Posted on 02/11/2020 4:36:58 PM PST by marshmallow
I recently visited a Benedictine monastery known for its excellent liturgical life. At Mass on Epiphany, the celebrant said the following in the course of his homily:
Frankincense represents the costly spiritual sacrifice that is adoration; frankincense is the vital essence of the tree that produces it; it is, if you will, the lifeblood of the tree. The tree is slashed, and the precious essence bleeds out of it. One who would adore in spirit must be ready to be stripped and slashed, like the frankincense tree, so as to give the blood of one’s very essence in sacrifice. A sacrifice that is measured, and calculated, and weighed, is no sacrifice at all. It cannot be a spiritual sacrifice, that is one worthy of God who created us in His image and likeness to participate in the royal priesthood and in the victimhood of His Son.
Given the symbolism not only of incense but even of how incense is produced, harvested, and purchased at a price, it seemed altogether fitting that the same chapel in which these words were spoken should be filled with the smoke of an incense that, to my nose, smelled better than others I had experienced — less smoky and resiny, more of a pure fragrance, almost like a spirit without a body. No matter how much was burned, the chapel still seemed full of breathable air. This contrasted with experiences I’ve had where the incense starts to make my throat tighten up or my eyes water a bit, and where one can start to wish for fresh air.
So I decided to ask the sacristan monk about the incense they were using, and he gave me quite a bit of interesting information!
Given the love of NLM readers for all things beautiful and liturgically proper, I........
(Excerpt) Read more at newliturgicalmovement.org ...
The author talks about mixing frankincense and myrrh. Hmmmmm.... Frankincense is an incense. Myrrh was used in embalming bodies.
Think of the gifts of the foreigners: Gold for a king, incense because He was God come to earth, and myrrh because he would die for it.
A lot of incenses use myrrh as an ingredient. It gives a sweeter odor; frankincense has a sharper note.
Thanks for posting this. Very interesting and edifying.
Same process for the Sugar Mable trees. With sugar maples, you can smell it, taste it and eat it.
Other trees like the mesquite pecan and the persimmon did not have edible sap but flavored and preserved meats during cooking plus the bonus of the fruits they bore. The beans of the mesquite favored as a livestock feed.
The Frakensinse tree may have had the aroma when burned but damaged meat when cooked over to the point of not being edible .
Best use was found to be as a incense.
I put it around my Christmas tree every Christmas. There is a VERY small amount of gold...but the other two are most interesting.
I often wondered if those gifts paid for the Holy Family's flight to Egypt when King Herod decided to kill all male babies around two years old.
It's just a thought.
I occasionally buy something from these monks. They produce FABULOUS foods. They are scattered around our country. I even spoke to one on the phone. VERY nice as well...but that would be a given.
I often wondered if those gifts paid for the Holy Family’s flight to Egypt
It’s a comforting thought, isn’t it?
Frankincense and Myrrh also have healing and anticeptic/antimicrobial properties.
Myrrh can destroy the bad, while maintaining the good.
I suppose so.
They HAD to have had some money just to "rent a donkey," eat, stay someplace and take care of Baby Jesus.
That was a LONG way to walk for anyone, especially for a woman and her baby.
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