Filipino Home Altars and Incense

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lorenzoruiz

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Home altars is typical here in the Philippines. No Catholic home is without it. We usually burn candles, usually two, every time we pray with this altars. My question is, I noticed that there are some families who also burn incense sticks along with the candles. Candles has an approval in the church, but what about incense sticks?

I tried using incense before, the resin type used in church, but its quite tedious to use it. Incense sticks seems an easier alternative to “carry” my prayers to heaven.

Could some one help me out.
 
Incense is incense. It is fine to use incense sticks at home.
 
Incense smoke is a symbolic of prayers rising to God’s throne. Candles are a symbol for prayer. The use of both together makes perfect sense. Since this is for private devotional prayer, I do not believe that the type of incense used makes any difference.
 
Thanks for the answers. Actually i found an article in Fisheaters regarding the use of incense sticks. I think it’s a green light for me to do so.
 
Some of our parishioners originated in River Province, Nigeria and they burn incense at home. Their preferred method is to use little brass burners, but I don’t know if these are available in the Philippines. Their children provide us with a ready supply of thurifers.

There is no problem using joss sticks whatever their origins. They may have been packaged for another religion, but incense is incense. We use two varieties of incense in the thurible. The stuff that comes from a Catholic source has a pungent smell (I think it has old car tyres in it). For more sensitive congregations, we use pure frankincense and the cheapest source is from an Anglican establishment. Perhaps that’s why the priest blesses it when he puts it in the thurible;)
 
jimrob said:
There is no problem using joss sticks whatever their origins. They may have been packaged for another religion, but incense is incense.
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Yes that is what exactly what I am worried about. You see we have some Buddhist/Taoist here in our country. We have a large Chinese minority (I think that is contradicting, large-minority, pardon my grammar) =). Well, anyway most of the Chinese converts still light red joss sticks in their Catholic Altars at home. I hope they are not doing so for any superstitious purpose.
But since after reading the replies in this thread and the article in fisheater, I am now “guilt-free” when using incense sticks for private devotional prayers. As you said, incense IS incense. However to satisfy my scrupulous side, maybe I would prefer incense sticks that are packed in non-religious packages. I might be uneasy lighting an incense stick that came from a package with a jolly Ganesha. =)
 
lorenzoruiz said:
Yes that is what exactly what I am worried about. You see we have some Buddhist/Taoist here in our country. We have a large Chinese minority (I think that is contradicting, large-minority, pardon my grammar) =). Well, anyway most of the Chinese converts still light red joss sticks in their Catholic Altars at home. I hope they are not doing so for any superstitious purpose.
But since after reading the replies in this thread and the article in fisheater, I am now “guilt-free” when using incense sticks for private devotional prayers. As you said, incense IS incense. However to satisfy my scrupulous side, maybe I would prefer incense sticks that are packed in non-religious packages. I might be uneasy lighting an incense stick that came from a package with a jolly Ganesha. =)
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The only things is I don’t like how this incense sticks smell compared to what is being used in church. So another thing to consider, especially the smell will be in your home.
 
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