They prostrated themselves and did him homage. Then they opened their treasures and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.
Matthew 2:11
The Epiphany of the Lord. What gifts do you give to the Lord? Pope St. Gregory said that these three gifts represent what we should give God every day. Gold – we should reflect Christ’s wisdom in all our relationships. Frankincense – represents our daily prayer and adoration to God. Myrrh – is a symbol of our daily sacrifices that we unite with Jesus for the sake of others.
The Magi were scientists, searching for the truth. We also have experienced and know the Truth in God in Our Lord Jesus Christ. He has revealed himself to us through the Church, just as he revealed himself to the Magi through the star.
Even more – he gives himself to us even more astonishingly: in the Eucharist, a gift so wonderful the Magi could never have conceived of it. The God who guides the entire universe, who guided the Magi to Bethlehem, wants also to guide our lives – just because he loves us, and he knows we need his help.
Let us look to 2021 with gratitude. Let us prepare for 2022 with hope. Thank you to all of you for sharing gifts with me during this past Christmas season. I continue to pray for you and your families. Let’s continue discerning and asking the Holy Spirit to guide us to share our gifts, talents, and treasures with our parishes, families, and communities, in 2022, and the years to come. Have a great week. Peace.
ps. here are a couple links that helped me for this weekend’s homily:
- Vatican Observatory’s podcast (i recommend starting with this one, Space and the Middle-Schooler)
- Brother Guy’s May 2021 post on science, “What do we lose when we sacrifice science”
- Brother Guy’s post on The Star of Bethlehem
“Galileo wrote excellent theology and would have been appalled at anyone who would use science as an argument for atheism.”
Brother Guy, May 2021
