Passion Flower for Good Friday

Passion-Flower-Vine-with-John-3:16-for-Good-Friday-photo ©CindyRippe2013

I took this photo in August of 2011 on my friends farm.  Paul and Lauri have a beautiful (and huge) property surrounded by the Shawnee National Forest. We hike through the woods and fields, whenever I get the chance to visit, and Lauri shows me the treasures she's found.  I had never heard of the story of the Passion Flower until she pointed out the vine one year.  I think it's one of her favorite plants.  I figured that today, Good Friday, would be a good day to share this image as it's a good day for reflection and the gift we were given. 

I found a kinship, of sorts, through time, with Jacomo Bosio, a Roman scholar in 1609.  He's the originator of the story and found the symbolism between the parts of the plant and the events surrounding Christ's Crucifixion. I also like to make connections between flowers and plants and share my thoughts or life lessons about them.

The Passion Flower has long been associated in Christian symbolism with the passion of Jesus; the three stigmas representing the three nails used to nail Jesus to the cross, the ovary and its stalk represent the chalice of the Last Supper, the five anthers represent the five wounds, the corona represents the crown of thorns, the ten 'petals' (actually five petals and five sepals) the apostles (except for Judas and Peter, distanced themselves); the old leaves also represent the hands of those who persecuted Him, the young leaves are the point of the lance used to stab Him, and the tendrils the whips of those who beat Him. Note: information resources gathered from  Wikipedia, h2g2 and brighthub

I've filled this post with links to more information about the flower and Good Friday if you would like to take time for your own research and reflection today.

God Bless!

Pin It