There’s No Place Like Home

There was one thing that my family took very seriously when I was growing up, and that was Family Night. This usually involved playing a game or watching a movie, like those on Family Classics, The Wonderful World of Disney, or network TV. One of our all-time favorites and one that we would never-ever miss was The Wizard of Oz.

The Wizard of Oz is more than a fictional tale about a girl and her dog trying to get back home; it’s a parable about our spiritual journey. It highlights the challenges we face throughout life as we travel down our individual yellow brick roads, and the things we need both inside and outside of ourselves to successfully deal with all those challenges so we can journey safely to our home destination.

The story revolves around four main characters: the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, the Cowardly Lion, and of course, Dorothy. And there is a direct connection between these characters and today’s readings.

The Cowardly Lion is searching for courage, or the desire to keep moving forward. It’s what we do with what we know and what we believe that will ultimately bring about our spiritual transformation. We’ve got to have our minds, hearts, and actions in sync. In our first reading, we hear that sometimes in following our calling, we may face adversities or dangers. We need that courage to not turn away when the pressure of this life slaps us in the face. Instead, we must let go of our fear, have faith, and push on to fulfill our mission – knowing that the Lord is always with us on our journey, at every moment of every day.

The Scarecrow wants a brain or wisdom. This represents the beginning of our journey when we find ourselves in a spiritual darkness. We don’t yet quite understand the totality of our faith, but we have a thirst to learn more and do more. As in our 2nd reading, we must seek wisdom, so we are not tempted by the evils of life by focusing only on ourselves but notice and acknowledge that others are in need. We need more than just faith. We need faith in action. It’s not always convenient and takes more effort, but that is the wisdom we seek so that we can help others so that they find themselves headed down the right path.

The Tin Man desires a heart. This lack of a heart means that it’s not enough to just have courage and understand things, but we have to really care. As the gospel tells us, we need to imitate Jesus with the same love that he showed to others. If we want to save our life, we need to lose it in the service of others by denying ourselves, taking up our cross, and following the Lord. We need to jump-start our hearts so that our great and powerful God can work through us, so that we too can undoubtedly say, “Jesus, you are the Christ.”

Finally, there’s Dorothy. Dorothy’s situation is a little different because she needs the ruby slippers to help her get back home to Kansas. For Dorothy, home represents safety, comfort, and familiarity. But she fails to understand that she already has what she needs, even though she continues to seek it from others. All Dorothy had to do was click her heels and things would happen. We may not have ruby slippers, but we have something even more powerful. It’s called prayer. Now just because we pray doesn’t mean we’ll get everything that we ask for. But God will answer our prayers by giving us what we need. And when we express those inner attributes of courage, wisdom, love, and kindness toward others, we will be guided by the light of our heavenly Father to our rightful place – home.

We, too, have been on a long journey toward home. It’s been a long time coming, but we are finally returning to our worship space, a space that we have been a part of and loved for many years. Here, we’ve prayed together, worshiped together, laughed together, and cried together. This is a place of memories, sacraments, fellowship, and friendship – where we draw strength from each other and help one another become better people. Then suddenly, a violent storm erupted in the form of a global pandemic and shattered our vision of home. We were carried away to an unfamiliar place of fear and isolation. We were separated from the people we love and found ourselves desperately seeking that familiar place where we always felt safe. And although we were unable to be in this physical space, our inner space never really left. Whether it was through watching Mass on YouTube, live streaming, or praying our spiritual communions, our hearts were always here – at home.

As we gather on this special weekend, we want to welcome you back – because a part of us was missing while you were gone. Now that you’re here, we are whole once more. And whether the road you took to get here was made of concrete, asphalt, or even yellow bricks – you are here. And that is what matters most.

In celebration of this joyous event, below are the lyrics to a song made popular back in 1972 by a British duo named Peters and Lee. And it is very appropriate for this special day.

Welcome home, welcome. Come on in, and close the door.
You’ve been gone, too long. Welcome, you’re home once more. 

I thought of all the things I’ll say to you, when you come back to me someday.
When you are here and we’re together, with all my heart you’ll hear me say. 

Welcome home, welcome. Come on in, and close the door.
You’ve been gone, too long. Welcome, you’re home once more.

My sisters and brothers, when you’re here, you’re home – and there’s no place like home!