Using A Censer?

[ProCommunioneFacior]

In the Catholic Church, I believe that we only use incense during Mass and Benediction. The idea of the laity using for personal prayer is new to me. When do you use incense, what do you do with it, what is the significance of using it in the Eastern tradition? Thank you.

 

[Oblio]

As it is symbolic of our prayers and petitions rising up to heaven, I use it whenever I am praying in my Icon corner at home. The censer is lit and placed before the icons on my home 'altar' and a small amount of incense is placed there during prayers.

 

[ProCommunioneFacior]

Okay, so it has the same significance as it does in the Catholic Church, prayers rising to heaven. I think that I may incorporate this into my home altar. I love it when the Priest uses incense during Mass, I wish it would happen more often. I will ask him if it is alright to have incense for my home altar, and if he says yes, I think I will add this to my prayer life. Thank you for your responses.

 

[Matrona]

In the Catholic Church, I believe that we only use incense during Mass and Benediction. The idea of the laity using for personal prayer is new to me. When do you use incense, what do you do with it, what is the significance of using it in the Eastern tradition? Thank you.

"Aaron must burn fragrant incense on the altar every morning when he tends the lamps. He must burn incense again when he lights the lamps at twilight so incense will burn regularly before the LORD for the generations to come." --Exodus 30:7-8

"Let my prayer arise in thy sight as incense..." --Psalm 141

"When he opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and to them were given seven trumpets. Another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all the saints, on the golden altar before the throne. The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of the saints, went up before God from the angel's hand. Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and hurled it on the earth; and there came peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning and an earthquake." --Revelations 8:1-5

Incense is shown in Scripture to be a part of Heavenly worship. Therefore, it follows that it should be part of our worship down here, too. The smoke symbolizes our prayers rising to heaven, our worship to our Lord and honor to the saints.

(When I was travelling in France last summer, I visited both Notre Dame de Paris and Chartres Cathedral during mass. I couldn't understand a blasted word they were saying, but the incense made me feel at home and eased my spirit into a more relaxed, prayerful mood.)

Plus, incense makes the house smell good.

(An Orthodox priest once told me he likes ironing his vestments because the incense residue comes out and fills the air with a wonderful scent. )

 

[Orthodox Andrew]

After I use a Charcoal stick, can I reuse it?

 

[Oblio]

After I use a Charcoal stick, can I reuse it?

I think prodromos was talking about grinding it up into powder (If I follow you and he correctly), then it will be burnt up. I've thought about smashing charcoal briquettes up and putting them into a spice grinder. If I use the 'natural' hardwood charcoal, much lighter/softer than the usual hard Kingsford (tm) briquettes, that just might work ...

There is also a cool site I found on the net in the UK where they show you haoe to make muchos kilos of charcoal in a kiln. Looks like fun

 

[Orthodox Andrew]

I think prodromos was talking about grinding it up into powder (If I follow you and he correctly), then it will be burnt up. I've thought about smashing charcoal briquettes up and putting them into a spice grinder. If I use the 'natural' hardwood charcoal, much lighter/softer than the usual hard Kingsford (tm) briquettes, that just might work ...

There is also a cool site I found on the net in the UK where they show you haoe to make muchos kilos of charcoal in a kiln. Looks like fun

Great, that's what I'm going to do, thanks.

God bless you.

 

[Oblio]

UK where they show you haoe to make

That is ME for how !

really, it was not a typo .... I'm not kidding ...

 

[Oblio]

Just to reiterate Andreas, I have NOT tried making my own powdered charcoal yet in a grinder. Let me know how it works if you try it first

 

[Orthodox Andrew]

Just to reiterate Andreas, I have NOT tried making my own powdered charcoal yet in a grinder. Let me know how it works if you try it first

I will be trying it in a couple of hours. I'll let you know haoe it goes.

 

[Oblio]

LOL !

 

[Orthodox Andrew]

Okay, I just did it through grinding it up. It worked really well, however it did cause some hardcore sparks. I just broke the charcoal up with a hammer.

 

[prodromos]

Hmm, it looks like you and Oblio could start supplying this stuff to the faithful in North America that'll save me mailing it over from Greece

One question, were the hardcore sparks from when you were burning the powder or when you were breaking it up? The charcoal powder I use doesn't give off any sparks when it burns so I'm wondering if this has to do with the texture of the wood from which it was made or lack of uniformity in partical size. I suspect that charcoal from willow or vine branches will be softer and have a finer texture resulting in finer, more uniform particles. I don't think it needs to be as fine as graphite powder though. Have fun experimenting

Oblio, got a link to that site for the kiln?

 

[Orthodox Andrew]

Hmm, it looks like you and Oblio could start supplying this stuff to the faithful in North America that'll save me mailing it over from Greece

One question, were the hardcore sparks from when you were burning the powder or when you were breaking it up? The charcoal powder I use doesn't give off any sparks when it burns so I'm wondering if this has to do with the texture of the wood from which it was made or lack of uniformity in partical size. I suspect that charcoal from willow or vine branches will be softer and have a finer texture resulting in finer, more uniform particles. I don't think it needs to be as fine as graphite powder though. Have fun experimenting

Oblio, got a link to that site for the kiln?

The sparks came when it started burning. However, the package doesn't seem to say what the charcoal is made from.

 

[Photini]

In the Catholic Church, I believe that we only use incense during Mass and Benediction. The idea of the laity using for personal prayer is new to me. When do you use incense, what do you do with it, what is the significance of using it in the Eastern tradition? Thank you.

Censing the house also drives out evil spirits. They cannot stand the smell of it.

 

[Oblio]

Oblio, got a link to that site for the kiln?

I forgot to get it at work today, I'll try again tomorrow.

 

[prodromos]

Andreas,

It just occured to me that the sparks may have been simply due to moisture trapped in the particles. That is what usually causes the fireworks when having a BBQ, when the charcoal had gotten wet somehow and hadn't dried completely before use.

John.

 

[Orthodox Andrew]

Andreas,

It just occured to me that the sparks may have been simply due to moisture trapped in the particles. That is what usually causes the fireworks when having a BBQ, when the charcoal had gotten wet somehow and hadn't dried completely before use.

John.

That makes a lot of sense. Because I had just washed the censer before I used it. Could that have caused it?

 

[Oblio]

Dave's how to make Charcoal notes

Oddly enough there seems to be lot's of references on the internet to powdered charcoal being used to make stick incense (unfortunately many are pagan sites) but nowhere have I been able to find a source of such.

 

[Orthodox Andrew]

Dave's how to make Charcoal notes

Oddly enough there seems to be lot's of references on the internet to powdered charcoal being used to make stick incense (unfortunately many are pagan sites) but nowhere have I been able to find a source of such.

Cool site.