We've reached January 6, at the end of the 12 Days of Christmas, which has provided opportunity to reflect on the Great Mystery of God present to us in Jesus Christ, the Word Made Flesh.
As God came to us in a tangible form, so we share an expression of His love for us by showing love to others in tangible ways, like in the gifts we exchange on Christmas Day in celebration of the Nativity of the Lord.
The occasion of the Epiphany around January 6 makes me think of a custom that Father Larry, former pastor of Ascension Parish, has, to share about the gifts he received on the occasion of the Lord's Nativity, and relate them to the significance of the gifts the Magi brought the Christ Child, which he usually does in his homily on Epiphany Sunday.
The gold was given to acclaim Jesus as King. The frankincense recognizes that He is a Priest, with the purpose (or vocation) of bringing us to God. The myrrh honors the sacrifice Jesus made in His humanity for the sin of all people.
Father Larry's reflection on the significance of his gifts makes me think more deeply about the gifts I gave and received. And so I use the above description of the Magi's gifts to the Christ Child as a guide for reflecting on this Epiphany on the gifts I gave and received for the occasion of the Nativity of the Lord.
Please note: This post is not intended to present an exhaustive list of all my gifts. Rather, I am selecting one specific gift that pertains to each of the Magi's gifts, even in a small or not so obvious way. And certainly other gifts I gave and received could fit with the categories represented by each of the three Magi's gifts. And while we're at Epiphany 2017, the exchange of gifts occurred at Christmas-Nativity Day 2016 and so that year is reflected in the title of this post, which is a change from how I've done this post annually in the past. Next year's post in January 2018 on the Epiphany will reflect the exchange of gifts in December 2017.
Gifts I Gave
Gold: I gave my Grandma a jar of strawbelly jam from Stover Farms, a vendor at the Oak Park Farmer's Market, so she can enjoy something nice and sweet.
Frankincense: I gave my uncle a photo print of a picture taken on the day he came to my Religious Education class and shared his insights with my students, as a way to thank him for his presence that day.
Myrrh: I gave my brother Eric and sister-in-law Naomi a bag of fair trade coffee, as they enjoy consuming coffee on a regular basis.
Gifts I Received
Gold: My Grandma gave me a shirt with the logos for the three Cubs World Series Championships, in 1907, 1908, and 2016, which is a way for me to commemorate the historic occasion when the Cubs won the World Series in November 2016.
Frankincense: My brother and sister-in-law gave me a copy of Ron Chernow's biography on Alexander Hamilton, which connects with my interest in history and other subjects, and ties in with my librarian pursuits.
Myrrh: My Grandma gave me a painting of our beloved Buddy the dog, done by someone at her retirement residence community. When I first saw it, I remarked how beautiful it was, for how it looked, and how it honors our beloved family dog.
On the subject of gifts, I also think about the cards and gifts I got from some of my Religious Education students at the final classes before break. For the first time ever, I got family Nativity photo greeting notes, one of which had a summary of the family's experiences in 2016. It was touching for me to have played a significant role in the life of this one student and so to be included among the recipients of the family's special greetings in which they share something of their family life.
Indeed, gifts are great as they reflect the relationships we have in life. And the Greatest Gift of all in Christ is a relationship with God Himself, Who has come to abide with us forever, our Immanuel, Savior, and Lord.
And so I offer the words that St. Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 9:15 NIV: "Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!"
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