A long time ago, there lived a beautiful maiden named Rosa. She is known for her exquisite charm and extraordinary kindness. There are a lot of handsome young men who keeps on courting her and wanted to capture her heart, but neither one of them catches Rosa’s attention.
She insists that she will never get married nor ever dreamt of getting married at all. Rosa wants to offer her whole life in serving Bathala by helping those who are in need.
Whenever there are people who are sick, whenever there are people who are suffering, whenever there are people who needs comfort, Rosa is always ready to help in the name of Bathala.
Everybody loves Rosa. However, Cristobal, one of her greatest admirers, and would want Rosa to be his no matter how hard it is or how impossible it may be. Cristobal has a very strong devotion for Rosa. One night when the maiden went to the garden to get some fresh air, Cristobal tried to assault and maltreat Rosa.
“Whether you like me or not, you will be mine!” Cristobal said.
While Rosa began to be scared, she prayed wholeheartedly to Bathala and said: “Bathala, please don’t let this man desecrate your faithful servant who wants to offer her whole life to you.”
Immediately, Rosa became unconscious and died.
That incident filled Cristobal with so much apprehension. In his fear, he buried the maiden in the garden and ran away as fast as he could, never to return in that place ever again.
Nobody saw Rosa since then. After a few days, they saw a very odd plant growing at Rosa’s garden. It has a red flower at the stems has a lot of thorns.
The first one who saw the flower became attracted to it instantly. She tried to pick it but when she got hold of the stem she screamed in pain, “Ouch! Ouch! The thorn’s pricked me! It seems like this plant do not wanted to be touched!”
And that is true. It was Bathala’s will to make his loyal dead servant a beautiful flower, a flower whose stems are filled with thorns that serves as its protection to those who wants to take it. The rose’s thorns served as a warning that the flower does not want to be touched.