The associated reading for this reflection can be found in your Every Sacred Sunday Mass journal or online here.
Today’s Gospel is one that we’ve all heard since we were little kids: the visit from the three wise men, bringing gifts to a stable for a newborn Jesus. It’s hard to not view this Gospel through the lens of the children’s story we’re all used to. The nativity scene, Christmas pageants, kids dressed in robes, wearing halos, or as farm animals playing all the various roles.
But, something far deeper, and greater, is taking place in this scene. The gifts presented to Jesus represent something more significant than just simple presents. (1) Gold - the kingship of Jesus. (2) Frankincense - used for worship, a priestly symbol, indicating that He will be the sacrifice. (3) Myrrh - a fragrance used to anoint dead bodies. Why would a newborn baby have any need for these things? Spoiler: He doesn’t.
Even at Jesus’ birth, through these simple offerings, we point to His death. As Venerable Fulton Sheen so eloquently reminds us in his book “Life of Christ,” Jesus chose to become one of us for this very reason: “Every other person who ever came into this world came into it to live. He came into it to die… The story of every human life begins with birth and ends with death. In the Person of Christ, however, it was His death that was first and His life that was last.”
Little, if any, of Jesus’ life makes complete sense without His death. His whole life and teaching points to the cross. In His death, Jesus invites us all to share in this newly established kingdom: one in which He is the king. And as St. Paul says we are now coheirs, copartners, in the promise of Christ Jesus. So as we come out of this Christmas season, let’s reflect on the fact that we celebrate Christ’s birth only because of His death. A death he died for YOU, for me, and for all to know Him more fully.
Jesus longs for nothing more than an intimate, lasting, and mutual relationship with each of us. How blessed are we to live in a generation where this Gospel has been fully revealed to us! As they say, knowledge is power, and we are fortunate to know this truth. It’s like being asked a question to which we already know the answer. Yet, we still have to answer.
Lord Jesus, Thy Kingdom Come!
Nick Balser is a finance professional, husband, and Texan living in Denver, Colorado. When not working or playing/watching sports, Nick and his wife love escaping to the mountains in their RV with their Cockapoo puppy, Sadie, seeking adventures of any kind.
