Q: What is the appropriate way for laypeople to use incense in
prayer?
A: Historically, it has probably been
exceptional for a laymen to use incense at home, because of the expense
involved, and so it should not be thought that this is essential, but it
certainly is permissible.
A laymen
would only use a hand censer – not a swinging censer like the clergy typically
use.
When a
person censes with a hand censer, the censer is held in the right hand, and the
sign of the cross is made with the censer over whatever he is censing. Then the censer is placed in the left hand,
and he makes the sign of the cross and bows… unless he is censing other people,
in which case he makes the sign of the cross with the censer only, and then
bows to the people without signing himself.
If you
are doing morning or evening prayers, you could cense before the beginning of
the prayer, though some do this at the end.
It is a
nice touch to have a Cross and Gospel in your icon corner. This is where your
censing would begin and end. You could just cense the icons in the icon corner,
but if you wanted to, you could cense the whole room you are praying in, or
other rooms too, if you wish.
There is
more on the practical questions of how to use a censer if you are doing other
reader services, at home or in a Church (in the absence of a priest) in
"Practical Questions On How To Do Reader Services."
On a
practical note, in addition to a good hand censer, you will want to have a pair
of tongs to light the coals – though chopsticks work even better, if you know
how to use them. Chopsticks also have the added benefit of allowing you to
place pieces of incense exactly where you want them.
I came
across an article, which has the following comments on the use of a hand
censer, which probably at least reflects pious Greek custom:
"Earlier
we mentioned the hand censer as part of the icon corner. This hand censer is
used in the home on eves of feasts, Saturday evenings, the beginnings of lenten
periods, on the eves of name's days of the family, on the eve of the patron of
the family church, and on other occasions. Some Orthodox families use the hand
censer each evening at family prayer, but the minimum use of it is for the
above-mentioned occasions.
The
offering of incense to God is a practice which dates back to the time of Moses
when God gave commands as to how to burn it.
You shall
make an altar to burn incense upon ... And Aaron shall burn fragrant incense on
it; every morning when he dresses the lamps he shall burn it, and when Aaron
sets up the lamps in the evening, he shall burn it, a perpetual incense before
the Lord throughout your generations. You shall offer no unholy incense thereon
(Ex. 30:1, 7-9).
The
burning of incense as an offering to God will continue even to the end of the
world, as revealed by God to St. John.
And
another angel came and stood at the altar 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 (Rev. 8:3- 5).
Because
of the command and revelation of God regarding the offering of incense, the
Church uses incense as an acceptable offering in its Divine Services. Since the
parish church uses incense, so should the family church use incense as an
offering pleasing to God. On Saturday evenings, on the eves of feasts and the
other already-mentioned occasions, the house is "blessed" with
incense. The head of the household carries the hand censer with burning incense
throughout the entire dwelling (basement and attic included) and makes the sign
of the Cross on the four walls of each room and over the beds. Some Orthodox
have the custom of saying with each sign of the Cross thus made: "This
room (or bed) is blessed by the sign of the Holy Cross." The person censing
is accompanied by all members of the household chanting "Holy
God...," the troparion of the feast or Sunday or other appropriate ode,
and bearing icons or candles. The procession begins at the icon corner,
proceeds through the entire dwelling, and returns to the icon corner.
The hand
censer, charcoal (for burning the incense) and the incense may be purchased at
some parish churches or from monastic communities such as Holy Transfiguration
Monastery (Brookline, Massachusetts 02146). The parish priest or deacon would
be happy to show parishioners how to light the charcoal and offer incense.
The
charcoal and incense ashes should not be discarded in the garbage, but should
be put along the foundation of the building, buried in the ground or put in
some other appropriate place where no one will step on them.
Feast
days are celebrated by Orthodox families as special and joyous occasions. These
days are not regarded as normal days and for this reason Orthodox homes often
are decorated especially for the feast. The decorating of the home and icon
corner can be a project for the parents together with the children. The
decorations themselves, the decorating, and the blessing of the house with the
hand censer, all place emphasis on the specialness and the importance of the feast.
These are not to be surpassed by any secular celebrations at home, for after
all, the Orthodox home is a family church and God is at the center of its
existence. There is nothing so empty as a Christmas celebrated, as many
westerners do, so that the house decorations, the meal, the gifts, or the
family get-together are the center and reason for the celebration. In other
words, Christ has been made alien to the celebration" (Marriage and the
Christian Home, by Fr. Michael B. Henning)
I also
found the following:
"For
country folk the farming cycle is closely connected with the Church Year,
indicating when to sow certain crops, etc. There are various blessings of crops
and produce, of cattle and the like, so that everything is related to God. Even
townsfolk keep up such traditions as eating homemade pastry birds on the feast
of the Forty Holy Martyrs (9th / 22nd March), taking care that only the most
essential work is done on St Elias' day, blessing the house with holy water on
the first day of every month, and censing each day with a home-censer and
incense. Whenever possible, Orthodox people try to attend church not only on
Sundays, but for the main feasts, even keeping children off school for
this" (The Orthodox Way of Life, by a Nun Abroad, From The Shepherd, Vol.
XVII, No. 3 (December 1996)).
By Fr. John Whiteford
Source: http://fatherjohn.blogspot.com.by/2017/11/stump-priest-censing-at-home.html
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