columba of iona's instructions in my own words

Columba of Iona’s Instructions In My Own Words
a poem by Troy Cady

Pray
(and keep praying)
until you cry
(then pray some more),
for tears are the
surest indication
of the
sincerest prayer.

Am I really praying
if I am not weeping?

and

Work
until you cry.
Tears turn work
into labor.

So,
like a mother giving birth,
push
until the levee breaks
and the tears free
for pain
and joy.

If I cannot weep
why do I work?

and

If you cannot weep,
make the sign of the cross,
make the sign of the cross,
make the sign of the cross

until you sweat.