the gift of self
“Then they opened their coffers and presented Him with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.” —Matthew 2:11
For most of the world, today’s feast of Epiphany is the most important day of the Christmas season. It’s the day when many people exchange gifts and imitate the wise men who gave gifts to Jesus. Today the Lord is calling us to give Jesus the present of ourselves, to prostrate ourselves before Him and do Him homage (Mt 2:11).
Like the wise men, we should express our giving of everything to Jesus by giving Him something — a gift that would represent our all. Some of us should give Jesus gold. We should give money to God’s work to the degree that our lifestyle is significantly affected. Others should give frankincense. In the Bible, our prayer is represented by incense (Ps 141:2). We should commit ourselves to a time of prayer and fasting that will in effect be giving our lives to the Lord.
Finally, we should give the Lord myrrh. Myrrh is associated with death since it is a perfume used to prepare a dead body for burial. We should give a gift that would force us to die to ourselves. On this great feast of Epiphany, let’s be wise enough to give Jesus our all.
Prayer: Jesus, in this season celebrating Your birthday, I give myself and my life to You forever.
Promise: “Rise up in splendor! Your light has come, the glory of the Lord shines upon you.” —Is 60:1
Praise: “The Gentiles were delighted when they heard this and responded to the word of the Lord with praise. All who were destined for life everlasting believed in it” (Acts 13:48). Praise Jesus, King of the universe!
Reference: (For a related teaching on Living in Reality, order, view or download our booklet or order, listen to, or download our four-part CD series starting with CD 38-1 or our two-part DVD series starting with DVD 38 on our website.)
Rescript: "In accord with the Code of Canon Law, I hereby grant the Nihil Obstat for One Bread, One Body covering the period from December 1, 2020 through January 31, 2021. Most Reverend Joseph R. Binzer, Auxiliary Bishop, Vicar General, Archdiocese of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio January 14, 2020"
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