What is the purpose of incense around altar at Mass?

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Hello all. I am non-Catholic and was curious what the significance of incense is at Mass. Is it to purify the air and area around the altar or does it serve some other purpose?

Background
A few weeks ago, I was watching the tragic footage of the large blast in Lebanon and showed it to my wife, who came from a Christian denomination that is not very Catholic-friendly. As for me, I have more favorable views towards Catholicism and tend to believe there is a rational reason for all the rituals.

Footage of blast:
https://video.search.yahoo.com/sear...97d9dba99a6ef2f21c37ff21d1ca778f&action=click

After I showed my wife the footage, which she agreed was tragic and sad to watch, she asked me why the priest was shaking incense around the altar in the first place. She sarcastically asked, “What is the incense for, to ward off evil spirits or something?”. She seems to think Catholicism has superstitious aspects to it, for whatever reason. She was brought up in the ‘Christian Church - Disciples of Christ’ denomination.

I told her that I thought it was for purification purposes since the altar contains the body, soul, and divinity of Jesus Christ in the monstrance. I also told her that it might also represent the prayers of the saints, as referenced in the Book of Revelation, chapter 5, but that I wasn’t sure.

I also mentioned that I suspected that it may have Jewish roots, but I wasn’t positive.

Question
Can you elaborate what the purpose/significance of the priest shaking incense around the altar is?
Thanks, I appreciate it. I want to be armed with a more definitive answer for her.
 
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There are many reasons why we use blessed incense. The main reason is that it is signifying the pleasing prayers that rise up to God: we are a people of prayer.

Also, while we are not superstitious, we do believe that holy sacramentals are sacred signs used by the faithful as a kind of reminder… it is a physical representation of an interior reality. Thus, they help increase devotion, remind us that God is truly with us, reminds us to pray/of a Sacred Mystery or Person, and are objects devoted to use for the sake of communion with God in prayer. So, even evil spirits are repulsed by incense because it is a holy object that helps raise and remind all that God’s Presence is always among us (that God is a Savior) and so is a kind of “invocation” of God; it points us to “lift up” our hearts, minds, and souls to remain with Him Who Is.
 
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Tommy999 said:
Question
Can you elaborate what the purpose/significance of the priest shaking incense around the altar is?
Thanks, I appreciate it. I want to be armed with a more definitive answer for her.
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Incense is symbolic or representative of prayers rising up to heaven and to recognize the presence of divinity, e.g. using incense over the pages of the Gospel to be read at Mass because whenever the words of Christ are read from the Bible, Christ is present. This from Revs. John Trigilio/Kenneth Brighenti.
 
Your wife sounds like my mom and sister. Part of the fun of becoming Catholic was rebellion against their anti-Catholicism.
 
Quoting from my Missal (EF):-
“Incense represents grace and the effects of grace. Christ was filled with grace as with a sweet fragrance, and “of His fullness we have all received.” From Christ it spreads to the faithful by the work of His ministers. Thus after the altar, which represents Christ, has been incensed on every side, then all are incensed in their proper order.”

"The rite and prayer of the incensing symbolize the Offertory itself, as the gifts are enveloped in a holy atmosphere of blessed incense, and so separated from the rest of creation and dedicated to God. The clouds of incense rise to heaven, descend on the faithful, and spread throughout the Church, as we pray that the Eucharistic Sacrifice be accepted for the salvation of the faithful and for the whole world.

The gifts are first incensed in the form of a cross and in the form of a circle. Then the crucifix or tabernacle, the altar, the celebrant and ministers, the clergy present, and finally the people are incensed, expressing the Church’s desire that the divine mercy sweetly and plentifully descend on all assisting at Mass, flowing from the altar to the priests and through them to the baptized.

The incense symbolizes our prayer, whose source is in the love of God, the divine fire that our Lord came to cast upon the earth."
 
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Well, many have replied with valid and clear answers to you question. I would like to commend you for defending the Church and for keeping an open heart. I wish you well in your faith journey may you be also the instrument of conversion of your wife. GOD bless you and your family and have a blessed Sunday.
Peace!
 
A small addition to what was already well said, there may be a tendency to (what’s the word I’m looking for) over intellectualize (?) worship. What I mean is that humans are not just intellectual beings driving around bodies. A human being is body and soul. This matter pinches own flesh is me, too. The “smells and bells” as some call it is a valid part of worship and helping elevating a person’s reverence.

On a different tact, were ancient Jews wrong to offer incense in the Temple? Or the angels as described in Revelation?
 
It might have something to do with the following Bible verse:
For from the rising of the sun to its setting my name is great among the nations, and in every place incense is offered to my name, and a pure offering; for my name is great among the nations, says the Lord of hosts. (Malachi 1:11)
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Above, the prophet Malachi predicted two offerings among the nations to the name of the Lord, namely, incense and a pure offering. Since at least the middle of the second century, Christians have understood the “pure offering” in Malachi 1:11 to be the Eucharist. For example, St Justin Martyr wrote, in part:
Hence God speaks by the mouth of Malachi, one of the twelve [prophets], as I said before, about the sacrifices at that time presented by you [Jews]: ‘I have no pleasure in you, saith the Lord; and I will not accept your sacrifices at your hands: for, from the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same, My name has been glorified among the Gentiles, and in every place incense is offered to My name, and a pure offering: for My name is great among the Gentiles, saith the Lord: but ye [Jews] profane it.’ [So] He then speaks of those Gentiles, namely us [Christians], who in every place offer sacrifices to Him, i.e., the bread of the Eucharist, and also the cup of the Eucharist, affirming both that we glorify His name, and that you [Jews] profane [it]. (St Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho the Jew, chapter 41)
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Given that they appear together in Malachi 1:11, I am not surprised that incense is sometimes offered along with the Eucharist when Christians assemble as a church to worship the Lord.
 
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