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For who has known the mind of the Lord, so as to counsel him? But we have the mind of Christ (1 Cor 2:16).
I won’t pretend to understand much of what St. Paul may mean by this bold statement. But I would contend that Catherine Doherty suggested a few steps one could take in that direction, as evidenced by the following little vignettes.
1) The Anger of God (ca. 1976)
Once when I lived at our farm, Catherine came up for a long-awaited visit. Towards the middle of the afternoon, we were sitting around the large old table from Friendship House days which was now located in the living room.
Catherine had been talking about a theme she often talked about in those days: that God was angry at the widespread disobedience to his laws (including care for the earth) and that a catastrophe was imminent unless there was a change of heart and practice.
Finally, in exasperation, someone said, “B (which is what we called her), if God is angry as you say he is, how can we believe he is merciful?”
To which she replied, “But, sweetheart, the anger of God is also his mercy!”
2) Elect a sinner! (1971)
I wasn’t present when this happened but I later read the transcript of a spiritual reading in which the manner of deciding who to elect as director-general was being discussed in relation to the proposed new Constitution. In that document, Catherine urged us to elect (by sobornost—that is, unanimity) the person who “is a prayer.”
The question was: how do you tell who is a prayer? To which Catherine replied: “Why that’s simple: elect the one who is a sinner!”
“The one who is a sinner?” someone asked.
“Of course! For only the one who knows she or he is a sinner will know the need also to pray always.”
3) When you can do the least, you do the most. (1962/63)
Three of our staff were alone in a sea of suffering in East Pakistan (currently, Bangladesh) when war broke out there. Our team, which had been immersed in Bengali culture, was little prepared to offer any kind of material assistance. However, they shared deeply in the suffering of the people and were greatly pained that they could do little more than simply that.
The director of the team, writing for the three of them, poured out her soul to Catherine about this situation. She received a letter back which stated: “It is when we can do the least for the poor that we do the most for them, because at such a moment, we have only one option: to be crucified with Christ.
“After all, that is when he did the most for all mankind—when, nailed to the Cross, he could do nothing else but be that offering for us.
“So be at peace. At such a time you are, in your poverty, truly one with the poor. One day you will understand better the fruitfulness of such a moment.”
4) Expect a miracle.
This little statement is well known in our community because it has been printed up on little signs located in various locations for decades.
But what sort of miracle is it that we should expect? Rarely do we see the usual sort of miracle around here: extraordinary healings especially are rare. But the other day one of the directors commented to me on yet another situation in the apostolate defying all hope of human resolution.
“It would take a miracle. But come to think of it, we’ve always had to live that way. Perhaps the greatest miracle amongst us is perseverance in our vocation.”
For all the other kinds of graces that are granted us so abundantly through the intercession of Our Lady of Combermere, this one may indeed be the greatest: that we still are striving to live our vocation … against all the odds!
5) “I envy you.”
This one I knew about because of my position for a number of years (1984-96) as editor of Restoration.
One day I received a letter from Switzerland. A widow was sending back to us a letter that Catherine Doherty had written to her and her husband back in the 1950’s.
They had written Catherine asking for her prayers, as the husband had just been diagnosed with an incurable, crippling illness that would soon be affecting him for the rest of his life.
Catherine wrote back very compassionately, saying, yes, she would certainly pray, asking the Lord to heal him if that be his holy will, and also asking for them the strength of faith to bear their cross if it was not his will that the young husband be healed.
Then she said a startling thing: “But to tell you the truth, I envy you. How I wish that your cross were mine also. Such a privilege to share the suffering of Christ in this way! Imagine the graces that will flow to many because of your yes to this suffering.
“Yes, you are indeed blessed. Of course, I will ask Our Lady to intercede for you to strengthen you ….”
Remember, it was at the death of her husband that the widow was sending the letter back. They had indeed had a blessed life together, she said, and Catherine’s word to them had encouraged and inspired them to the very end.
***
There are many other stories where Catherine’s answer to questions or her comments on a given situation seemed to contradict all reason, and certainly prudence as well. But time and again her words of this kind were proven true and “of the Lord.”
They confirmed once again that my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord. As high as the heavens are above the earth, so high are my ways above your ways, and my thoughts above your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55: 8-9)
