Amabilis was the daughter of an Anglo-Saxon king, making her a princess. And you know I can’t resist a good princess story! She gave us her royal life and became a nun in France. Amabilis was known for being virtuous and wise. And that’s really all we know of her.
Princesses always get me because I was raised on Disney princesses and the notion that, since I’m a daughter of the King of the Universe, I am also a princess. My childhood nickname was Tia, which means princess, and my favorite color is purple, the color of royalty. All of these things were coincidences, basically; I did not go searching for ways to make myself a princess. However, I took on that identity when I figured it out and took it dearly to heart. In old iterations of my blog and businesses, I identified as Principessa, the Italian word for princess. When Something Corporate sang, “You can be my punk rock princess,” they were talking about me. But what does it really mean to be a princess?
First and foremost, Jesus subverts the idea of royalty as an overbearing oppressor and leader into one of a servant, dedicated to his people and bringing them justice and goodness. In Jesus, we see that royalty means making sure others are secure before being secure yourself and handing your life over for the good of others. So to be a princess is to be a servant of the people. Amabilis did this by giving up her privileged life and entering into one of prayer and dedication. There are many ways to do this! Find a way that you can be royalty by serving others today.
St. Amabilis, pray for us!
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