My children love stories.

Our days are dotted with stories from the Bible, lives of the saints, fairy tales, biographies, Shakespeare, literature, and history. They retell them to their dad around the dinner table, act them out in the backyard, and make connections between the story and their own lives, even weeks later. They ask to read beloved picture books over and over again. They want to know the impetus of action and the background of the main characters.

Their pure hearts are enthralled by the idea that they, too, are living a story. Perhaps, when in the fullness of time the Father sent his Son into the world to save it, he saw in his creatures a similar trait: despite their wayward hearts and lost innocence, his children love stories.

God Is the Storyteller

Since the beginning of time, God has been writing a story in the world. It’s why the events of Sacred Scripture are called “the story of salvation history.”

Beyond the pages of the canon, we see God’s story written in the lives of the saints. Whether they were on the world stage or tucked away in a home or cloister, an encounter with the life of a saint is an encounter with an authored story.

As humans, we are enamored with story. Familial quips are passed through generations; we learn about right and wrong through fairy tales; heroic stories call us to bravery and perseverance; we long to know one another’s “life story.” Sharing in a story extends unity, aspiration, and education.

“If there is a story, there must also surely be a storyteller.”[1] We can be confident that the Author of Life has something to say to us through story. In the person of Jesus Christ, he teaches us through stories known as parables.