doubt a parable

Father Flynn tells a story of a woman who spread false accusations against a neighbor and then went to her priest for confession. In the story, the priest then replied that this kind of behavior rendered her an “ignorant woman,” and she should be ashamed. As a punishment, the priest orders the woman to slice open a pillow with a knife. He then asks the woman to collect all the feathers, and, after she explains that doing so would be impossible, the priest demonstrates the irreparable damages of gossip.