Perhaps by now you have taken down the decorations, removed the tree, and tidied up your home so that there is hardly a sign of Christmas left. Walk through any shopping mall and you aren’t likely to find any reminder of Christmas other than merchandise marked down 75 percent. Here most of the signs of the season are still in place. One small detail separates today from our celebration on Christmas.
Gone are the shepherds from the nativity scene. In their place, we find the magi. Tradition tells us they were three wise men, named Caspar, Balthazaar, and Melchior who followed a star across a barren desert, bringing gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh for the newborn king of the Jews.
Aside from their gifts, we really don’t know much else about them. Matthew doesn’t tell us their names, their occupation, how many there were or even where they came from. Because he mentions three gifts, many assume there were only three visitors. Names were given to these men years later. However, the details of this story do not really matter. What does is that God revealed his son to these travelers from the east and how they responded.
On Christmas, Jesus was revealed to the Jews. He was born to be their Messiah, their redeemer. God could have ended the story then and there but as John tells us in the opening chapter of his Gospel, “his own people did not accept him.” Fortunately for us, God intended the gift of his son to be shared with more than the children of Abraham, otherwise we would not be here. The secret of salvation had to be let out and with this encounter between the magi and Jesus, God revealed the gift of his son to all peoples.
The wise men presented gifts that seem rather odd to give a toddler but each one has meaning behind them.
Being so precious and considered a symbol of royalty, one would offer a gift of gold when visiting a king. By giving a gift of gold, these dignitaries recognize Jesus, not Herod, as the rightful king of the Jews.
But they also saw him as king of kings. Knowing that he was more than just a mere king, they gave him frankincense, used often in worship, then and now, as a sign of divinity. With this gift, they acknowledged Jesus as the Son of God.
The last gift would probably have horrified any mother, for myrrh was used in ancient times to prepare a body for burial. By honoring his humanity, the magi were also foreshadowing his suffering and death.
I first learned while living in Paraguay 60 years ago that epiphany was the day traditionally set aside for giving gifts, not Christmas; they followed the example of the Magi. In light of this custom, as well as it being the theme of the readings, a fitting question for us to ask ourselves should be, “What gifts would we give to Jesus had we been on this pilgrimage with the magi?”
The fact shows that you came here to pray in spite of the cold wet weather shows God has gifted you with another day of life and good health. You made your way here, blest with the gift of freedom to do so. And when you leave here, you will have a shelter and a meal waiting you somewhere. So, in response to how generous God has been to you, what gifts would you bring to his son?
We think of gifts as something that has to be purchased and wrapped. Not necessarily. Our gratitude for what God has done for us is best shown in being generous to others, just as God has been generous to us. Sometimes the best gifts are in a sense free. President Jimmy Carter recalls a gift he gave his wife that enhanced their marriage.
Being punctual was an obsession for the President. While Rosalynn was usually on time, that wouldn’t be good enough for Jimmy. If she was even five minutes late, the delay would prompt a bitter exchange of words between them.
For her birthday one year, the president asked himself, “What could I do that would be special for her?” He wrote out this note, “Happy Birthday! As proof of my love, I will never make an unpleasant comment about tardiness.” Managing to keep that promise since then, he realized that it turned out to be one of the nicest birthday presents he had ever given.
In his book, 42 Gifts I’d Like to Give You, Douglas Richards mentions practical ideas as well, such as the gift of good advice, the gift of being optimistic, the gift of being patient, the gift of hanging in there and holding on, the gift of spreading smiles around. We could expand the list to include other gifts such as a kind word, the gift of our time, the gift of our presence, the assurance of our prayers, the gift of listening with undivided attention, the gift of forgiveness, the gift of civility and respect when differences arise to name just a few. Any of them, when given to someone out of love is an example of a fitting gift we give to Jesus.
Epiphany is a time for us to celebrate the gift of God made real to us and there is no better way for us to do that then to recall another line from Matthew’s gospel, “Whatever you did for the least of my brethren, you did for me.” This way, God can become real for them as well.