Portia’s Picture

Choosing lead and myrrh to love others more than ourselves

01/07/2018

Matthew 2:1-12 When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in the days of King Herod, behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, "Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star at its rising and have come to do him homage." And behold, the star that they had seen at its rising preceded them,  until it came and stopped over the place where the child was. 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. Then they opened their treasures and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed for their country by another way.

           Arguably the most spell-binding scene in Shakespeare’s play called “The Merchant of Venice” is the test of true love. A ravishingly beautiful woman named Portia wants to be married, but her late father has devised a devious test to see which suitor will be the best for his daughter. All you dads out there remember this when some dude comes to marry your darling daughter. Test those boys. Here’s how Portia’s papa did it. Each suitor must examine three “caskets” or boxes with an inscription, but only one contains the picture of Portia, and the suitor who selects that casket wins the beautiful bride. The first casket is made of gold, the second of silver, and the third of plain lead. Which casket would you have chosen?

          The first suitor to make the attempt is the haughty Prince of Morocco. He immediately rejects the leaden casket as below his princely dignity and chooses instead the gold casket, on which he finds the inscription, “Who chooseth me shall gain what many men desire.” But when he opens it, he’s startled to see a skull with a scroll rolled up inside, not Portia’s picture. The scroll reads in part: “All that glisters is not gold…Gilded tombs do worms enfold.” Ouch. The second suitor is the proud Prince of Arragon, who also turns up his nose at the leaden casket, but is intrigued by the silver one. The silver inscription reads: “Who chooseth me shall get as much as he deserves,” and clearly the Prince of Arragon believed he deserved Portia!  But upon opening the casket he’s shocked to see the image of a blinking idiot, a fool, not Portia’s picture. The Prince left feeling foolish indeed.

          Finally, Bassanio arrives – one of the main characters – but because he’s humble, he’s not easily tempted by the silver or gold caskets. Instead he reads the inscription on the leaden casket: “Who chooseth me must give and hazard all he hath,” that is, he must sacrifice everything. He chooses the leaden box because he is willing to hazard everything for Portia; he loves her more than he loves himself. You can guess what he found inside the lead casket. In other words, Portia’s father devised a test whereby his daughter would marry someone ready to sacrifice everything for her. Isn’t that what every father hopes for his future son-in-law?

             In the gospel today, we see more royal persons and more caskets with mysterious gifts inside, but both are stories of tests of love. Three Magi or kings arrive in Bethlehem and present gifts to the Baby Jesus. The first gift is gold, which means the new-born Child will be a king. Gold symbolizes royal authority and power. The second gift is a casket of frankincense, symbolizing a priestly identity and purpose. Priests offer incense at Mass. But strangely, the third gift is myrrh, an oil used to anoint and preserve dead bodies. The first two kings must have looked at the third and wondered: “Myrrh? Really? That’s the best you have??” But the first two kings would have missed the meaning of the myrrh, just like the first two princes missed the lesson of the lead. More than kingly power and even more than priestly prerogatives, Jesus came to pass the test of true love by suffering and dying on the Cross, and having his body anointed with myrrh. In other words, the myrrh meant the same thing as the lead: “Who chooseth me must give and hazard all he hath.” The myrrh means loving others more than yourself.

             Folks, passing the test of true love doesn’t just happen in stories in Shakespeare and in Scripture; it happens every day. Our love is always being tested by the choice to do something easy (gold and silver) or to do something hard (lead and myrrh)? I often counsel couples who are dating or engaged why they shouldn’t have premarital sex. I ask them: which is easier: to engage in sex or to refrain from sex – gosh, even I know the answer to that question! It’s when you choose the lead and myrrh – it’s when you do something difficult – that you show true love. This is why Catholics go to confession to a priest. Why? Well, because telling another human being our faults and failings is a heck of a lot harder than apologizing to God in our hearts. Don’t get me wrong: we do have to make a sincere act of contrition with our whole hearts to God. But which is harder: talking to God or talking to a priest, like Fr. John about our sins? Confession to a priest is lead and myrrh for Catholics, the test of true love for Jesus.

             What about our financial contributions to church and charity? My brother had a habit whenever he went to Mass and it came time for the collection. He would open his wallet and find the largest bill he had a drop that in the basket. Maybe that’s why he only carried ones and fives! But it was nevertheless a test of love, and the only way to pass it is by choosing the lead and the myrrh. Many people are dieting these days to lose some weight. They are trying to eat fruits and vegetables instead of sweets and soft drinks. And that’s a good thing. But may I suggest that you forget about shedding the pounds, and instead eat as a test of love for the body God has given you, the temple of the Holy Spirit. Eating well can also be a test of love, “Who chooseth me must hazard his cheesecake and chocolate pie.” Life constantly presents us with tests of true love: we choose either the gold and silver or the lead and myrrh.

              When Bassanio opens the third casket of lead, he finds Portia’s picture inside. But also finds a poem, which reads: “You that choose not by the view, Chance as fair and choose as true. Since this fortune falls to you, Be content and seek no new. If you be well pleased with this, And hold your fortune for your bliss, Turn you where your lady is, And claim her with a loving kiss.” When we choose the lead and the myrrh, we too can hope to end our days with a loving kiss from God.

Praised be Jesus Christ!