When I was still a junior Sister and taking up theology I was fortunate enough to attend a class on narrative theology given by Fr. Denis McBride, a visiting Redemptorist priest based in England. I had no idea if he was already writing then, but Fr. McBride is now the author of four books on Scripture and Homiletics. I could not forget this short but enriching experience of being in his class because of the effect he had on us and on me personally. The course being narrative theology was full of storytelling. He shared with us stories drawn from the gospels and life experiences. Boy, was he a great storyteller! He literally held us captive by the way he told his stories.
Why do stories fascinate us? (I am speaking here of uplifting stories, the kind where we could draw upon some lessons on life.) For the simple reason that it tells a lot about us, the people we live with and society in general. Stories mirror our life experiences. They are not just mere ideas. They have flesh and bones. That’s precisely the reason when we sometimes cry or laugh over some silly but touching stories.
Catherine de Hueck Doherty, a well-known author and an engaging storyteller to boot used to say, “stories are very powerful in helping us understand and remember deep truths about life.”
The following account was one of the many stories, which Doherty wrote in her book Not Without Parables.
Katzia (polish name for Catherine) was a thin and awkward looking girl. She washed dishes in some third-rate restaurant as her means of living. She came to Friendship House (Doherty’s Drop-in Center) when she lost her job and was hungry. She stayed there for sometime, silently doing all the menial tasks of cleaning and scrubbing the floor even without being asked or told. Then, one day, she found a job and moved away.
Monday was her day off, and she usually spent it at Friendship House, helping around. She was usually silent, except for a word or two or a fleeting smile.
One day at Friendship House she met another girl, about 20 years old, thin and sick and had been a prostitute. Katzia took the girl to her place, a small room that she has been renting for herself.
Katzia did not come back to Friendship House for several weeks after that. Doherty tried to locate her but couldn’t. A few months later, Catherine received a letter from the director of a sanatorium. It was a dictated letter, signed by Katzia. She said that she was a patient there along with the girl she had tried to help.
Doherty and her staff visited Katzia in the hospital. They learned that Katzia contracted TB through the other girl. Both were very, very ill. A year later Katzia died and the thin girl got better. She has been working ever since, without pay, in the convent of some poor nuns. “Greater love has no man...”
A short story about a “little” person with a great and loving heart.
Of course, we may be surrounded with great storytellers both gifted and not but there is one whose greatness in storytelling cannot be surpassed. Jesus, the Master Teacher, taught his people in parables that they could understand and apply in their lives. He told the most unforgettable stories in the world. He is the master storyteller of all!
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