intrigued me spiritually. I don't see such crying just as the eruption of ordinary feelings, which can bring tears to any of our eyes, for eaxmple when a hymn is sung that reminds us of a loved one or own mortality, or we are experiencing affirmation or relief. Rather - as the link to the celebration of mass suggests -  I suggest that we think of these particular tears as a gift of the Spirit, given as a revelation of the presence of our Lord - here in the eucharist, but it could also be in the bible or in prayer.

I am aware that it is not listed as such in Scripture (though the lists are surely exemplary rather than exhaustive). It does, however, occur often enough in Christian experience, to be taken seriously, as long as we don't promote purely human emotions as it or take it as a mark of sanctity or deep spirituality (the Spirit blows where it wills).

John Bartunek offers what seem sone wise words in a blog at https://spiritualdirection.com/2015/01/26/what-is-the-gift-of-tears, and I see that Daviud Runcorn has a recent book  “The Language of Tears – their gift, mystery and meaning” (CHP 2018, introduced at https://leeabbey.org.uk/blog/2018/08/the-gift-of-tears/.

Sobbing away while celebrating or praying isn't very English, is it? But I wonder whether - at a time when there is both much to celebrate and much to lament - whether it would not be good to be open to a rather wider range of God-given emotion than the Stiff Upper Lip.