ALL THE FRANKINCENSE

By Riassaphor Monk Moses

Blessed are the infinite, precious lessons that may be gathered from a prayerful study of the Holy Scriptures. Such is the bountiful harvest yielded from the second chapter of Leviticus in the meal offering. Aaron’s sons, the priests, shall take their handful of flour thereof, and of the oil thereof, with all the frankincense thereof, and the priests shall burn the memorial of it upon the altar, to be an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour… And the priest shall burn the memorial thereof, and the part of the oil thereof, with all the frankincense thereof, it is an offering made by fire unto the Lord.

With the Holy Mystery, the pure and precious Body of our Saviour, sanctified offerings and pure prayer, and with all the frankincense, these things bring our ascent before the Lord. Our deeds are tried by fire, and all impurity shall burn away, and a pure smoke shall arise from the righteous soul. We confessors of Orthodox Christianity by partaking of the Offering are being covered and accepted in all the fragrance of the name of the Lord within His Most Holy Body. Before Christ walked the Earth all evilness and defilement was seen within us but as the twelve loaves are covered by frankincense so after partaking in His Body and Blood, Orthodox Christians are covered and accepted by the Son of God. Although the members of His Church, the Israelites continually fail, sin, murmur and rebel, we are cleansed by confession and covered and sanctified with Holy Communion. He has not beheld iniquity in Jacob neither hath He seen perverseness in Israel. We wayward people who repent and partake of Christ’s mystical offering, in that moment are God’s children viewed through our envelopment in Christ. Here we are amidst all the frankincense. The sweet savour of our prayer, as we rest in Abraham’s bosom, ascend up to God in behalf of Israel. Our Father grants crowning mercy in the grace of the Word. We are covered and accepted in the beloved, no longer defiled and smelling putrid from sin, but gradually by His grace, becoming more and more sweet smelling and pleasing to Him enveloped in all the frankincense.