It was a Sunday morning, and masses all around the world were starting. The angels flew down to witness Jesus’ sacrifice and sing praises to Him in all of the masses. Among all of the angels and all of the saints and all of the beauty in heaven sat a kid whose choice to live was taken from her. She was small, so pale, so much so, that light seemed to pass through her as if she were transparent. Beside her, sat a small angel, most likely her guardian angel, and they looked down on the beauty of each mass and heard the beautiful songs the angels sang praising and glorifying God. In her hand, she held a rose. The stem was long, the thorns were sharp, but the bud, the petals, and the scent was beautiful and strong.

The little girl took a deep breath and smiled. “I love this”.

The small angel with feet dangling from the side of the cloud smiled.

“You know, sometimes I wonder if I could have been a princess on earth”, pondered the little girl.

“Because of the dresses and the jewelry?”

“No,” said the girl simply, “because princesses can love so many people at once and do a lot of good. Plus they are really pretty. Everybody wants to be their friend. Imagine how a princess could make a little girl’s day by just smiling at her. Can you imagine?”

The angel imagined the girl dressed as a princess and smiling at everybody while waving her soft, small hands saying hello to everyone.

“I would have lots and lots of roses in my garden,” the little girl kept imagining.

“Because they are pretty?” The little angel asked.

“Kind of,” the little girl twilled the flower in her hands and showed it to her friend. “You see how there are thorns, but then at the top there is a beautiful flower with a beautiful scent?”

The angel nodded.

“It reminds me of heaven, and Jesus, and the Virgin Mary.”

The angel looked at the little girl, puzzled.

“Well, everyone thinks they are beautiful. But people forget that there was suffering and pain in the lives of those two beautiful people. People forget that Jesus died for our sins and was crowned with thorns. People forget that Mary agreed to have Jesus and then have Him taken away. People forget that despite all of those awful things, beautiful things and beautiful people came out of it. Just like the rose on top of the stem with thorns”.

“Why does it remind you of heaven?”, the little angel probed.

“Well, people forget that the important part of life isn’t the part on earth, but what comes after. If maybe they tried harder, or looked up to Jesus, they wouldn’t give up on living a good life because then they could get to heaven and see Jesus. I think that is why Jesus likes kids so much”.

The angel raised an eyebrow quizzically.

“Well,” the little girl giggled, “little kids aren’t afraid of the thorns. When they see a rose they take it. All of it. They don’t even mind the thorns. It hurts sometimes, but then when they ask their mom to hold it and they smell the scent of the rose, they know that taking it was totally worth it. I just wish every kid had a chance to pick up a rose sometime. That’s what Jesus did. Just like when a boy likes a girl and he gives her a flower. He took the rose by its prickly stem because He wanted to give the beauty of peace and salvation to the Church. Jesus loves the Church”.

The girl, still with the rose in her hand, and began her reflection again. “I guess that is why Mother Mary likes the rosary. Because the Rosary is like a blanket in which to put the roses. People forget she also gave a rose to the church. Her rose was Jesus. Even though God gave Him to her, she could have said no. And now she holds so many roses because Jesus gave the world her mom so she can take care of us. Each rose is like the hope that we will all get to heaven. But there are still thorns, and they hurt her sometimes”.

The angel nodded for a while, and they sat in silence until she asked, “What does it take to be a princess then? If it isn’t about the dresses and the jewelry, what does it take?”

“I guess,” the little girl started, “every girl is already a princess. God is the King of Heaven, and since we are His sons and daughters, we are already princes and princesses. Some people just forget how to act like it, and some kids aren’t given the chance. I wish people realized how much Jesus loves them. I hope they realized that kids are living better just because they don’t let their love be limited by reason. They don’t have to understand someone to love them, so they don’t try to understand God. They just love Him. I think Jesus would be happier if we were all like kids and loved Him like kids do. Unconditionally, without questions, without worries, without regret. I would have loved to be God’s princess on earth”.

"That's a very beautiful reflection," said the angel to the little girl.

"For a girl who was never born?" the little girl asked quietly.

"For anyone," replied the angel.

"Do you think I could've been a good princess?" asked the girl in a quiet small voice.

"You already are," replied her angel.

We are so focused on life that we forget we aren’t home yet. We forget to smile at everyone and be kind because we forget that we are all brothers and sisters in Christ. We forget to thank God for our lives and we forget to ask for God’s peace and help in times of trouble because we are so quick to blame Him or forget Him. Some kids never even get to smile at anyone, but we are all kids. We are all children. We are God’s children. If we focus so much on this life, the stem of the rose, we might get hurt and feel betrayed. But if we remember that the world is filled with blessings and that we aren’t alone, then taking a rose by its stem won’t seem so scary, even if it has thorns.