The Gospel according to Roseanne
(You have got to be kidding)
But first, let us think about the Gospel of John 20: 19 - 31. In it, John tells us of the fearful
group of disciples who are visited by the risen Jesus. Jesus comforts them and tells them that
they have supernatural powers. There
is the doubter, Thomas, who must see to believe. But he was not the only one.
After all, the others believed because they were there to see on the first visit
of Jesus. And even after they saw Jesus, did they really believe that
they had the Peace and the powers that Jesus conferred on them? I don’t think so. It isn’t until Pentecost that we see that they were able to
go public with their beliefs. They
were fearful humans who did not understand their spirituality.
We have been taught that we have a soul. Being raised with this kind of teaching leads us to believe
that we are humans ... with a soul.
As such, we tend to put human concerns first and think about our soul on
Sundays, or Christmas and Easter, or not even then. Many of us do go to church but for reasons other
than to nourish our spirits. Many of us, if aware of our spirituality, tend to
hide it as if it is something of which to be ashamed.
In an episode of her sitcom in March, Roseanne discovers that money can’t
buy the help her new, very premature, granddaughter needs to live. The chances
for the baby’s survival are slim. When her daughter places the problem in the
hands of God by having the extraordinary life support removed, Roseanne says: “We are not bodies with souls, we
are souls with bodies.”
The writers of the skit have put our spirituality in the proper
perspective:
We are Spiritual beings who have human bodies.
Our bodies and our human lives have needs. But, these needs must be
satisfied with the knowledge that it is our spirit which is immortal and that it’s
care is of prime concern. When
we become aware of our spirituality and nourish it through prayer and good
works, we find our fears greatly diminished and our ability to cope with human
life greatly enhanced. Our spirituality directly effects our human state. Let us
live it and let it shine through to the world.
Don Plefka
3/26/97
