Mass can be beautiful, solemn, reverent, and effective without incense. Learn how your comment data is processed. Our church does not announce it. It is held or carried as explained above. (This comment will probably shock some of my friend!). In this invaluable work, the author strives to reference his descriptions with official sources, but these do not always provide the detail required in a ceremonies manual. We can be reasonable about this. Many people have respiratory problems today that possibly are caused by our environment. Too many Catholics simply went through the motions and did not understand what the different devotions and actions of worship meant. 20 people in my parish have left for other churches/denominations because our pastor has said I dont care about your problems, we are using incense. I might add that there is a censer Ive seen advertised which operates with coils ignited by a battery. Having incensed the gifts, the celebrant (and deacon) bows to the altar cross and incenses it with three double swings if the altar cross is directly before them. In the General Instruction of the Roman Missal incense may be used during the entrance procession; at the beginning of Mass, to incense the altar; at the procession and proclamation of the Gospel; at the offertory, to incense the offerings, altar, priest and people: and at the elevation of the Sacred Host and chalice of Precious Blood after the consecration. We do not know exactly when the use of incense was introduced into our Mass or other liturgical rites. Place the charcoal into a clean censer or burner and wait for it to fully light up. Let the flame burn several spots until you see them glowing. If someone comes to church and lights up a cigarette, cigar, or pipe, he would certainly be asked to leave or, at least, be made to put out the offending item. The rabbis of the Talmud expanded the description of the recipe for the incenses from 4 ingredients of the Hebrew Bible to 11 ingredients. There are people in church that are on oxygen therapy 24/7. The use of incense is optional for most Masses. That doesnt say much for the people who insist on the Holy Smoke, no matter how it harms some of the parishioners. It may be more graceful as well for a deacon to leave the right side of the priest to kneel at the right side of the altar than to leave the altar to position himself in the middle of the sanctuary facing the altar (Mutel and Freeman, 130). You can also get. That same server then replaced the missal at an angle to the left of the corporal, off the corporal. Aside from Funerals, the use of incense was mainly during Holy Week, but used with a very profound solemnity. "No. The M.C. *Gospel. This happened 5 times (incorporating rosary with prayaing for dead) I was so pleased the people caught the symbolism of the rising smoke our prayers for the dead rising to the Father. Paragraph 97 addresses benediction, which can only be given by the priest or deacon. The visual imagery of the smoke and the smell remind us of the transcendence of the Mass which links heaven with earth, and allows us to enter into the presence of God. Incense used at the beginning of mass to incense the altar doesnt tie in much with prayer and I think I agree w/ Fr. As Zechariah the priest was offering incense in the temple in Luke 1:10, "all the assembled worshipers were praying outside." The altar of incense, then, can be seen as a symbol of the prayers of God's people. Magazine The Ten Most Common Liturgical Abuses Kevin Orlin Johnson Ph.D. 1/1/1999 Listen to the audio version of this content Before Vatican II there weren't any surprises when it came to the Mass. I have COPD and the particulants in it affect my eyes and throat. Sam is a founder and editor of Catholics & Bible. Incense was also used at the Benedictus and Magnificat during Lauds and Vespers about the 13th century, and for the exposition and benediction of the Blessed Sacrament about the 14th century. @Fritz Bauerschmidt comment #32: In the General Instruction of the Roman Missal incense may be used during the entrance procession; at the beginning of Mass, to incense the altar; at the procession and proclamation of the Gospel; at the offertory, to incense the offerings, altar, priest and people; and at the elevation of the Sacred Host and chalice of Precious Blood after the consecration. When can the priest use incense? During the procession, a final hymn may be sung or music may be played, according to the occasion or local custom. Our parish, a basilica and co-cathedral, seats 1,200. The torches are extinguished and the thurible put away. Myrrh. I personally like to see full liturgies with all the bells and whistles (and incense). I am not allergic to incense nor do I have a breathing difficulty like COPD, but these conditions are not rare in large assemblies of worshippers. 276 lists the moments when incense is used, then it is safe to say that the thurible is not used for the exit procession. If you are not sure which type of resin you want to get, we recommend getting a mixed bag with different types like frankincense, copal, and dragons blood. Then returning the spoon to the deacon, the celebrant places his left hand on the altar (Ceremonial for Bishops, 108) while blessing the incense with his open right hand in the shape of a Greek cross. Progressive solemnity easily conveys the notion that Christmas and Easter are most important days along with their associated seasons. Sacramento, CAA new ban on thurible smoke will take effect in all California churches beginning in 2014 State officials are now confirming. No incensation of altar and cross at this time. All rights reserved. Nothing wrong with incense, even to this progressive. Actually, would suggest that litnik might apply to those who use incense as if the community knows why? Easter: Incense at the entrance, gospel, preparation. I dont think the priest goes out into the narthex for the incensing. You just need a single piece of charcoal. Regarding the second question I would say that it is not the deacon who delegates but rather the celebrant who, with the M.C. The above article is a "Straight Answers" column he wrote for the Arlington Catholic Herald. The most common type of smudge stick is made by simply tying white sage into a tight bundle. So he said that we will get a better incense recipe. Priests may also burn incense at funerals around the coffin to represent our prayers to heaven for the deceased person, and also to commemorate that this person's body was holy as a temple of the Holy Spirit. Why? What does your parish do, and why? Arlington Catholic Herald. In fact, most of the references in the Bible to incense are the Old Testament prophets lamenting the fact that too often the Jewish people had forsaken the Lord and chosen to make sacrifices, including the offering of incense to the false gods. And yes, Eastern religions do use incense you did not mention that. They just avoid going to church. As Nathan neatly puts it: profusely. And I wondered to myself, especially after hearing a homily about following a star to find the Light of the World and to leave gifts but be the ones to go out and be Christs Light, that NOT incensing the people of God was a missed opportunity to bridge the Feast, the Homily, and the incense with the Eucharist/Body of Christ. We try to help our readers better understand their lives; however, the content on this blog is not a substitute for any professional medical guidance. All the same, there could be circumstances or architectural barriers that would require another means of approaching the celebrant and the law does not forbid it. Two stories: A Byzantine priest friend followed a non-user (!) Father William Saunders is pastor of Our Lady of Hope parish in Potomac Falls, Virginia. If you dont want to burn charcoal or you find that charcoal doesnt burn your incense probably, you can use a candle to burn incense. The Jews tell us, that there were three priests employed about the service of the incense; one who carried away the ashes left on the altar at the preceding service; another who brought a pan of burning coals from the altar of sacrifice, and, having placed it on the golden altar, departed; a third, who went in with the incense, sprinkled it on t. As mentioned earlier, the General Instruction on the Roman Missal (GIRM) identifies five occasions when incense may be used during the celebration of Mass: the entrance procession, the incensation of the altar at the beginning of Mass, at the Gospel, at the preparation of the gifts, and during the elevations of the Eucharistic Prayer (GIRM, 276). (Lets set aside special Masses like the funeral Mass);and 2) When during the liturgy do you use incense? We have a small church and have only one Mass each weekend, so its not possible to have an incense-free mass. Because of his vision and because the first Christians were Jews, it would make sense to assume that the early Christians used incense in their Eucharistic ceremonies. ROME, 01 October 2013 (ZENIT) Answered by Legionary of Christ Father Edward McNamara, professor of liturgy and dean of theology at the Regina Apostolorum university. Likewise, no distinction is made later in the document at No. at a parish in New Jersey. I had to stuff my nose with cotton to prevent it from dripping on everything I tried to do and I was barely able to function. Since No. So does incense. Liturgical Press | School of Theology Seminary | Saint John's Abbey | Comments Policy | Contact Us The thurifer leads the procession with thurible swinging from side to side. I am in TOTAL agreement with you Don and you can email me anytime at chuka2020@gmail.com. We now have requests not to wear perfume or hair spray when you come to church and still there are the flowers and the cedar. When burned over charcoal, the incense produces a sweet smelling aroma. I am fine with beeswax and soy candles. All Rights Reserved. @Jeffery BeBeau comment #16: Another option is an electric incense burner like this one. An acolyte bearing a smoking pot of incense leads the procession of gifts of bread and wine and money to the sanctuary. (CNS photo/Gregory A. Shemitz). Father. He bows profoundly once again at the waist. To refine the onycha, that it be pleasant. It is not to appease angry false gods or to drive away the fearsome demons. The thurifer approaches the celebrant within an arms length of him. That almost guarantees complaints from them on those occasions when it is required, e.g. The use of incense and the configuration of celebrant, altar and thurifer are pretty much standard in solemn celebrations in this diocese (e.g. I love it for all the reasons everyone here has listed; and I have a real physical problem with it, particularly if I need to sing during the liturgy. I would think this should suffice to tilt the burden of proof toward those who would abandon the practice of using incense.
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