Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD alone! Therefore, you shall love the LORD, our God, with your whole heart, and with your whole being, and with your whole strength. Take to heart these words which I command you today. Keep repeating them to your children. Recite them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you get up. (Dt 6:4-7)
Image credit: Jetpack AI Assistant generated art, Jan 2, 2026
This coming Sunday is the celebration of The Epiphany of the Lord. In the previous post we took a look at the star the magi followed. Today we consider the gifts they carried.
“After their audience with the king” Herod the magi set out to Bethlehem to find the newborn King. Matthew tells that upon their discovery of Mary and child “They prostrated themselves and did him homage. Then they opened their treasures and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.” Matthew simply tells us of the gifts but makes no hint at intending their symbolic meanings. (And on a technical note, the account is specific about the three gifts, but never specifically says there are three magi.) The traditional understanding of the meaning of the gifts is as follows:
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