Okay, allow me to get weird here for a minute.
The last time I saw “The Wizard of Oz” I thought, “Hey, this is the Catholic Pilgrim’s Progress.”
Dorothy’s unhappy with her life and wants to go “over the rainbow” or heaven, maybe?
After her baptism---her trial by fire in the tornado, she reaches the other side... “We’re not in Kansas anymore.” Catholics believe that you enter a new Kingdom, the Kingdom of God when you are baptized. It is then you begin your journey to eternal life---Like Dorothy--the journey to the Emerald City on the Yellow Brick Road.
For Catholics, you are never alone. You have your angels, your sponsors, your church family helping you along with the journey-- learning with you and maturing you in these ways:
The scarecrow: his brain or theology....
The Tin Man: a correct heart....
The Lion: learning courage!
All go with you on the journey. Even though you are no longer in your old life, you are in the new, you still have not yet arrived at God.
All during the process you are followed by demons who discourage you and try to burn you, make you sleep, keep knowledge from you....
When they arrive at the Emerald City they have to “freshen up” so they can look perfect before seeing the Great and Mighty OZ----think---purgatory anyone?
Yeah, yeah... the comparison breaks down as OZ turns out to be a fake and the whole point of the movie is to get BACK to her life on earth. Oh well, it still seems a bit like the writer had an underlying religious message--doubt it was Catholic, though.
