 |
 |
 |
 |
Q: Why is incense used during some Masses? (A)
Dear A:
You may remember that incense was one of the gifts presented to the Christ child by the Magi (the Wise Men) at Christmas. The Bible speaks of Jesus being given 'frankincense', a pleasant smelling gum which since ancient times had been burned as incense during religious ceremonies. There are many references to incense in the Old Testament. Perhaps you remember how, when God gave Moses the Ten Commandments, he also instructed him to build an altar "on which to burn incense." (Exodus 30: 1-10) There are also several references in the New Testament. In Luke (1: 8-25), for example, the priest Zechariah is burning incense in the sanctuary of the temple when the angel Gabriel appears to tell him his wife Elizabeth will give birth to a son who is to be named John.
Over the years, incense came to represent the rising of the prayers of the faithful to God. The psalmist says (Psalm 141): "My prayers rise like incense". Not only does this rising incense represent prayer, but the sweet smell of the incense is representative of Christian virtue, and, as one writer put it, "of the ambience (special atmosphere) of heaven." The burning of incense in the thurible (the metal container suspended by chains) can also represent the fire of love which should burn in every Christian. Perhaps you have noticed, too, from your own experience, how the use of incense at Mass can serve to heighten the sense of solemnity and mystery.
When the priest uses incense, the act is known as 'incensing'. The Vatican , in co-operation with local bishops, provides various rules for the use of incense. The priest, for example, may incense the lectern (the place where the priest and people stand to do the readings during Mass)-- just before the reading of the gospel. Sometimes he may also incense the altar, and here the smoke of the incense has the added symbolism of purification (making clean) and sanctification (making holy). In a funeral Mass, the priest usually incenses the coffin to represent the prayers of the community for the deceased, and to remind us of the holiness of a body which, through Baptism, became a temple of the Holy Spirit.
God bless, Father Norbert