Almost every worship of the Orthodox Church is accompanied by censorship. The burning of incense (incense) at the service has an ancient history and is endowed with a special meaning.
Old Testament censorship
During the Old Testament, the sacrifices made to the Lord through the so-called burnt offerings were widespread. Even before the time of Moses and long before the creation of the liturgical Old Testament tabernacle, the smoke from the sacrifices rising to the heights symbolized a person’s prayer, addressed to heaven, to the Lord.
Since the appearance of the Old Testament worship in the tabernacle, censing in front of sacred objects has been a common practice. Thus, the Lord commanded the high priest Aaron to perform censing in front of the ark of the Covenant, in which the tablets with the ten commandments were located. According to the book of Exodus, such a rite was to be performed in the morning and evening. From the same Old Testament book, it is known that Moses performed incense before the golden altar, during which a cloud descended on the tabernacle and “the glory of the Lord filled it” (Exodus 40: 27, 34)
What symbolizes modern censing
In New Testament times, the practice of burning incense before shrines during worship was preserved. Censing itself symbolizes the special grace of the Holy Spirit, as well as the prayers of people offered to the throne of the Most High God. During the incense, a person symbolically partakes of divine grace, therefore, in itself, the performance of burning incense at worship should be performed with special reverence. It is no coincidence that believers in the church part before an incandescent priest or deacon.
The Holy Fathers cite another symbolic designation of incense. Just as incense has a pleasant aromatic smell, Christian prayers, offered with strong faith and in humility of heart, are pleasing to God. As the heat emanates from the hot coal, the prayer of the Christian should be especially zealous, "hot."
Each in the Orthodox tradition is performed not only before the throne, the altar and the icons. The clergy at the service censor and worshipers, thereby paying pious reverence for the image of God that every person has.
Particularly clearly reflects the meaning of the incense in Orthodox churches, Blessed Simeon of Solunsky:
There is also the practical side of censing. It is believed that demons tremble over consecrated incense and incense smoke. From Christian practice, there are cases when demoniacous people do not tolerate the smell of incense and the smoke itself, symbolizing grace. Some holy fathers describe how, during incense, demons left the body of a suffering person.
Thus, through incense, everything around is sanctified.
