Epiphany: What is Your Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh?

Today we celebrate the Epiphany of the Lord, when the Magi visited the child Jesus and offered Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

But the Epiphany is not merely an historical event. Nor is it only the Magi who were called to follow the Lord and make an offering to Him. Recently, Marge Fenelon stopped by Morning Air® to discuss the Epiphany and how we can find our own gold, frankincense and myrrh to offer the Lord. Marge said:

“New Year’s resolutions never work for me. I do really good for about a week and then it’s just gone. So I’ve started in recent years to pick a New Year’s direction for myself. And I saw the way things are coming together with the calendar, I saw Epiphany, and I thought ‘That’s it! That’s my New Year’s direction.’

And what I mean by that is the gifts of the Magi – the gold, the frankincense, and the myrrh. What gifts do I have for Him? He’s the king. Look at how many people came from all over the world, and then you have these three dignitaries who search Him out. Well, I should be searching Him out. I should be preparing the gift I’m going to give to Him.

What are my goals? What is my frankincense and my myrrh? It’s been churning in me and I’ve been thinking about looking ahead to be able to do this all year long.

When I think about the gold, I think about His kingship. So what am I going to do this year, and what direction will I take to assure that He always is my king in all things? Offer Him that gold again and again throughout the year.

In terms of the frankincense, it makes me think of St. Paul. Because it is a symbol of deity. St. Paul said, When I am weak, then I am strong, and I think about that, any time I am feeling weak and unable to get things done, or cope with things. I want to make sure I offer that frankincense to Our Lord again and again throughout the year. He’s God no matter what, and He will definitely pull me through it.

And the myrrh. He died for me, how can I die for Him this year? Dying to self – I hope and I pray that will be my myrrh this year and that I can truly strive to die to self.”

What spiritual gifts will you be offering to the Lord this Epiphany?

Stephanie Foley serves as a Digital Media Producer at Relevant Radio®. She is a graduate of Franciscan University of Steubenville, where she studied journalism, and she has worked in Catholic radio for 12 years. Stephanie is a wife, a mother of three boys, and in her free time she enjoys reading, running, and really good coffee. You can find more of Stephanie’s writing at relevantradio.com and on the free Relevant Radio mobile app.