Dress-up time is special for every little girl. Inevitably when I would dive deep into my toy box at home growing up, I would pull out my special princess dress. I loved being a princess and pretending my knight-in-shining armor would come and sweep me off my feet. Now, as I walk around the rooms of our Day Care Center, I recall the many memories of my childhood play-time through the actions and laughter of the children. It still reigns true that every little girl desires to be a princess and in most of the eyes of their fathers, they are.
The devotion of Christ as King wasn’t a familiar aspect of the Son of God in my years before entering the convent. While on mission as a novice (in Washington, DC), I became mesmerized by the mosaic of Christ the King on the sanctuary wall of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. What drew me to this magnificently huge and majestic image? It was as if he was looking down on his “subjects” with such a penetrating gaze. He seemed to know each of our hearts, desiring to free us from any bondage or affliction. The image seemed to beckon us to draw into Christ’s kingship- to present ourselves to his throne with dignity and honor as his children. The image invoked the need to kneel before his feet and implore him to rule over our hearts- to be the center of all our thoughts, words, and actions.
If he is king, then as his daughter, I am his princess (finally, a real princess!). I am daily reminded of my royalty as his beloved daughter when I place my noble robe (habit) on my body and the regal crown (veil) on my head. When I grasp my royal sash (crucifix) to designate my membership within his family, I am reminded of the love of my King, who would go to any length to preserve his lineage- through dying, rising, freely giving mercy and forgiveness, healing, seeking out the lost, and bringing back the strayed. I must live my vocation as if I am representing the royal family. Through all my words and deeds, I must present to everyone the image of Jesus Christ, who desires with all of his heart to be within our hearts.
----by Sr. M. Clementia, FSGM
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