Sacrament of confession

[Esdra]

hahaha, another reason to come East, we always use candles and incense.

I know, I watched some videos of DLs on youtube.

But I guess "my" Benedictine monks also always use incense and candles. - At least on Sunday.

 

[Esdra]

Indeed - LOTS of incense [ in our case Rose ]

I was allowed to act as server when I was in the Benedictine monastery, and the Brother with whom I served with the incense, proudly showed me the incense they use. They have a mixed one: Rose with original (white) insence from the Holy Land brought by one of the Brothers some months ago. - This was on Easter Sunday morning. I tell you, I was so proud to serve with the Brothers on such a special day.

 

[ArmyMatt]

I know, I watched some videos of DLs on youtube.

But I guess "my" Benedictine monks also always use incense and candles. - At least on Sunday.

hahaha, we rock them every service

 

[Dorothea]

I don't see how incense isn't used at every single church service because it represents our prayers and God as well, so that's always present in each service.

 

[Joseph Hazen]

I don't see how incense isn't used at every single church service because it represents our prayers and God as well, so that's always present in each service.

In heterodox churches they tend to not use it for one of two reasons (IME):

1) Using incense is unnecessary and reeks of 'papism' and paganism.

2) People are allergic to it and cough and it makes them uncomfortable.

The first is ridiculous because incense is as Christian as the Gospels or facing Ad Orientum - it's been around before The Roman Catholics and just because pagans used it doesn't mean we can't 'baptize' it.

The second is also often ridiculous, because many people have convinced themselves that they are allergic and cough. Don't get me wrong, they are really suffering a reaction sometimes, but it's psychosomatic. I recently served at a funeral where I was holding the censer (we were at a funeral home far away from our parish where a very faithful parishioner lived and had died, so we went to him rather than having his whole non-Orthodox family drive up, so didn't have our censer stand and such. I was the censer stand! lol) and I was standing near his family. One or two coughed and one actually got up to walk out and get some air, presumably because the censer was so close to them.

I guess they didn't realize the charcoal had gone out almost the minute we had processed into the chapel

 

[Anhelyna]

Joseph - I have to say that sometimes incense in RC churches is pretty , for want of a better description , pungent and acrid and it can make people cough .

If you use good incense [ and as I said when it took the last box in ] and Orthodox incense you don't get the same problems .

I must remember after Pascha to order up some more

 

[Joseph Hazen]

Joseph - I have to say that sometimes incense in RC churches is pretty , for want of a better description , pungent and acrid and it can make people cough .

If you use good incense [ and as I said when it took the last box in ] and Orthodox incense you don't get the same problems .

I must remember after Pascha to order up some more

Incense? in a RC church?

 

[Esdra]

Incense? in a RC church?

Yes it DOES exist, even in a RC Church.
It was quite seldom for some time, but in the meantime in more and more masses incense's used.

 

[Anhelyna]

Joseph - I've seen it used and not just for funerals either . In the UK the biggest supplier of Church furnishings etc will sell just 4 varieties of incense

http://www.hayesfinch.com/File/search_process.asp

At least when I buy it I can choose from 14 varieties - maybe if RCs were more used to our incense there would be less problems

 

[Joseph Hazen]

I was being facetious - when I was Roman Catholic we used incense at funerals, Easter, and Christmas, so I know it's used. It actually wasn't bad though - I think it was frankincense based and to this day that's my favorite.

If it's generally acrid in the UK I wonder if you're smelling the charcoal more than anything? They might not put enough incense in. It could also be burnt and they need to add more. It very well could just be the incense though too - you, after all, probably know what burnt incense and plain charcoal smell like.

If they used it more often, however, they'd probably be better at using it.

 

[Esdra]

I don't see how incense isn't used at every single church service because it represents our prayers and God as well, so that's always present in each service.

I think so too. I really fell in love with incense. I've seen it once in a mass with monks of the society of Jesus and a couple of Times in the masses of "my" Benedictines. it makes a mass imo so much more special and beautiful

 

[ArmyMatt]

I don't see how incense isn't used at every single church service because it represents our prayers and God as well, so that's always present in each service.

yeah, as Fr Patrick Henry Reardon says, after the last Judgment, there are only two smells, incesne and brimestone.

my priest also once said that incense helps to engage the sense of smell in the worship, much like how the icons engage the eyes, the hymns and bells engage the ears, etc. the whole man is engaged in the worship

 

[sculleywr]

hahaha, we rock them every service

With the exception of weddings, apparently, according to my priest. Incense isn't used in the wedding

 

[sculleywr]

In heterodox churches they tend to not use it for one of two reasons (IME):

1) Using incense is unnecessary and reeks of 'papism' and paganism.

2) People are allergic to it and cough and it makes them uncomfortable.

The first is ridiculous because incense is as Christian as the Gospels or facing Ad Orientum - it's been around before The Roman Catholics and just because pagans used it doesn't mean we can't 'baptize' it.

The second is also often ridiculous, because many people have convinced themselves that they are allergic and cough. Don't get me wrong, they are really suffering a reaction sometimes, but it's psychosomatic. I recently served at a funeral where I was holding the censer (we were at a funeral home far away from our parish where a very faithful parishioner lived and had died, so we went to him rather than having his whole non-Orthodox family drive up, so didn't have our censer stand and such. I was the censer stand! lol) and I was standing near his family. One or two coughed and one actually got up to walk out and get some air, presumably because the censer was so close to them.

I guess they didn't realize the charcoal had gone out almost the minute we had processed into the chapel

Well, on the second, I do understand, sometimes. I do have a reaction to it, but I actually love the incense, and would burn some in my room if I weren't in a dorm (lack of incense before the Icons or an over-abundance of water all over the icon...you pick).

I come from a pair of asthmatic parents, and have sometimes had an actual reaction to the incense (it depends which type). Thankfully, it is usually limited to a mild tightness in my chest, which isn't much to worry about. Now, the ammonia my boss uses at work, that forces me to clock out every time.

 

[ArmyMatt]

With the exception of weddings, apparently, according to my priest. Incense isn't used in the wedding

I am pretty sure I have been to weddings where it is used....I might be mistaken

 

[Mary of Bethany]

Yeah - I'm pretty sure it's used in the weddings in our parish. But I could be wrong. It's been a while.

Mary

 

[choirfiend]

It is used in our weddings. They cense the tetrapod if nothing else.