Incense

One of the best parts of the holiday is the aroma that comes from the kitchen. The savory scents wafting     through the house help anticipate the feast that is to come.  Smells not only complement our holiday gatherings, they also enhance our worship. Scents like the balsam in the Sacred Chrism used recently to anoint our young people in the Sacrament of Confirmation appeal to our olfactory senses and become a fragrant symbol of the divine. One of the most common scents used in the liturgy is incense.

Since ancient times, incense has been burned for its perfume and used in worship. The sweet smell of incense came to symbolize an offering that was pleasing to God. The rising smoke became a sign that prayers were ascending to God.

There are several references to incense in scripture.  In the book of Exodus (chapter 30), Moses prepares an altar for burning incense as an offering to God. In Psalm 141, the psalmist prays, “Let my prayer come like incense before you,” and in the book of Revelation (chapter 5), a vision of heavenly liturgy includes bowls filled with incense “which are the prayers of the holy ones.”

Incense can be used at any liturgy but it is typically reserved for more solemn occasions. At a funeral, for example, the remains of the departed are incensed as a sign of respect.  During solemn exposition, the Blessed Sacrament in the monstrance is incensed as a sign of adoration and praise for Christ.

On Sundays and Solemnities, incense leads the entrance procession into the church and is used to reverence the altar as a sign of respect for Christ whom the altar represents.  During the proclamation of the Gospel, incense is used to venerate the book of Gospels to show respect for the word of God and for Christ himself who is the incarnate Word. Incense is used again during the preparation of the gifts to reverence the bread, the wine, the priest and the people.

Among the gifts offered to the Christ child by the Magi was frankincense, a type of incense. Myrrh, gold and frankincense were considered gifts fit for a king.  May we, who are also honored with incense, recognize that not just our prayers, but our very selves are offered to God in an eternal sacrifice of praise.