Feast of the Epiphany
Cycle A
January 5, 2020
Saint Mary Parish, Pylesville 4:00pm and 9:30am
The Magi’s Gifts
So, these persons called magi come from some country east of Israel. They apparently are priests or recognized spiritual leaders in some other religion.
And they bring some interesting gifts to the newborn Jesus: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. These gifts are symbolic: they say something 1) about Jesus and 2) about the magi.
First, gold says that Jesus has spiritual authority. It was seen as an appropriate gift for a king and so these magi are recognizing Jesus as in some way a king – the King of the Jews, but more than that, the king of everyone on this earth.
This must be so because the magi themselves are not Jews. So, the gold symbolizes Jesus’ unique spiritual authority.
Then, the myrrh symbolizes Jesus’ humanity. This was a fragrant resin that came from a tree.
It was used in making lotions or creams for the body and also in preparing the body of a deceased person for burial. So, myrrh symbolizes the humanity of Jesus.
And then, the frankincense symbolizes that Jesus is also divine. This was a substance made from wood chips and fragrant oils.
In Jesus’ day, it was used in the temple services and at times, we still use incense here at Mass to enhance our worship of God. Frankincense symbolizes that Jesus is divine, that in some amazing way he is God, here on earth, among us.
So, the gifts of the magi are symbolic because they say something about the newborn Jesus. But they also say something about the magi.
These are expensive and the best possible material gifts the magi could give to Christ. In that way, these three gifts symbolize their desire to give themselves, their life to God, to dedicate their life to God in some way.
Our Gifts
Now, these gifts of the magi recall for me our gifts here at Mass.
As we begin the Liturgy of the Eucharist, bread and wine are brought to the altar. Something like the gifts of the magi, these gifts are also symbolic: they say something 1) about Jesus and 2) about us.
First, they symbolize Jesus’ sacrifice of himself on the cross. Jesus gave us these gifts at the Last Supper and told us to use them as a way to remember what he did for us.
In fact, these gifts of bread and wine are even more than symbolic of Jesus. They actually become the body and blood of Christ himself.
And then, these gifts also symbolize the gift of ourselves to God. They symbolize that we, much like the magi, choose to give God the very best that we have.
You see, at this point in the Mass, we are to offer ourselves to God – how we live, how we relate to others, how we go about our jobs or our studies or our family responsibilities, our goals and our sufferings and on it goes.
This is the underlying meaning of the words that the priest speaks soon after the bread and wine are presented at the altar. The priest says: “Pray, brothers and sisters, that my sacrifice and yours may be acceptable to God, the almighty Father.”
On one level, we are speaking of the sacrifice of Christ on the cross. But on another level, the words of the priest are a reminder that each of us is to make a gift or offering or sacrifice of ourselves here.
That’s why the priest says: “Pray, that my sacrifice and yours may be acceptable…” The bread and wine symbolize this giving of ourselves to God.
Conclusion
So, today, on this feast of the Epiphany, we remember the gifts of the magi and what they say 1) about Jesus and 2) about the magi themselves.
And we remember our gifts here at Mass and what they are to say 1) about Christ and 2) about us. Let’s keep all of this in mind especially today as the bread and wine are brought to the altar.
