I watched the movie "Doubt" again last night. The 2008 movie starring Meryl Streep, Amy Adams, Viola Davis and Philip Hoffman is based on John Patrick Shanley's Pulitzer Prize winning stage play "Doubt: A Parable" and brings up many disturbing and thought-provoking issues. And like any good work of art, it evokes new insights each time you revisit it!Last night I was struck by one of the sermons Father Flynn preached about GOSSIP:
A woman had casually repeated a bit of unkind gossip she had heard about a man she really didn't even know. She knew her action was wrong and it started troubling her...so much that she had a dream one night of a large hand hovering over her and pointing an accusing finger at her.
She decided that this must be the hand of God pointing out her transgression and she needed to go to her priest, confess and seek forgiveness.
After admitting her hurtful deed, she asked to be pardoned for her actions. The priest gave her an usual penance. She was to go home, take a pillow and knife and go up to the roof of her apartment. Once there she was to open the pillow with the knife and then return to the priest. She did as she had been instructed.
The priest asked her what had happened when she did as he had told her. She told how even the slightest breeze took the feathers and blew them everywhere! The priest then told her, "Now go back and retrieve each and every feather."
"But I cannot do that!" she cried. "I have no idea where the wind may have carried each feather! It would be impossible to retrieve them all!"
"Ah," said the priest, "Such is GOSSIP!"
Such an amazing allegory! We must guard against even casual GOSSIP ~ one never knows how far it may grow and we will never be able to get it back!
