Why Incense?

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smndtupidisaftr

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Why is incense so common in Latin Masses? It is used throughout the service. On the other hand, at my parents’ local parish, incense is hardly used, maybe once or twice a year, and only at one point during the service. Why would one parish choose to use it and not the other?

Also, somewhat unrelated, but what about the use of bells? This same parish used to use bells during the Eucharistic prayer, but did away with them, saying that they were only used to alert the people to the important part of the Mass so that they would come back inside. Anybody have more information about what that is referring to? Because I’ve seen the bells used, and it is certainly not a sound to alert people to come back inside.
 
smndtupidisaftr said:
Why is incense so common in Latin Masses? It is used throughout the service. On the other hand, at my parents’ local parish, incense is hardly used, maybe once or twice a year, and only at one point during the service. Why would one parish choose to use it and not the other?

Also, somewhat unrelated, but what about the use of bells? This same parish used to use bells during the Eucharistic prayer, but did away with them, saying that they were only used to alert the people to the important part of the Mass so that they would come back inside. Anybody have more information about what that is referring to? Because I’ve seen the bells used, and it is certainly not a sound to alert people to come back inside.
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I can answer your question in general. The Council of Trent states 'And whereas such is the nature of man, that, without external helps, he cannot easily be raised to the meditation of divine things; therefore has holy Mother Church instituted certain rites, to wit that certain things be pronounced in the mass in a low, and others in a louder, tone. She has likewise employed ceremonies, such as mystic benedictions, lights, incense, vestments, and many other things of this kind, derived from an apostolical discipline and tradition, whereby both the majesty of so great a sacrifice might be recommended, and the minds of the faithful be excited, by those visible signs of religion and piety, to the contemplation of those most sublime things which are hidden in this sacrifice. ’

In specific, its most probably because using incense is a lot of hassle and may not be practical its much the same reason low masses used to dominate except on 1st class feasts and during octaves.

The bells are to call people to attention to particularly important parts of the mass.
 
I guess that makes sense. Well what is your opinion on the matter?
 
jmj1984 said:
In specific, its most probably because using incense is a lot of hassle and may not be practical
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How is the use of incense a “hassle” and not practical? :confused:
jmj1984 said:
its much the same reason low masses used to dominate except on 1st class feasts and during octaves.
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I don’t see the connection. It’s true that only one High Mass would be offered on a given day, normally at the “principal Mass” in a given church, but it was not restricted to 1st Class feasts. For example, notice the practice in conventual churches, where Conventual Mass is always High Mass. Low Mass began to proliferate for several reasons, including the increase in the number of Masses offered in a given church on a given day, but not because High Mass was ever considered a “hassle” or impractical.
 
malphono said:
How is the use of incense a “hassle” and not practical? :confused:

I don’t see the connection. It’s true that only one High Mass would be offered on a given day, normally at the “principal Mass” in a given church, but it was not restricted to 1st Class feasts. For example, notice the practice in conventual churches, where Conventual Mass is always High Mass. Low Mass began to proliferate for several reasons, including the increase in the number of Masses offered in a given church on a given day, but not because High Mass was ever considered a “hassle” or impractical.
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I’m just stating the facts Malphono, high masses generally weren’t said except on special occasions e.g 1st class feasts or days of obligations etc…

High mass self-evidently isnt practical everyday because you can’t get the servers everyday, for one thing, and you can’t get all the pomp.
 
jmj1984 said:
I’m just stating the facts Malphono, high masses generally weren’t said except on special occasions e.g 1st class feasts or days of obligations etc…

High mass self-evidently isnt practical everyday because you can’t get the servers everyday, for one thing, and you can’t get all the pomp.
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Yes, I’m quite well aware of the “facts” as you put it. One may consider it “impractical” on a parish level, but again, note the practice in conventual churches. In any event, considerations of “practicality” really have little to do with the proliferation of Low Mass.
 
Incense was used extensively throughout the religions of the middle east. Since so many (all?) were blood-letting religions, incense was a way of reducing the cluster of flies that inevitably gathered at sacrifices.

Since Christianity gleamed much of its worship - albeit bloodlessly - from the Jerusalem temple worship, it is entirely natural that it should adopt the habit of using incense, too.

Of course, it also has a symbolic meaning - it being like prayers rising to heaven -, and was used to honour kings, so, again, easy to see why it entered Eucharistic worship.
 
malphono said:
Yes, I’m quite well aware of the “facts” as you put it. One may consider it “impractical” on a parish level, but again, note the practice in conventual churches. In any event, considerations of “practicality” really have little to do with the proliferation of Low Mass.
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They were certainly a factor, if not saying more masses would be irrelevant, you’d simply say more high masses. The two factors are linked together.
 
jmj1984 said:
They were certainly a factor, if not saying more masses would be irrelevant, you’d simply say more high masses. The two factors are linked together.
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No, not really, (on all counts), but I’m not going to argue the matter further.
 
As someone that has suffered from terrible allergies and numerous sinus problems I’d just as soon see the entire practice of using incense dissappear. On more than one occassion I’ve had to leave the assebly to allow the incense to settle. Just about any time that it is used you can hear a chorus of coughing rise in the congregation.
 
I love the incense, the smell is beautiful.

When you were an alterboy it was something you could only carry when you were responsible, the young ones weren’t allowed so that made you want to carry it.

We had one priest at our parish when I grew up who replaced the bells with a gong.
It was a very nice deep sounding gong not a clash sound.
 
Incense is offered to the Lord at the sacrifice in the Old Testament. It is also used at the New Covenant sacrifice, the Mass. A sampling:

Exodus 30:1 RSV - *You shall make an altar to burn incense upon . . . * 30:8 - . . . Aaron . . . shall burn it, a perpetual incense before the Lord throughout your generations.

Luke 1:9-11 NAB - . . . according to the practice of the priestly service, he was chosen by lot to enter the sanctuary of the Lord Then, when the whole assembly of the people was praying outside at the hour of the incense offering, the angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right of the altar of incense.

Rev 5:8 NAB - When he took it [the scroll], the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each of the elders held a harp and gold bowls filled with incense, which are the prayers of the holy ones.

Rev 8:3-5 NAB - Another angel came and stood at the altar, holding a gold censer, He was given a great quantity of incense to offer, along with the prayers of all the holy ones, on the gold altar that was before the throne. The smoke of the incense along with the prayers of the holy ones went up before God from the hand of the angel.

The more smells and bells, the better.
 
Tighty_Whitey said:
As someone that has suffered from terrible allergies and numerous sinus problems I’d just as soon see the entire practice of using incense dissappear. On more than one occassion I’ve had to leave the assebly to allow the incense to settle. Just about any time that it is used you can hear a chorus of coughing rise in the congregation.
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Allergies are one thing (I have some) and being downright unhealthy is another. Burned incense is not really healthy for anybody, so I heard a couple years ago.

I heard it (elsewhere) that incense symbolically covers the stench of our sins, as we beckon the Lord to come close to us.

Maybe that explanation doesn’t sit well with some people. I think it’s a good reminder and expression of our sinfulness.
 
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