Gifts From the Magi – Your Weekly Reflection from CMMB

“They were overjoyed at seeing the star, and on entering the house they saw the child with Mary his mother. They prostrated themselves and did him homage.”

—Matthew 2:10-11

Today we celebrate the Feast of the Epiphany. Epiphany means appearance, manifestation, revelation. The feast commemorates the moment our Lord was revealed to the world as the Son of God. The Gospel tells the story of the Magi, who were believed to be religious leaders, or astrologers, from the East. The men journeyed for 12 days, following the star that would lead them to the infant Jesus. When they found him, they bowed and honored the young King and his mother with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. These gifts symbolized Christ’s royalty, divinity, and eventual suffering and death. They are special because in giving them, the Magi acknowledged who Jesus was to be: our Savior.

Then they opened their treasures and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

—Matthew 2:11

Gifts are an expression of love and care for others. They are a way for us to show our loved ones that we appreciate them and value the role they play in our lives. As the new year begins, we want to express our deep gratitude for the gifts we have received that have helped us provide hope and relief to desperately vulnerable families. Thanks to your generosity, we are able to further our mission of improving the health of women, children, and communities living in poverty. Your gifts not only have an immediate impact—they also have a lasting effect that will be felt for years. Here are just some of the achievements your support helped us attain in 2019.

Strong health systems are essential to address health emergencies and ongoing health threats in the communities we serve. With your help we have been able to provide training and support to community health workers and volunteers, as well as doctors, nurses, and clinical officers. We further strengthened health systems by distributing medicine, equipment, and supplies, and by providing funding and medical volunteers to healthcare facilities.

Like the Three Wise Men, we are called on this day to give gifts to Jesus. Let us give him our faith, our trust, and our prayers, so that he may dwell in our hearts and guide our lives.

Wishing you and yours a blessed New Year,

Your CMMB Family