Dec
The Miracle of the Poinsettias
Many years ago, in a humble village in Mexico, the people in and around the tiny town were preparing for what they hoped would be the best Christmas celebration ever seen in their part of the world. The Christmas festival would last an entire week and would center around a new nativity scene the villagers would build outside the local church. Each day there would be celebrations as the nativity was assembled, and people could come to pray each morning and evening at the little church. On the final night, Christmas eve, people would come to the nativity, where they could kneel before the manger and present gifts to the Christ child.
Just outside the village lived a little girl named Pepita. She lived with her parents, her grandmother, and two older brothers. Pepita wanted so much to be a part of all of the Christmas events, but especially, she wanted to be able to kneel before the Christ child, on Christmas eve, with a gift showing her love for the baby Jesus.
But Pepita had no money to buy a gift, and she had no way to work to earn the money as she spent each day, struggling with her family, to scratch out a meager living from their little farm. She could make a gift, but she had neither time nor materials
All week she worried she had no gift and finally confided in her grandmother.
“Pepita,” her grandmother told her, “The baby Jesus will be pleased with whatever you give because he knows your gift comes from your heart.”
“But I have nothing,” she said.
“Just pray and use your heart to find the perfect gift.”
Christmas eve arrived and Pepita came into town praying she would find a suitable gift. Everywhere she looked she saw people, beautifully dressed, carrying flickering candles, and walking toward the nativity. All carried gifts to place before the manger. Panicking now, Pepita looked around her, hoping to see anything that would serve as a gift. All she could see were some leafy plants, little more than weeds, growing along the path to the church. They were fresh, green, and full of life. Pepita quickly gathered an arm load of the plants. Holding them close, and hoping no one would notice, she hurried toward the church.
At the nativity, all the people were gathered, the flames of a hundred candles lighting the night. People, one by one, came forward to arrange their presents around the manger.
When it was her turn, little Pepita came before the figure of the Christ child and looked around at all of the marvelous gifts. She felt ashamed of her humble offering and tried to run away. But the crowd pushed her forward. She quickly dumped her armload of weeds over the manger, and with tears welling up in her eyes, scrambled, unsuccessfully, to get away.
At first, there were a few chuckles. Then a gasp and the crowd became silent.
“It’s a miracle,” someone exclaimed, and others echoed the remark in whispers of awe and excitement.
Pepita, unable to hide or run away, looked back to see her “weeds”, strewn in and around the manger, and as she watched, bright red flowers were appearing at the top of each plant until the manger was filled with the crimson blossoms.
It was the best gift of all; a gift from the heart, given in love.