Chapelle seniors learn they are ‘Daughters of God’

“Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name …”

This simple prayer recited at every Mass reminds us that God is truly our “Father.” Despite this constant reminder, we tend to forget how much God loves us as his children.

The theme of our recent “family” retreat for seniors was “Daughters of the King.” The retreat was created to remind us that we are daughters of God and to inspire us to live as loving and obedient children to the father.

During the retreat, each “family” member prepared a talk highlighting a specific aspect of what it means to be a “Daughter of the King.”

A daughter has sacred worth

Group member Madisyn Freeman talked about the importance of being a daughter of God and finding her worth through the Lord. She explained that every person is made in the image and likeness of God; therefore, every human life is sacred.

She also explained that we can find our worth in the Lord because, no matter what, he loves us. If we know God loves us and our lives are sacred, we shouldn’t hesitate to love and respect ourselves.

Brooke Folse shared a testimony about making an active choice to know God. Through that decision, she inspired others in her life to do the same. This taught us that being a daughter involves actively loving the father and making an effort to know him.

My talk centered on a group activity meant to give classmates a fun, mental break. Each person received a piece of paper revealing if she was a “crewmate” or an “imposter.”

A fun exercise

Without showing anyone her paper, the crewmates were asked to make as wide a circle as possible – without any imposters in it. The circle with no imposters was supposed to win.

The girls had fun arguing about who was lying about being an imposter; however, ultimately it was revealed that there were never any imposters in the first place.  I explained that this activity was meant to show how we often treat each other on a daily basis.

Every day, we judge each other based on what we believe to be true about the other and ignore her true worth. We shut people out of our “circle” because we forget who they are and who we are: daughters of the king who are meant to love our sisters.

While sisters fight from time to time, they eventually forgive each other and continue to love each another. Before we judge a sister, we need to remember that she is a daughter of the king, and, therefore, should be treated as sacred.

  We shouldn’t tarnish our own souls through gossip and judgment because God has meant for us to be much more than that.

I hope our retreat reminded us that we are loved by the father. High schoolers, especially, need the reminder that God will always be there for us, even when we don’t think we have enough time for him. God is forgiving and always waiting with open arms, no matter what.

I also hope the retreat influenced my classmates to become closer to God. Being loving and close to God is what we were made for. As his children, we are most complete when we deeply know him. Every person is a daughter of the king.

Emily LaCour is a senior at Archbishop Chapelle High School.