What's Your Gift to the Lord?

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily on the Solemnity of Epiphany of the Lord 

Sunday, January 4, 2015

St. Gerard Majella Church, Baton Rouge, LA

Dearest beloved, today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Epiphany of our Lord Jesus Christ. Few days ago, we rejoiced and celebrated the incarnation; we celebrated the birth of our Redeemer in Bethlehem. On that day, the angel of the Lord led us to the manger. Today, we celebrate his Epiphany. The Epiphany of the Lord is the manifestation of the Son of God to the nations of the world. Today, we celebrate the Son of God who came from the bosom of the Father to the bosom of a Woman, put on humanity that we might put on divinity. We celebrate Jesus, who became the Son of Man that we might become sons and daughters of God. The Son of God manifests himself as the Son of Man. God shows himself a human being. The King of kings and the Lord of lord shows himself a subject. The giver of all things manifests himself as a needy. The owner of all riches shows himself a poor child.

Today’s gospel taken from Matthew 2:1-12 tells us that the Magi from the East came to Jerusalem looking for Jesus the new born King: “Where is the newborn King of the Jews? We saw his star at its rising and have come to do him homage.” Jerusalem was a beautiful city. It was a great city of trade and commerce. But when the Magi arrived, they were not interested in beholding the beauty of Jerusalem; they were not interested in trading their treasures for money; all they cared to know was where the child was. They were desperately not looking for silver and gold; they were looking for the owner of silver and gold. They were not looking for the important people in the city- the Lords, the scholars, the lawyers, doctors, the priests, the Levites or even the prophets, they were looking for the Lord of Lords; they were looking for the King of kings; they were looking for whom scholars called the Logos; they were looking for the one lawyers debated about; they were looking for the one all the true prophets spoke about. They were urgently looking for the Savior and their salvation.

When Herod heard that a new King has been born, he was greatly worried. But when the Magi heard that a King has been born, they were greatly excited and wanted to see him. Finding the child with Mary his mother they prostrated themselves and did him homage. Then they opened their treasures, and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. They offered the Lord the gift of gold. Gold was a symbol of his kingship and power; the newborn child is going to be a king. They offered him frankincense. Frankincense is a particular kind of incense used in religious ceremonies and worship to give honor to what was considered holy. Frankincense was a symbol of his priesthood. The newborn child is going to be a priest. Finally, they offered him myrrh. Myrrh is an ointment which was used to heal wounds, and to also embalm the bodies of the dead. Myrrh symbolized Christ’s death on the cross. The newborn child is going to die on the cross in order to bring about the healing of God’s people. Myrrh was used to heal; it was given to Jesus showing that Jesus is the healer of the world.

There is something about this Bible passage that is easily overlooked or not even considered at all. We always talk about the homage of the Magi and the gifts and the significance of the gifts they offered to the Lord. But we hardly talk about the sequence of what was given. The first thing the Magi gave to the Lord was the offering of their lives. Prostration is a concrete sign of surrender and adoration. Prostration is a symbolic act of total self giving. It is an honest gesture of total abandonment. When they saw the newborn King, the first thing they offered him was not their material treasures. They offered him first what he most desired and cherished- the offering of their lives. St. Paul in Romans 12:1 says “Therefore I urge you brethren, by the mercies of God to offer your bodies (your lives) as a living and holy sacrifice acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.” The best gift we can offer to God especially in the beginning of this New Year is the gift of our lives. The Magi offered themselves first before offering their treasures. And in the real sense of it, God does not need gold; he doesn’t need silver; he does not need any material things, but he needs us. He needs something, and that is you and I. God is love. He needs us to show us his love. He also needs us to love him in return.

Happy New Year Everyone!