Bishop Ward tells the Mexican legend of the miracle of the poinsettia and the miracle of the birth of Christ, bringing grace and beauty into the world around us.
See this and other Advent videos, devotions and resources on our Advent 2015 page.
May the peace and joy of Christmas be yours as Christ comes! God gives to us the greatest gift – Jesus Christ – the child of Bethlehem. What shall we give to Jesus, poor as we are?
A wonderful Mexican legend helps us appreciate the beautiful poinsettias that decorate our churches and our homes. These brilliant red flowers are a sign of God’s grace and power. The legend is one of a child, who with her brother, was making a journey toward the church . They had no gift to give to the baby Jesus as he came into the world, so they stopped and picked common weeds along the roadside. Some made fun of their gift as they laid them gently beside the manger in the church. And then. before the eyes of all present, a great miracle occurred.
Those common weeds burst into beautiful red bloom, and they are called in Mexico “the flower of the holy night” – floras de noche buena. We continue, at Christmas, to surround ourselves with these miracle flowers and they remind us of God’s great miracle, the creation of beauty in every place, because Jesus comes gracing our life, our world. The Christmas hymn helps us – what shall we give Jesus, poor as we are? The best gift of all is the gift of our hearts.
O come let us adore him – Jesus Christ, our Lord!