Christmas Message from Bishop Mina 2026

In the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, One God, Amen.

I congratulate you all on the beginning of a new year and on the Feast of the Nativity of our Lord, God, and Saviour Jesus Christ—this day on which the true Light shone upon the world, and the Word of God became incarnate for our salvation.

On this glorious feast, I want us to reflect together on the gifts that the wise men offered to the divine Child: Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh. These gifts have spiritual significance in our daily lives.

First: Gold

In the Tabernacle of Meeting, the vessels were made of pure gold and the Ark of the Covenant was overlaid with gold inside and out. The entire Temple was covered in gold, symbolizing purity and preciousness. Yet, the most precious thing a human being possesses is neither gold nor silver, but their soul.

Your soul is your most valuable possession; it is more precious than gold in the eyes of God. Therefore, whoever wishes to offer “gold” to Christ is to offer the most precious thing they own: their heart, their purity, their chastity, their will, their entire life. This is what you can offer to God: your soul, which is more precious than gold.

Second: Frankincense

Frankincense is the incense offered by the priest and thus it became a symbol of prayer ascending before God. Psalm 141:2 reads, “Let my prayer be set before You as incense, the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.” In the Book of Revelation, incense is described as the prayers of the saints.

I recall a beloved person I knew well; when he departed (reposed), everyone around him smelled a beautiful, fragrant scent of incense. Such is the soul of a pure person: gold in its value, frankincense in its prayer. When you pray with a pure heart, your prayer rises like a pillar of incense before God.

Third: Myrrh

In the Old Testament, myrrh symbolized suffering and precious perfume. Psalm 45:8 reads, “All Your garments are scented with myrrh and aloes and cassia.” When the soul departs this world after enduring sufferings with Christ and for His sake, the angels chant what is written in the Song of Solomon 3:6: “Who is this coming out of the wilderness like pillars of smoke, perfumed with myrrh and frankincense, with all the merchant’s fragrant powders?”

Suffering for Christ is not only bitterness—it is a fragrance pleasing to God.

It is bitter in taste, but it carries a sweet aroma before God. As the Holy Scripture reads, “For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake” (Philippians 1:29). There is also a beautiful proverb that teaches, “The bitterness the Lord chooses for me is better than the sweetness I choose for myself.”

My Beloved, the life of a Christian must be gold, frankincense, and myrrh:

So let us offer to the One born today the gifts of the wise men and let us say to Him from the depths of our hearts:

“Take, O Lord, the gold of my heart, the incense of my prayers, and the myrrh of my sufferings, and make my whole life Yours.”

Glory be to our God forever. Amen.

I extend my heartfelt congratulations for the glorious Feast of the Nativity to our blessed Father, His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, the Metropolitans, the Bishops, The Hegumens the Priests, and all the Beloved congregation of the Diocese.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Be well in the Lord!

May God bless you through the prayers of H.H. Pope Tawadros II.

— His Grace Bishop Mina
Bishop, Coptic Orthodox Diocese of Mississauga, Vancouver, and Western Canada