Rose Mary

Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. – Matthew 2:11

Peter, Paul and Lara had just returned from Sunday School. Christmas was hardly three weeks away and they were all part of the Nativity play that was being staged for the celebrations in church. Three of them were given the roles of the Magi, the three holy kings who were guided to the manger by a star. For the practice sessions, each of the children had to carry red satin pouches in their hands which they reverently laid at the feet of baby Jesus. Now that they were back home, each child related every detail of the act to their mother, who was busy preparing a modest Sunday meal for her family. Peter, acting as the first king had offered gold as his gift. “Mother” he asked, “My pouch was full of gold coins. Why did the kings offer gold as a gift to the Blessed Child?’ ‘The Lord had blessed the king with riches and wealth and, in thanksgiving to God, he wanted to offer some of it back to Jesus, who was born as the Son of God” replied his mother. The child became thoughtful. He went to his little piggy bank and took out his savings. Only seven one-rupee coins. He sighed and took it to his mother. “Í wish I was like Diana,” he said, referring to a classmate who came to Sunday School in a red Mercedes Benz. “May be then I could give baby Jesus a real gold coin for Christmas.” His mother sat with him down. “The Lord has given every little child one pouch of rich treasure. You just have to find yours, and when you do, you can take something from that and offer it to baby Jesus for Christmas.” By this time the other children had joined in. Each fell into silence thinking of what rich treasure they possessed. Their mother decided to help them out. “Peter what did your music teacher tell you in class today?” “Well, she said I had the voice of an angel.” “There you are, that’s your gold coin. Why don’t you go carol singing for baby Jesus this Christmas” Peter’s face brightened up. “Will that make Jesus happy? A Christmas carol?” “You bet it will, and He will bless you abundantly for having offered to Him the best from what He has given you.”

Now it was Paul’s turn. His red pouch contained frankincense. They looked like small pebbles and he had often seen it used during special prayers in church. When it was burnt it gave out an incense. The catechism teacher said it was used to cleanse the church from evil spirits. “What about my pouch? Do you think baby Jesus will like these little pebbles?” “Your gift is even more precious” said Mother. “When these little pebbles are ignited, the smoke and the incense moves to heaven and they carry your most fervent prayers with them— right into heaven. The child’s eyes widened “Really, so these magic fumes will carry my prayers fastest to God?” “Yes but they’re no magic. When we pray, the evil one sometimes plays bad tricks with us and we become sleepy and distracted. This way our prayers take a long time to reach. With your gift, you will be able to pray with deep concentration and the Lord will answer all of them” Paul was happy. He decided he would say special prayers for his family and his friends. With his gift of frankincense, baby Jesus was sure to listen.

Lara was the youngest of the three and her red pouch contained myrrh. Her teacher had not told her much about it except that it was a spice and that it was considered holy. When she heard that her two brothers had decided on the gifts they would give Jesus, she was determined to make something out of her offering of myrrh. “Mother what can I do with my gift? What is myrrh?” “It’s a holy spice that is used when people suffer and die,” explained her mother. Lara was deeply disappointed. How could she possibly make baby Jesus happy with this? Seeing her face, her mother went on, “Baby Jesus was born to grow up and suffer and die for our sins. So don’t you think you could gift Him with some small sacrifice to show your love for Him.” Lara liked the idea but she needed her mother’s help to decide on what her Christmas gift would be. Finally she decided that she would collect all the chocolates she got from that time till Christmas and, without eating a single one, she would gift them to the orphan children who played in the church compound. That, her mother assured her, would bring a beautiful smile on the face of baby Jesus that only she would be able to see.

The children were very excited. Their roles in the Christmas play took on a new meaning for each of them. Their gifts matched those of the three kings who came from such distant lands to see the King and Saviour. This Christmas was going to be a special one for Peter, Paul and Lara, who were all set to offer their best to the baby in the manger.