Solemnity of the Ephiphany of the Lord

The Epiphany marks the arrival of visitors, identified in Scripture as the magi, to the place where Jesus was born. Although we know virtually nothing about them, we do know they brought three gifts:

1. Gold — a symbol of wealth and power, identifies the recipient as a king. 
2. Frankincense — the crystalized resinous sap of a tree used as incense and as an offering, is symbolic of prayer.
3. Myrrh — another resinous tree sap, was used in healing liniments and as an embalming ointment. Myrrh is an odd gift for a child—so, even at the beginning of Jesus' life on earth, this gift foreshadows his death.