When I was
first learning to recite the rosary and I came to the Hail, Holy
Queen prayer at the end I would pause and study “...in this vale
of tears;” Depending on who I was praying the rosary with it would
be pronounced veil or valley. I would think to myself
how can one word be used and mispronounced in such a way that it
could mean two entirely different things?!
If you look up
the word vale in the
prayerful context it means “this world as a place of trouble”
"vale". Online
Etymology Dictionary.
Douglas Harper, Historian. 14 Jan. 2017.
<Dictionary.comhttp://www.dictionary.com/browse/vale>.
I think that is
why more people choose to pronounce it as valley, since they can
picture this valley of tears. We are pilgrims on our pilgrimage to
God's kingdom that has us following the way of Christ. The way of Christ
is suffering and tears as well as joy to finally glory.
When I pray
thinking of a valley of tears, I am taken to the Trail of Tears,
which I did a report on when I was in 5th grade. The
Trail of Tears describes the forced moving of the many Native
American tribes (my report had been on the Cherokee) from east of the
Mississippi to Oklahoma where they were placed on a Reservation.
After I wrote my report, my parents took me to Cape Girardeau where
part of the Trail of Tears passed through. The Cherokee tribe lost
their land and close to half of their people as they trudged to
Oklahoma. I remember the park had a reverent silence as I read the
marker for the Trail of Tears.
But then there
is the other pronunciation of vale as veil that works too. I think
of that veil when I see the women wearing veils to mass. I have
given myself I hard time with this visual on the pronunciation
because “Who would wear a veil of tears?!” But Our Lady has made
that clear that one can wear a veil of tears...not on her head but
upon her face.
A bride also
wears a veil upon her face, so the bridegroom can see her but not
very clearly until he lifts the veil. Our Lord is the Bridegroom and
The Church is his Bride. The longer that I am a part of His Church
the more I am moved to tears when I see Him in the Sacraments. I
think to myself “Lord, this is the only way my earthly eyes can
bear to see you is through this veil of tears, because your Glory is
too much.” I have a feeling that the tears will flow whenever I see Him while I encounter Him in the Sacraments until He lifts the veil and I will see Him clearly.
