- Feb 5, 2002
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There are no purposeless activities at Mass, and the use of incense is no exception.
Many people, particularly within our pews, do not know the reasons for the use of incense in worship. Even I, when I was a Franciscan friar using incense as an altar server, often thought, “Why?”
All of us who see incense need to reflect on its purpose, for we don’t do meaningless activities at Mass. When I reflected on its place in Scripture, I found that there is a surprising number of verses on the matter.
The first instance of incense appears over a thousand years before Jesus. It was the major event on Mount Sinai in Exodus 24: God came down as a large cloud over the mountain, with fire, and Moses was called up into the cloud. God did not come down casually with a human face. Nobody could even see him! He was clouded in mystery. Exodus 24:15-18 reads,
Continued below.
Why Have Incense at Mass?
Many people, particularly within our pews, do not know the reasons for the use of incense in worship. It's worth finding out.
