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Yet, Joseph and Mary strived to get away from Judea while hiding from Herod's mercenaries. Once during the journey, Mary couldn't just go on without some water. Their donkey was thirsty as well and baby needed to be nursed. Thus, they halted on the roadside where Mary nursed the Holy Child while Joseph went to the nearest village to get some water for them and a drink for the donkey too. Suddenly, Mary heard shouts and cries and the approaching noise of the horses' hooves. Her heart trembled with fear. She knew that if Herod's soldiers caught her, they would cut the throat of the baby mercilessly. There was not a cave or a tree nearby, where she could hide. Yet, she was desperate for a refuge.
Seeing a rose bush in bloom nearby, Virgin Mary requested her for a place to hide but Rose, proudly refused to offer her any help, as then it would be in danger of being crushed by the soldiers. Ever since then, rose has thorns on it. Mary rushed to a clove bush nearby for help as it had plenty of flowers to hide her and the infant but she refused too saying she was too busy putting up blooms. Since then, clove has ill-smelling flowers. The only bush that remained was Sage plant. Sage was kind and charitable and when the Virgin approached her with a request to hide her and the baby, it readily blossomed abundantly and created a canopy for the Mother and the Child. The soldiers passed by them, without suspecting a thing. Since that time, the sage plant is considered sacred and is believed to possess many curative powers.
