THE WHITE BLACKTHORN BLOSSOM

The blackthorn, a thorny shrub, is known by its white flowers which appear before its leaves and which grow into small plums or sloes. People even speak of a `blackthorn winter’, when especially cold northern winds blow at the time of its flowering. Originally, long ago, its flowers were tiny and did not have any magnificence. In the year of Christ’s resurrection, though, they grew into significant flowers, as white and beautiful as innocence can be. This is how it happened.

Early Good Friday morning a soldier had been sent out to gather thorny branches to fashion the crown of torture for the Christ. He found at first a wild rose and cut as many of its branches as he needed. Returning, he discovered growing in his path a blackthorn bush. These stiff and pointy side shoots really were ideal for his purpose; they would stab painfully! So he cut off a branch, and thus blackthorn was used for Christ’s martyr’s crown. Can you imagine how bad the blackthorn bush felt about this? It felt pain, to have participated in the passion of the Son of God, the suffering of Him who was innocent and without sin.

At the time the soldier cut off its branch the blackthorn bush had been about to blossom. For the bush this had always been the most wonderful time of the year! Even if nobody really noticed its flowers, unpretentious as they were, this did not matter; simply being able to flower filled the bush with joy. Yet since the soldier had gone off with its branch, sorrow had lamed all of its life forces, so that flowering did not give it pleasure anymore and its buds did not open.

When Christ walked over the earth, one warm spring evening after his resurrection, blessing all he passed, he came upon the grieving blackthorn bush. Then the bush took courage and addressed the Lord: `I did not do it willingly, believe me, Lord. Had I been able to decide myself, none of my branches would have been used for your crown of thorns. I could not help it, the soldier was stronger than I. Thus I am willing to endure that your friends and followers will not look at me anymore. Yet I beseech you, merciful Son of God: forgive me and do not count this against me.’

With a loving smile the Christ said: `How could I consider any guilt to be yours, you tender bush. Never will anyone ask you to explain yourself. From now on, your innocence will express itself in your flowers. Whoever sees your flowers will become aware of your innocence and will love you.’

These words of the Christ enlivened the blackthorn and it was reconciled. The next morning it began to blossom, not as before with those unpretentious flowers, but from top to bottom, the bush was covered with radiant white flowers, proclaiming its innocence to the world. Those who passed the blackthorn bush paused and were astonished at this miracle.

SOURCE:`The White Blackthorn Blossom’ has been retold in the `Denver Letters to a Diaspora’ [59], after one of Michael Bauer’s Plant Stories in his `Pflanzenmaerchen’, Verlag Urachhaus, Stuttgart (various editions).

Arie Boogert and Anna Marchant, 1997