INCENSE The Incense and the Censer n n

INCENSE

The Incense and the Censer n n 1. 2. 3. Who uses them? What do they mean? What do the 3 chains represent? When does the priest use them? The evening raising of incense The morning raising of incense The preparation for the Holy Mass

Why does the priest use incense? 1. 2. 3. n Incense is a sweet smelling (aroma) as the sweetsmelling life of the saints. Incense rises up to heaven as the prayers of saints do. Incense spreads everywhere and this refers to the fact that people see the image of Christ in the saints everywhere. So we should pray whenever we see incense.

Incense in the Old Testament n n Incense has been used in prayers since the time of Moses and Aaron. Who remembers the story of Korah, Dathan and Abiram?

On the next day… n n The whole congregation rebelled against Moses and Aaron. The Lord sent an epidemic and more than fourteen thousand people died. Moses ordered Aaron to put fire coal in the incense and raise incense. As soon as incense rose, the epidemic stopped. The people thanked the Lord, as the prayers accompanied by incense were powerful. They promised never to rebel again

Incense is in Heaven n n Even in heaven, the Lord Jesus is sitting on the Throne surrounded by twenty-four priests carrying censers filled with incense, which is the prayers of the saints. That is why David says: “Let my prayer be set before You as incense”

Conclusion When we see the incense in the church, let our prayers go up with them so that the Lord may accept them as sweet-smelling incense with the prayers of the saints.

Verse n “Let my prayer be set before You as incense” (Psalms 141: 2)