This Christmas season will be memorable at Pantocrator Monastery in Dragănești-Vlașca, in Romania’s southern county of Teleorman. The gifts presented to Baby Jesus by the three wise men from the East will be brought to Romania for the first time on December 22 and remain until December 28.
“The three magi who came to worship the King Christ born in the cave in Bethlehem brought gifts: gold, myrrh and frankincense. “The Holy Gifts are kept at the Athonite monastery of Saint Paul (Agiou Pavlou),” reads a press release issued by the Diocese of Alexandria and Teleorman.
“According to the tradition of the Church, the Mother of God kept these gifts and, at her dormition, she left them to the Church in Jerusalem, together with other honourable items that belonged to our Saviour Jesus Christ. It will be a joy to touch these precious objects Christ Himself touched!”
In a Christmas sermon, His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel presented the symbolism of the gifts the three wise men brought to the Baby Jesus.
“Gold means the Infant is King.”
“Myrrh is a very fragrant substance. At the same time, it maintains its state of cleanliness when mixed with aloe oil. Therefore, myrrh was used to embalm the dead. Myrrh, in this case, prophetically meant that the Child who is King, God, and High Priest would pass through death but would not know corruption, for he would rise from the dead. Myrrh signifies the mystery of Christ’s death and resurrection.”
“Frankincense means that He is God and High Priest because the temple’s high priest offered frankincense to God.”
His Beatitude also explained, “Gold is the true faith, frankincense is the prayer united with the fervent tears of repentance, and myrrh is pure life and good works.”
Photo source: Eurodomik.ru