Incense?

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Does anyone know the history of incense and why we use it in mass? Was incense a part of the extraordinary mass prior to the 60’s?

Bruce
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There is a massive PDF somewhere online about incense and bells. Someone must have a link.

Yes, incense is most definitely part of the Extraordinary Form. In fact, in high masses, it is obligatory for use. No option.
 
Does anyone know the history of incense and why we use it in mass? Was incense a part of the extraordinary mass prior to the 60’s?

Bruce
Trickster
I was reading a free booklet I downloaded from www.SmellsBells.com and use of incense goes back to the 5th century in Catholic liturgies.
 
From the Book of Revelations, incense carries the prayers of the saints upward to God.

Frankincense represents the divinity of Christ and myrrh portends His passion and death.
 
If incense “represents” something…has the church used alternative things to represent that “same something”?

Bruce
 
From the Book of Revelations, incense carries the prayers of the saints upward to God.

Frankincense represents the divinity of Christ and myrrh portends His passion and death.
“Frankincense represents the divinity of Christ and myrrh portends His passion and death.”

Do you happen to have an authoritative citation for this? Thanks.
 
If incense “represents” something…has the church used alternative things to represent that “same something”?

Bruce
What are you getting at? Anything specific in mind? Disco fog machines?
 
What are you getting at? Anything specific in mind? Disco fog machines?
Hi Bendix…no nothing in particular. I just noted that Catholics seem to be comfortable with using “sweetgrass” as a substitute for incense…and I am exploring whether or not there is a similar assignment of symbol to those two things. That’s where I am going with it…disco fog machines…well that might be interesting in an invented cosmic urban mass…a symbol of contemporary reality.

I used to work for an extremely liberal “street minister” in the United Church of Canada (United Methodist I hink in the US) and he worked with homeless and drug addictions…so many fo the memorials included sryinges, condoms, etc., a beer and wine bottle, all those “sacramentals” known to the person living on the street and homeless… I like those creative approaches and those symbolic “ceremonies” as connected to our faith but not within the mass itself…

Bruce
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