Silent retreat

SILENT RETREAT: Brian Doyle, sometime contributor to the CHRISTIAN CENTURY, reports that his sister, who lives in a monastery, once went on a summer-long silent retreat. He asked her what her first words were when she broke her silence. She grinned and said "Pass the butter," and when he complied, she laughed: those actually were her first words "after the retreat.

He also asked her if it had been hard to remain silent. At first it was, she said, but then it had become a prayer (U.S. Catholic, June).

COPYRIGHT 2007 The Christian Century Foundation
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