
Flowers and their meanings: Beauty in Our Catholic Altars
(Originally titled “Beautifying God’s House” by Barbara Day and Helen Abbenzeller) (Spring, 2007) Flowers for the Altar A biographer of the French priest Blessed Peter Favre once stated that when Adam and Eve were punished for their fall, God did not allow three things to change: the stars, flowers and the eyes of a child. Flowers are one of God’s loveliest creations and there are frequent references to them in Scripture alluding to their beauty. Christ said: “Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they labor not, neither do they spin. But I say to you, that not even Solomon in all his glory was arrayed as one of these” (Matt. 6: 28-29). It is a joyful privilege to adorn the altar with flowers, God’s own handiwork. Ecclesiastical legislation governs the use of floral arrangements on the altar during feasts and liturgical seasons, and there is evidence in