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In the course of his distinguished literary career, English author G. K. Chesterton often maintained that more wisdom and truth can be found in fairy tales and fantasy stories than in some of the great works of literature and philosophy.

A case in point is "The Wizard of Oz." In the film version of this beloved, classic tale, young Dorothy of Kansas finds herself in a strange place following a tornado. She painfully realizes that she is lost.

Soon afterward, we learn of her desire to return home. It is clear that she is bound and determined to return to more familiar surroundings. As the story draws to a close, the good witch Glinda instructs Dorothy to tap her heels together three times and keep repeating the words, "There is no place like home."

Dorothy gladly obliges -- and awakens from a deep slumber, surrounded by her loving family. She is once again in the friendly confines of her home.

On the night of the Last Supper, Jesus promised His disciples that He would prepare a home for them. He said, "In my Father's house, there are many dwelling places; otherwise, how could I have told you that I was going to prepare a place for you?" (Jn 14:2).

It is also worth noting that Jesus assures His disciples He will take them to Himself: His words, "that where I am you also may be," are a statement of what will happen to us once our earthly pilgrimage comes to an end. Another door will be opened to us!

Over the course of many years in priestly ministry, I have celebrated the funeral Masses of Catholic women known affectionately by members of their family as "homemakers." Preparing for a recent funeral of a deceased wife and mother, I was informed by one of her children of her mother's greatest accomplishment: "Mom loved creating a homey atmosphere and made it a place to be."

Perhaps we can begin to appreciate the mystery of "the Father's house" by focusing our attention on heaven's porch -- the family home. It is in the home where enduring friendships are forged, memories are born and love is nourished.

In the early spring of 2005, then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (the future Pope Benedict XVI) preached the homily at the funeral Mass of Pope John Paul II. Cardinal Ratzinger simply couldn't overlook the reference to "the Father's house" in the 14th chapter of St. John's Gospel, noting: "None of us can forget how, in that last Easter Sunday of his life, marked by suffering, [Pope John Paul] came once more to the window of the apostolic palace and one last time gave his blessing, 'urbi et orbi.' We can be sure that our beloved pope is standing today at the window of the Father's house and blesses us."

G.K. Chesterton reminds us that, like Dorothy of Kansas, we often lose our way in life in a skeptical and unbelieving culture. Too many of us are lost in the cosmos! He writes: "Man has always lost his way. He has been a tramp ever since Eden; but he always knew, or thought he knew, what he was looking for. Every man has a house somewhere in the elaborate cosmos; his house waits for him waist deep in slow Norfolk rivers or sunning itself upon Sussex downs. Man has always been looking for that home which is the subject matter of this book.

"But in the bleak and blinding hail of skepticism to which he has been so long subjected, he has begun to be chilled, not merely in his hopes, but also in his desires. For the first time in history, he begins really to doubt the object of his wanderings on Earth. He has always lost his way; but now he has lost his address."

Dorothy of Kansas is right. She speaks words of profound wisdom. In truth, "There is no place like home" -- and for those of us who worship in the house of God, our eternal resting place in the "Father's house" is no mere fiction, but an article of faith. It is the greatest source of our consolation and joy.

(Father Yanas is pastor of Sacred Heart parish in Troy.)[[In-content Ad]]

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