Poinsettia

Dear All: 

            The Philippines is abundant with beautiful flowers.  Each week, our catering cafeteria staff prepares a gorgeous floral array for our Devotional Dinner with a member of the Area Presidency or Area Authority.  The flowers here are fragrant, an expression of love, and very impressive, displaying the beauty of nature produced in the Philippines. 

            But, it is hard to imagine any flower more striking and symbolic than the Poinsettia, especially at this special time of year.  We celebrate with you the grand and glorious restored gospel which is magnificently blossoming and blooming in the world as the Son of God sheds His light on the gardens of the earth.  Please read Sister Taylor’s message relating to the beautiful Christmas flower we all enjoy at this time. 

 

Love and Merry Christmas , From GT & DT Taylor   

Poinsettia

 I drive down the road, not far from the MTC, I pass a nursery filled with row after row of red poinsettias. Every time I see these flowers, I think of Christmas--especially at this time of year, I think of “Home.”

In Mexico the poinsettia symbolizes the purity and innocence of baby Jesus.  It represents our deep love and devotion for the ‘Christ.’ The star-shaped poinsettia flower and leaves are sometimes thought of as a symbol of the Star of Bethlehem. It is known as 'Flower of the Holy Night'.  

There is an old Mexican legend about how Poinsettia's and Christmas come together.  The story is related as follows: 

 

There was once a poor Mexican girl called Pepita, who had no present to give the baby Jesus at the Christmas Eve Services. As Pepita walked to the chapel, sadly, her cousin Pedro tried to cheer her up. “Pepita,”he said,“I'm sure that even the smallest gift, given by someone who loves him will make Jesus Happy.”

Pepita didn't know what she could give, so she picked a small handful of weeds from the roadside and made them into a small bouquet. She felt embarrassed because she could only give this small present to Jesus. As she walked through the chapel to the altar, she remembered what Pedro had said. She began to feel better, knelt down and put the bouquet at the bottom of the nativity scene. Suddenly, the bouquet of weeds burst into bright red flowers, and everyone who saw them were sure they had seen a miracle. From that day on, the bright red flowers were known as the 'Flores de Noche Buena', or 'Flowers of the Holy Night'.

As we see the beautiful poinsettias this year, may we consider, as did Pepita, what gift we will give to the Savior—a gift that will blossom into beauty and love.