Dear Parishioners of Mary Immaculate and Saint Rose,
This Sunday was celebrate the Solemnity of the Epiphany.  The date of this celebration is traditionally after the twelve days of Christmas, or January 6th. The bishops of this country set the date to be on the second Sunday after Christmas.
This day commemorates the visit of the three Wise Men to the newborn baby Jesus. We do not know where these Wise Men came from, but their visit acknowledged the birth of Jesus as Savior to the gentiles. We know that they came bearing gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.  These seem like rather strange gifts to present to a newborn baby.  Gold will always come in handy, but frankincense is incense, and myrrh is for embalming dead bodies. As you probably know, these gifts are very symbolic and show the gentiles recognizing the true nature of Jesus.
The gold is a gift for someone of royal lineage.  Jesus is descended from the royal line of King David.  After the Resurrection, Christ will also be acclaimed as King of the Universe.
Frankincense is incense burned to provide sweet-smelling smoke for the worship of deity.  Incense itself is symbolic, as it represents prayers rising to Heaven and the incense burned by the angels before God.
Myrrh is used in preparation of a body for burial  In giving it to the newborn Jesus, the Wise Men have already acknowledged His divine nature and now they are acknowledging that He is also human and that He will die.
So these gifts presented to the Infant Christ are more for our benefit than for His.  They are to help us to realize, This is the Messiah that was foretold.  This is the One Who is truly God and truly man.  This is the Savior Who will die for us! The true gift that we celebrate today is the gift of Jesus Himself.  All that remains is that we accept this Gift that God offers.
May the Lord Jesus find a warm welcome in your heart.  Blessed Epiphany!
Msgr. Cox
 The Adoration of the Magi by Edward Burne-Jones (1904)