ABSTRACT
In May 2005, the BBC screened a television documentary series featuring a group of men who spend six weeks living alongside a community of monks in a Benedictine monastery.1 The programme was billed as a ‘unique experiment’, whose stated aim was to discover if there was anything about an ancient monastic tradition that could be relevant to modern secular life. Towards the end of the series, one of the participants has what can best be described as a very profound and moving experience. Just as a piece of television, the scene is remarkable enough. For a full minute and a half, there is complete silence as Tony, sitting with his mentor Brother Francis, appears to be wrestling with thoughts and feelings that he is able neither to comprehend nor express. Eventually, Tony indicates that he wishes the meeting to end and it is brought to a close with a blessing.
