Last year I wrote an eight-part series for my parish about the Catholic Mass. For the Catholics in my audience, or anyone who wants to know more about why Catholics do what they do, these articles and videos are a great resource!
This video, Why Do We Use Incense, discusses incense and its use at Mass.
Incense has been used in worship since ancient times. When God taught Moses how to worship Him, He gave instructions for mixing incense and told Moses to place it outside the entrance to where the Ark of the Covenant was kept (Exodus 30:34-36).
In Revelation 8:3-4, John says, “And another angel came and stood at the altar with a golden censer; and he was given much incense to mingle with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar before the throne; and the smoke of the incense rose with the prayers of the saints.”
Sounds a lot like the Mass, doesn’t it?
At Mass, all our senses are engaged. We touch holy water. We hear scripture proclaimed and hear music and bells. We taste and see the Body and Blood of Christ. And we see and smell incense.
Incense helps emphasize the sacredness, solemnity, and mystery of the Mass. It helps focus us on prayer and worship. It reminds us that worship is important. By using incense, we not only add ritual beauty to the Mass, but we more fully engage. And by engaging in the Mass we encounter the living God.
Incense symbolizes both purification and our prayers rising to God (Psalm 141:2), which we can see throughout the Mass. In a lighthearted way, it has been said that we are “shaking smoke at the Devil”. This may be true. Certainly, Satan hates a Mass celebrated with beauty and reverence.
You may notice that the thurible is often swung with three double swings. The double swings recall the two natures of Jesus (human and divine), and three swings are symbolic of the Holy Trinity.
As Mass begins, the priest incenses the altar. The opening rites are heavily focused on preparing ourselves for worship. The altar is the central focus at Mass, so it is symbolically purified and prepared for Mass too.
Before the Gospel is read, the Deacon incenses the Book of Gospels. Along with the candles it emphasizes the importance of the Gospel and the presence of God in His Word.
After the gifts are prepared, they are incensed to purify them before they are transformed into the Body and Blood of Christ, then the altar is incensed just as it was at the beginning of Mass. The deacon incenses the priest, purifying him before he offers the sacrifice and showing the priest’s offering of himself. As the priest prepares to begin the Eucharistic Prayer, the deacon incenses the entire congregation, symbolic of us offering ourselves and our prayers to God.
While the Holy, Holy is sung the servers kneel at the foot of the altar with the thurible. When the priest elevates the Body of Christ and the Blood of Christ to offer them to the Father, the server incenses them as the angels take our offering to Heaven. In the words of Fr. Mike Schmitz, this moment is “where time and eternity meet, where Heaven and earth kiss.”
The other videos in the series:
#2 – Why Churches Look Like They Do
#3 – The Structure of the Mass