“He said to him, ‘My son, you are here with me always; everything I have is yours. But now we must celebrate and rejoice, because your brother was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.'”
– Luke 15:31-32
What do you want to be when you grow up? A nearby children’s museum has an exhibit (sponsored by Barbie) that proudly proclaims “You Can Be Anything!” Kids can engage with various activities that encourage exploration or careers like surfing, archeology, wildlife photographer, veterinary medicine, and rock climbing. You can take your picture in a bright pink Barbie box with your name and future career proudly displayed on a digital screen. The positive and upbeat tone is meant to encourage kids (especially girls) to think creatively about the future, without limiting their dreams to traditional “girl jobs”.
I obviously send my like-minded friends a thousand pictures documenting every moment of the experience. My cynical self feels torn between appreciation of the positive sentiments and confusion at the ridiculousness of the careers represented. Where’s the career where you sit in front of a computer screen every day in an endless purgatory of spreadsheets? Where’s the nursing assistant who lovingly tends to the basic human needs of the elderly or those in memory care? Or the teacher who stays up late grading because they spent their planning period offering comfort to a struggling student or fellow teacher? Can we really be anything? Is the American dream of “pulling ourselves up by our bootstraps” just a myth?
The parable of the Prodigal Son has three main characters: the son who leaves, the son who stays, and the father who loves them both totally and completely. At various points in our lives, we may relate to one character over another. I’ve watched people I love make decisions that were self-destructive. I’ve been the one who felt trapped in endless responsibility and fear of failing. And I’ve been the one who felt the pressure to be successful, to “make something of my life.”
The beauty of today’s Gospel is that no matter who we are, what we accomplish, or what we become, God will always be with us. You can be anything: A child of God, a companion in Christ’s suffering, an advocate for the poor. These may not look cute displayed on a bright pink box, but these words are the ones I want to identify who I am, and who I hope to become.
Jen Coito: Ignatius at Home 