A mother takes a photo of students on the first day of school at St. Joseph Catholic School in Waxahachie.
By Father Timothy Gollob
Special to The Texas Catholic
During one of my morning meditations, I was given a fresh insight into the “new normal” which many people are now talking about. The article I was reading said that the 1939 movie,”The Wizard of Oz,” was a perfect illustration of our human quest for happiness.
Remember — if you are old enough — that in the movie the family of Dorothy seemed like a normal mixture of young and old conversing together. All seemed to be going well. Then the tornado struck and their whole world was literally turned upside down.
Dorothy steps out of her ruined house with her dog, Toto, in her arms, She looks around and announces to Toto, “I have a feeling that we are not in Kansas anymore!”
Is that a feeling that our whole world is burdened with as we struggle through the pandemic?
Remember not too long ago that your life was going along just fine. You were able to participate in many social activities. You could show affection to your friends and relatives without any fear of some spread of the virus.
Sport teams could compete. Fans could cheer shoulder to shoulder. Weddings and funerals and dances and picnics could take place in all sorts of venues. The more people gathered, the merrier the occasion would be.
At Holy Cross Catholic Church in Oak Cliff, we were all delighted to worship together every Sunday with our neighbors and friends. Of course, we took special delight in going with each other to Thea Bowman Hall for coffee and donuts and tostados and pancakes, all seasoned with laughter and gossip.
Now we are a little like Dorothy, who returned to Kansas from her trip to the magical land of Oz only to find things in her house to be the same, but different.
The folks were the same, but she was looking at her world through new eyes. Everyone who had been with her in the Land of Oz was there. However, there was a new normal in Kansas.
Once her family had been protected by traditions and order. But disorder and interruption came via the tornado. Restored to her home, things had been reordered. She was to be a part of what was to take place in Kansas, having learned important lessons in the world of Oz.
I have a feeling that our world is not going to be the same again. Ever!
Father Timothy Gollob is a retired priest who served as pastor of Holy Cross Catholic Church in Oak Cliff.
