Not Without Parables

Catherine Doherty held that stories help us to understand the deep truths about life, because they are closer to life than mere ‘ideas’. 

Gathered here are three types of parables or stories that reveal the mysterious presence of God in the persons and events.

In Part I Catherine brings us around the fireside of her childhood home in the Russia of old, where she sat wide-eyed at the feet of holy pilgrims who had knocked on her parents’ door asking for food and shelter on their way to and from shrines.

In Part II she takes us through ‘the Blue Door’ of Madonna House into an inspiring world of ordinary miracles, peopled by such famous figures as Dorothy Day, Peter Maurin, Thomas Merton. Yet its true heroes are unforgettable people who perhaps never found fame, but found glory. The German Jew, the communist, the homeless men who became priests, the prostitute who discovered herself kneeling at Jesus’ feet, and more.

In Part III we find out how things get better, as Lady Avarice grows Bountiful, Pity turns to Love, Sorrow becomes Joy, Pride becomes Humble, Death becomes Life.

This new edition includes four new stories and beautiful folk art illustrations.