Today I went, for the first time, to a Carmelite monastery. Six nuns live there in seclusion. Their job, apparently, is to pray for the world. I gave the sister some soup and tortillas through the wooden turnstyle. She spoke kindly and answered questions through the black grating. I could not see her.
I asked her why Catholics talk so much about saints. She said the saints are like members of our family.
I asked her about reading scripture. She said that they read scripture seven times daily plus she reads on her own. When I asked her what her favorite scripture was, she had to think and then mentioned the first part of St. John.
What would it be like to be cloistered for life behind bars as a Carmelite nun, reading scripture seven times daily, praying for the world and getting food through a wooden turnstyle? She was very excited about the food that I brought.
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