We all know the line well from St. Matthew's gospel: Then they opened their treasures and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh (Matt 2:11). But what did these gifts symbolize?
Gold was a gift reserved for royalty; through it they recognized he was born of the house and line of King David. When the Magi arrived in Jerusalem, they asked Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star at its rising and have come to pay him homage (Matt 2:2).
Frankencense recognized his divinity. The Jewish people used it in connection with the worship of God at the altar of incense. The rising smoke represented the peoples' prayers rising to God.
Myrrh most commonly was used as perfume, but its major use was with burials. It was placed on the cloths used to wrap bodies for burial to help prevent the smell of decay following death. More simply put, it recognized that Jesus was born to die.
Yet, the most important -- and first -- gift that the Magi gave to Jesus is often overlooked: They prostrated themselves and did him homage. Let us join the Magi in these days giving Jesus special praise and worship.
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