The wise men brought Jesus gold, frankincense and myrrh. We know the meaning of these gifts but a little less their impact on our prayer…
Gold defines the king, incense celebrates the God, myrrh announces his death. These gifts brought by the wise men to Jesus symbolize the foundations of all prayer.
Prayer is royal
It celebrates the splendors of this God who is our king. She praises herself, gives glory, what is also called “doxology” (like, at the end of the song of a Psalm, the invocation “Glory to the Father, to the Son, to the Holy Spirit”). Prayer, liturgical or personal, cannot forget to become a doxology. Prayer decenters, it invites us to take care of God rather than ourselves. And we know well that, as soon as we take care of him (he who never stops taking care of us), we are better off.
Prayer is an incense
Incense is an aromatic that burns as it rises towards the sky. Our prayer becomes an evening imploration and, if it goes up in smoke, it goes straight to heaven, smelling good. Yes, prayer is smoked: it is a free, unproductive activity, which only serves to love. It is therefore essential.
And let us finally stop pretending that the time allocated to prayer is taken from the care of our neighbor! No one, not even the most active consecrated person, spends all day giving of himself to his neighbor. It is she, on the contrary, who prays the most. On the other hand, prayer takes away many precious moments from withdrawal, from the lightness of life and the unbearable heaviness of being.
Prayer is like myrrh
Prayer is not a distraction, an innocent occupation, an activity that does not engage. Anyone who enters the paths of prayer goes through a certain death: death to the old man, to oneself, to that which does not put God in first place. Prayer is not just meditating on the Passion of Christ. It leads to experiencing it oneself.
What prayer should we offer to God?
Depending on the day, one or the other gift will be offered: gold, incense or myrrh. In reality, the prayer leader offers a little of all three every day. The wise men are the Christian soul who adores the Child. Christian worship is not a simple duty, the worship of a religion which saw us born. She signs us with the cross of Christ. This explains the haste of the Magi who came precisely to worship, it also explains all the Herods of the world, to whom we sometimes resemble, or from whom we must escape by leaving by another path than when we went.
Thierry-Dominique Humbrech
