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A charming story is told of Pepita,
a poor Mexican girl who had no gift to present the
Christ Child at Christmas Eve Services. As Pepita walked
slowly to the chapel with her cousin Pedro, her heart
was filled with sadness rather than joy.
"I am sure, Pepita, that even
the most humble gift, if given in love, will be
acceptable in His eyes," said Pedro consolingly.
Not knowing what else to do,
Pepita knelt by the roadside and gathered a handful of
common weeds, fashioning them into a small bouquet.
Looking at the scraggly bunch of weeds, she felt more
saddened and embarrassed than ever by the humbleness of
her offering. She fought back a tear as she entered the
small village chapel.
As she approached the alter, she
remembered Pedro's kind words: "Even the most humble
gift, if given in love, will be acceptable in His eyes."
She felt her spirit lift as she knelt to lay the bouquet
at the foot of the nativity scene.
Suddenly, the bouquet of weeds
burst into blooms of brilliant red, and all who saw them
were certain that they had witnessed a Christmas miracle
right before their eyes.
From that day on, the bright red
flowers were known as the Flores de Noche Buena,
or Flowers of the Holy Night, for they bloomed each year
during the Christmas season.
Today, the common name for this
plant is the poinsettia! |
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