Thursday, March 12, 2015

A Look at the Mass: The Incensations

The prayers of Offertory have concluded, nevertheless, the Offertory Rites themselves have three more ceremonies before they can be solemnly concluded and the great Eucharistic Prayer itself can begin. The first of these ceremonies is that which we shall now consider, and that is the incensing of the holy things.

The Mass itself began with the incensation of the altar, nevertheless, though the manner was the same as the one that occurs now, this one holds the higher view, as we are now focused exclusively on the Sacrament and Sacrifice of our Lord. The first incensation of the altar and Cross was to honor Christ, Who has given the Spirit to us to teach us how to pray, especially at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. The incensing of the Gospel was meant to honor Christ, Who comes to us in His Holy Word. Now, however, Christ is to come to us in His most eminent way during the age of the Church, under the Eucharistic Species, His True Presence.

Let us pause for a moment, however, to consider the Sacrificial portion of this part of the Mass. Jungmann notes an important concept given us by the West-Syrian Liturgy, one of the Eastern Rites in communion with Rome. They note, "a three-fold sacrifice completed at each holy Mass - the sacrifice of Melchisedech in the presentation of the bread and wine . . ., the sacrifice of Aaron in the incensation, and the sacrifice of Christ (73)." While this idea fell out of vogue in the Western liturgies, there is still an element we should not neglect to mention - the culmination and fulfillment of Christ as the definitive Sacrifice for sin.

There are three ages being symbolized within the above mentioned hyposthesis, the Pre-Law era, the Age of Israel and the Law, and the Age of the Church. We see numerous times sacrifices were offered to God before God gave prescriptions for the offering of sacrifices. For example, the most notable of these times are Abel's sacrificial offering (Genesis 4:4), the sacrifice of Melchiz'edek of bread and wine (Genesis 14:18), and the sacrifice of Abraham after Isaac was spared (Genesis 22:13). All three of these are mentioned in the Eucharistic Prayer as we shall see later on; let us now simply consider the significance they may bear in relation to the Sacrifice of Christ and the current ritual. 

It is necessary first to note these three events of the Old Testament all take place before the Law. While this is open for much interpretation, one possible explanation is that they represent the attempts of man to offer some sort of homage/thanksgiving/plea to God. We find many similar rituals amongst the Pagans. Indeed, we find much of the same in the Law itself, the only difference being that God has given actual rubrics for the sacrifice, ultimately to set Israel apart as, "a people for his own possession (Deuteronomy 26:18)." The Law gave boundaries to what the Jews could and could not do in worshiping God. The former three examples were chosen in opposition to any examples under the Law, however, because they are sacrifices from the heart, not from obligation.

This is in no way to deride the necessity of the Mosaic Law, for it was meant to be followed with the whole heart, as we see in the prescription to, "do them with all your heart and with all your soul (Deuteronomy 26:16)." Nonetheless, the Israelites as a whole always seemed to fail in following the Law of Moses, as Peter testifies at the Council of Jerusalem in Acts 15:10.

It may be for this reason, then, that the Church did not choose the examples of the Mosaic sacrifices for the Eucharistic Prayer, but instead chose the examples of the bread and wine of Melchiz'edek to more perfectly symbolize Christ. Nevertheless, conscious that the sacrifices of the Old Law were given as preparation for the perfect sacrifice of Christ, the Church was desirous that some parts be chosen to show the preparation, and for this reason, incense was chosen, as it was offered every day to the Lord along with the burnt offerings (2 Chronicles 13:11).

We should see in the incensations, then, the prayers of our heart and soul being presented to the Lord and rising up, with the sacrifice of ourselves united to the Sacrifice of Christ, to God the Father.

Now, in regards to the actual rite of incensing the oblations, altar, crucifix, and clergy and people, the Ordinary Form of the Mass prescribes no prayers to be said during the actions, nor any specific form of incensing, therefore, for the purpose of providing some basis for reflection, we shall take the prayers and actions ordered in the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Mass. They begin with the blessing of the incense itself by the celebrant, which is as follows:  

“Through the intercession of the blessed Michael the Archangel standing at the right hand of the altar of incense, and of all His elect, may the Lord vouchsafe to bless + this incense and to receive it in the odour of sweetness. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.”

The reason for the naming of St. Michael the Archangel here, is that the Book of Revelation states:

“Another angel came and stood at the altar [in heaven] with a golden censer; and he was given much incense to mingle with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar before the throne; and the smoke of the incense rose with the prayers of the saints from the hand of the angel before God (Revelation 8:3-4).”

While Gueranger notes the angel is not here named, he says, “Holy Church here names Saint Michael, Prince of the Heavenly Hosts (The Holy Mass, Section: Incensing of the Altar, &C.).” However, we should also note the mention of “all His elect,” in the blessing, since in Revelation 5:8, it says, “The twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and with golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints….” The intercession of the both the angels and saints, is then, here invoked. Holy Mother Church will spare no expense in giving these rites, the full ceremony they deserve, for this is the highest dignity afforded both to the Sacred Ministers, who perform the actions, and the Faithful, who participate in them.

The Holy Mass brings together the earthly and heavenly liturgies. Many are familiar with Dr. Scott Hahn's book, The Lamb's Supper, in which he interprets the Book of Revelation as symbolizing the Holy Mass. While we will not go into explicit details, nor agree or disagree with any of his biblical exegesis here, we should note that this is one of the main thoughts that penetrates the thought of the development of the Roman Rite. Many of the prayers and ceremonies of the Church either come directly from or are related to something found in the Book of Revelation, for it is obvious St. John the Apostle's vision had many liturgical components to it.

The main feature we should note then is an interconnectedness between Heaven and earth through the Eucharistic Sacrifice. When we worship at Mass, we adore Christ with the angels and saints in Heaven, as well as with the Holy Souls in Purgatory. Thus, we implore the intercession of all the Heavenly Host that we may give fitting homage to Christ.

We may see in the blessing of incense then, not just the making of something holy, but of a prayer of intercession, which will become more apparent as we observe the rest of the incensation prayers of the Extraordinary Form. For the moment, let us understand that this rite is one designed to show the unity of earth and Heaven and to lift us upwards in prayer to God. 

The incensing rituals begin with the incensation of the bread and wine, which are to be done in the form of three crosses, and then three circles enveloping the paten, ciborium, and chalice, while the priest prays:  

“May this incense which Thou hast blessed, O Lord, ascend to Thee, and may Thy mercy descend upon us.”

We may at first wonder at incensing simple bread and wine, yet Gueranger again provides us with a response to this, for he says:

"This Bread and Wine just offered by the Priest have been raised above the order of common things by this very offering made of them . . . . To show her reverence for them, Holy Church sheds on them the perfume of her incense, as if she were doing so to Christ Himself (The Holy Mass, Section: Incensing of the Altar, &C.)."

This is no longer ordinary bread and wine; it has been raised to the order of holiness. The Church consequently treats it with the greatest reverence. In the Eastern Rites, before the bread and wine are even raised to the order of oblation, they are incensed, because they have already been set apart, to be raised to the order of something set apart! Although it is not yet the Body and Blood of our Lord, it has been set aside for such a purpose and is thus to be treated as such.

This should in no way seem odd to us, for do we ourselves not treat food we have chosen for ourselves with a more careful touch, so as not to ruin what will become our nourishment? Do we not also clean it and care for it more than we would food that is destined for the nourishment of animals? We must, therefore, treat the food that will become the nourishment of our souls to eternal life all the more carefully and reverently! 

Before we consider the prayer itself, let us consider the actions that accompany this prayer. Why the three crosses and three circles? Even more so, why are two of the circles done counterclockwise, and the third clockwise? Jungmann provides us with the beginning of an answer, but we must go further to find the full answer it seems. He says:

"The first swings of the censer are for the gifts of bread and wine which are incensed three times cross-wise, three times in a circle. It is the fullest expression of blessing and consecration and in this way really a re-enforcement of the Veni sanctificator. The incense here, just as the further incensing of the altar and the congregation, is intended to envelop the gifts in the holy atmosphere of prayer which 'ascends to Thy countenance like incense clouds'; thus it is intended to symbolically represent and to fortify the primary action at the altar (74-75)."

Let us recall that the Veni sanctificator Jungmann refers to is the blessing of the oblations in the Extraordinary Form, which we considered in the last post on the In spiritu humilitatis (here). This blessing asked the Holy Spirit to descend on the offerings and to make them sacred to the Lord God. As mentioned above, in regard to the Eastern rites, it is due to what they will become, that they are treated so reverently. Indeed, they are incensed in the form of a cross three times, because they will become the Sacrifice of the Calvary. The first cross shows the Sacrifice of the Cross is offered to God the Father, the second shows the Sacrifice is offered by God the Son, and the third shows it is offered in the Holy Spirit.

But what do the circles symbolize? As Jungmann noted, the circles themselves completely envelop the gifts to show that they completely become a Sacrifice to God, but why the two counterclockwise, and one clockwise?  While after much searching, no clear answer could be obtained, there is a theory which we shall work with. The prayer used here was a begging that God the Father may receive the prayers offered, through the Son, and will consequently send His mercy upon us. When we ask for His mercy, we consequently ask to be filled with His Holy Spirit, for without the life the Holy Spirit gives to our souls, His mercy would avail us not. Let us see in the reverse circle the answer of God's grace to our prayers. Not only does the incense envelop the Sacrifice, but the Holy Spirit envelops It and us in prayer, as He enveloped the Apostles in the form of a cloud during the Transfiguration (Mark 9:7).

Once finished with the oblations, the priest next incenses the crucifix and altar, just as at the beginning of the Mass, the only difference being he recites this prayer as he does so:

“Let my prayer, O Lord, be directed as incense in Thy sight: the lifting up of my hands as an evening sacrifice. Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth, and a door round about my lips: That my heart may not incline to evil words, and seek excuses in sins.”

While these are the words of Psalm 141, we should note the significance they carry when prayed by the priest while incensing the altar and crucifix, for they are said in the singular. The priest, in persona Christi, is about to offer the Sacrifice to the Father; we may here imagine the first line being prayed by our Lord Himself, while upon the Cross. "Let this Offering ascend to Thee, O Father, as fragrant incense. Let the Offering of Myself be to Thee a pleasing act of Thanksgiving and draw down Thy Mercy upon the whole world!" The second line is, then, a prayer of the priest himself that he may worthily exercise this most exalted ministry! The times he prays for purity in this part of the Mass may seem excessive, as we shall soon see, but by no means are they so! There is an infinite gap between his nature and the supernatural action he has been designated to perform, by the grace of God. Only by pure conformity to Christ through the grace of the Holy Spirit can he worthily exercise this task.

Let us not hesitate to see ourselves also in this action of the incensing of the altar and to make this prayer our own. As we have united ourselves with Christ's Sacrifice, we wish the prayers we make in the Holy Mass to ascend to God, as the incense rises with a pleasing odor, so that He will accept and grant our prayers. We want our prayers to be as an evening sacrifice, meaning one of thanksgiving for blessings, and ultimately adoration of God, our first purpose in the Liturgy.

The second half, we pray analogously with the priest, for although we do not offer the Sacrifice as he does, we unite to it and wish to receive the graces through Holy Communion. In order to worthily do so, we must also be conformed to Christ through grace, and sin will hinder us from this. Therefore, we pray that God will so deign to put a door between us and the world, so that only good things may enter us and leave us. We even go so far as to pray that our hearts may desire only Him.

As the incensing of the crucifix and altar does not differ from the beginning of Mass, except through the prayer we have examined, there is little to be said beyond what was said at the beginning (here). Let us start by observing that the incensation of the crucifix here holds a special significance, as we are on the verge of beginning the Sacrifice. Within the Extraordinary Form of the Mass, there were many more signs of the crosses made in this portion of the Mass, especially within the Eucharistic Prayer itself. Although these have been suppressed in the Ordinary Form, the focus on the Mystery of the Cross has not been. In fact, the mandate of the Church is that:

"There is also to be a cross, with the figure of Christ crucified upon it, either on the altar or near it, where it is clearly visible to the assembled congregation. . . . such a cross, which calls to mind for the faithful the saving Passion of the Lord . . . . (General Instruction of the Roman Missal, Third Edition (2002), 308)."

We may hearken back to the prayer used over the bread and chalice, that our prayers may ascend to God through the Mystery of the Holy Cross, which wins mercy for our souls and grants a hearing to our supplications.

The incensing of the altar itself here refocuses our attention on the centrality of it within both the Holy Mass and all of Christian worship. As the Second Vatican Council declared in Sacrosanctum Concilium 8, the liturgy, especially the Eucharistic liturgy is the source and summit of the Christian life. Towards It all the activity of the Church is directed and all Her power flows from It. The altar is given this high reverencing then, both because it represents Christ and because it is the sacred spot upon which all the graces of the Church flow, and to which we tend. When we are present before the altar we are always, in a mystical way, present before the Holy Trinity in Heaven, for the altar in any church building is united to the altar in Heaven, spoken of constantly throughout the book of Revelation, seemingly as a central point. And we may rightly call it a center point, for through the altar, as we said above, Heaven and earth are united as one!

The incensing of the altar being complete, the celebrant himself is then incensed by the deacon. As he handed the thurible to the deacon for incensation, he would pray the final prayer:

“May the Lord kindle within us the fire of His love, and the flame of everlasting charity. Amen.”

This prayer would originally be said by each person or group of people as they were incensed, the order of which we shall now consider.

While within the Extraordinary Form there are long and fairly complicated guidelines for the order of incensing people, as there are many more subdivisions and specific incensations, the Ordinary Form has simplified the rites to clear up possible confusion and to expedite the process, perhaps.

The incensation of the main celebrant of the Mass is always first and is done immediately after the incensation of the altar is completed. In doing so, we are to see his centrality in the Mass, for as we have said, but can never tire of repeating, he acts in persona Christi. Thus, when he is incensed, it is truly Christ who is being reverenced. The respects paid to the priest are done because it is he who is to offer the Sacrifice in the Person of Christ. The prayer, then, is really a begging that as Christ's Sacrifice was a complete outpouring of His love, so that love may then be kindled in the priest and burn with a pleasing fragrance, just as the incense burns.

But the fire of this love of Christ is not meant to be accomplished solely in the priest, but in the hearts of all gathered for the Sacrifice, as Christ Himself testified to, for He said, "I came to cast fire upon the earth; and would that it were already kindled! (Luke 12:49)." Consequently, following the incensation of the celebrant, any prelates of the Church, i.e. bishops and cardinals, who are present are to be incensed. Herein we must again see Christ as the One Who is being honored, for it is through the ministry of the bishop, as a successor of the Apostles, that the priest is able to fulfill His exalted office of offering the Sacrifice. The bishop is called, within, the Liturgy, "the great High Priest," in imitation of Christ's title in Hebrews 4:14, for it is in union with his bishop that a priest offers the Sacrifice of Christ. The further consideration of this relationship will have to wait, however, until we examine the Sacrament of Holy Orders!

Upon concluding the incensation of the Prelates of the Church, any concelebrants who may be present are incensed. We may find it odd that they are not incensed before the bishops, but as we just observed, it is on account of the derivation of their priestly dignity from the bishops that the priest is able to exercise his ministry. The incensing of the main celebrant first may be said to be of a practical nature, as he will immediately proceed to the washing of his hands. However, as the incensing of the concelebrants is for the same reason as the main celebrant, we shall not repeat ourselves.

The next incensation would be of any priests who are simply attending the Mass in choir, but are not concelebrating. The reason for their being honored separately is, once again, because by the grace of their ordination, their souls have been conformed to Christ. Although they do not act in persona Christi at this specific Liturgy, nonetheless, they have the ability to and they are forever an image of Christ regardless of whether or not they exercise the ministry.

The final way in which Christ is honored in the incensation is in the final way He is present at the Liturgy, which is in the people gathered in His Name. Once again, Jesus said, "Where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them (Matthew 18:20)." As the entire Mass is done by the command of our Lord, a Christian's presence at the Sacred Liturgy is always a gathering of the Body of Christ. For this reason, when we are incensed as Christ's Body, we should make the prayer that the love of Christ and the fire of His charity be kindled in our hearts as well, so that through the Sacrament we may be made like Christ.

The final point we shall note for this rite is that it is performed most properly by a deacon. As a servant at the altar, and the fulfillment of that which was prefigured by the order of Levites in the Old Testament, he is given charge of the sacred vessels. For this reason, we shall see him, throughout the course of the Mass be a minister of the chalice, but here he exercises his ministry of the vessels in using the thurible, which we have seen to be a sacred vessel (though lesser than the chalice) because of the blessing bestowed upon the incense, that it may become a holy offering in itself that will represent our prayers before God and envelop us in an atmosphere of reverence and awe before the great action about to be begun - the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of the Lord!

All historical information taken from:
Rev. Joseph A. Jungmann, S.J. The Mass of the Roman Rite: Its Origins and Development. Volume 2. Part IV: The Incensation, 70-76. Translated by Rev. Francis A. Brunner, C.SS.R. (Christian Classics: Notre Dame, Indiana, 1951).

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