Last night I went with my mom to see the Barbie movie. I had zero expectations for it and just anticipated good costume and set design and fun music. I knew there was a big uproar and saw Catholics saying it had a horrible message. I listened intently to see if I heard that message and y’all. I just don’t know what those folks are talking about. By the end, I was convinced the message was very Christian–discover who you were made to be and be it. It is what every great saint has done. Mother Teresa didn’t try to be St. Therese of Liseuix. Saint Ignatius didn’t try to be Saint Francis. They stepped into themselves and brought meaning to their world.
When we wrote our new book (!!!!), this is what we hoped to convey. Each of us along with each saint reveals something about who God is. The book is called Living the Seasons: Simple Ways to Celebrate the Beauty of Your Faith Throughout the Year and is now available for pre-order on our site! I cannot wait for you to hold this book in your hands in October.
Anyway, as a working mother, I particularly loved the monologue by America Ferrera and the way that they highlight the dignity and beauty of older people, which Pope Francis has spoken of often. The movie speaks of the anxiety and issues that we face in our current world and at the end of the movie, Barbie sees that the way to fight against that is to bring meaning to the world and her creator sees the beauty in her becoming herself. And this "becoming" as Barbie tells Ken, has nothing to do with the things we so often think are us - it’s not our jobs, our possessions, our looks. We are all worthy just in who we are.
May we all become more fully alive,
Erica