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The Legend of The Poinsettia - Edited

The document recounts the legend of the poinsettia, which originated in Mexico and symbolizes the beauty of gifts given with love. A young girl named Luce, facing her mother's illness, learns that even weeds can transform into beautiful gifts when offered with love, reflecting the grace of Jesus Christ. The story serves as a reminder of the potential for personal transformation through divine grace and the importance of giving selflessly.

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marylynncall
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61 views2 pages

The Legend of The Poinsettia - Edited

The document recounts the legend of the poinsettia, which originated in Mexico and symbolizes the beauty of gifts given with love. A young girl named Luce, facing her mother's illness, learns that even weeds can transform into beautiful gifts when offered with love, reflecting the grace of Jesus Christ. The story serves as a reminder of the potential for personal transformation through divine grace and the importance of giving selflessly.

Uploaded by

marylynncall
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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The Legend of the Poinsettia

Brad Wilcox, BYU Fireside

I love the vivid green and red colors that surround us at Christmastime. I even love
poinsettias when they’re pink or white or marbled; most of all I love the legend of how we got
the poinsettia in the first place. The flower originally came from Mexico, where it was called flor
de noche buena, or “flower of the holy night.” According to the legend, the flower first appeared
in a little village long ago in Mexico, where everyone was getting ready for Christmas. The local
priest asked a woman in his parish to weave a blanket, a beautiful blanket that could be placed
under the statue of the Baby Jesus on Christmas Eve.

The woman’s daughter, Luce, was so proud that her mother had been given this great
honor, but as Christmas Eve drew closer, her mom became gravely ill, and her father prepared to
take her to the hospital, far away in the big city. Luce was worried, about her mother, of course,
but she was also worried about the blanket. Reading her thoughts, her father said, “The priest
will have to understand,” but Luce was afraid the priest wouldn’t understand, neither would their
friends or neighbors. Everyone was counting on her mother. And now, her mother was sick, and
there would be nothing to give to the Baby Jesus on Christmas Eve. Luce decided she was going
to finish the blanket herself. But the more she tried, the more it turned into a tangled mess.

When Christmas Eve came, instead of going to the church, Luce hid behind her small
house. An old woman saw her, and approached. “What’s wrong, child?” she asked. Then Luce
began to sob. “I have nothing to take for the procession of the gifts. My mother was supposed to
weave the blanket, but then she got sick, and now I don’t have anything to put beneath the statue
of the Baby Jesus.”

The woman looked at some weeds growing nearby. “What about those? They would
make a comfortable bed for the Baby.” Luce stared at the woman in disbelief. How could she
take weeds to the Savior? But then the old woman explained. “Any gift is beautiful when it is
given with love.” She gathered an armful of weeds and extended them to Luce.

Luce obediently took the weeds and headed off to the church. When she walked inside,
everyone gasped. They couldn’t believe she was bringing weeds into the church. She was ready
to turn around and leave, but she saw the priest smile and beckon her to come forward. As she
placed the weeds around the statue of the Baby Jesus, suddenly they were tipped with beautiful
red leaves. They looked like flaming stars. The manger shimmered and glowed, as if lit by
hundreds of candles. A hush fell over the congregation. The old woman was right: any gift is
beautiful when it is given with love.

According to the legend, every Christmas since that day, red stars have shown atop green
branches in Mexico and all around the world. I love the story. The legend reminds us of the love
with which we should give gifts to each other, but it also reminds me of the gift of grace that
Jesus Christ has so lovingly given all of us. In the legend, weeds are made beautiful, and that is
how Christ can change and transform us.
Paul said, “Be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed.” Because of grace
(divine help), not only can we repent and be resurrected, not only can we return to God, but we
can become, as Peter taught, “partakers of the divine nature.” Because of the Messiah in a
manger, we can become changed. Our hearts, our desires, our motives, our minds, our very
natures can be changed. We can be made holy.

Sometimes we get so comfortable the way we are, that change doesn’t even seem
necessary. We get pretty content to be weeds, when Heavenly Father has much greater things in
store for us. Elder Neal A. Maxwell wrote this: “The Lord loves each of us too much to merely
let us go on being what we now are, for He knows what we have the possibility to become.”

Elder Christofferson has also reminded us that the early saints wrote “Holiness to the
Lord” on the temple, but they also wrote those words on everyday items as common as a drum, a
hammer, or even a doorknob. I’ve never seen the words “Holiness to the Lord” inscribed on a
poinsettia, but the Flower of the Holy Night reminds us that because of the Messiah in a manger,
holiness to the Lord can become holiness like the Lord. As we give ourselves to God, in love, He
can turn weeds into poinsettias.

At this season, when you feel a little overwhelmed by expectations, by things that need to
be done, and things that you have to remember, and things that you have to try to do better,
please remember that alone we can’t do it, but with Christ we can. With His grace, with His
enabling power, we can become something better than we are.

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