Bottom

St. Joseph Catholic Church

1875 S C R 700 W
North Vernon, IN 47265

Rev. Jonathan P. Meyer, Administrator

Office Hours:

Monday Office closed
Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday 8:30 AM till 12:30 PM

St. Joseph Rectory Phone: 812-346-4783
Fax: 812-352-9033

Contact Office

Ask Fr. Meyer

Send Your Questions

Why are the statues in church covered?

The 5th week of Lent is known as Passiontide. It is during these last days of Lent that we are to keep our hearts and souls united to the Lord in His Passion. On the Saturday of the 4th week of Lent, the day prior to the beginning of Passiontide, the Roman Sacramentary, the book that contains the prayers for Mass, states: The practice of covering crosses and images may be observed. The crosses are to be covered until the end of the celebration of the Lord’s passion on Good Friday. Images are to remain covered until the beginning of the Easter Vigil. So why do we veil statues? Because the book on how to celebrate Mass says we can! But “why,” for what purpose do we do it? There has to be a deeper meaning! They are veiled to help us realize what it would be like to NOT have the fruits of the passion and resurrection. If our Lord had not died and rose from the grave; there would be no saints, no images of the passion, no images of the Sacred Heart. These images which we look upon on a regular basis become “normal” and taken for granted. We veil them in order to emphasize how good they are. By taking them away we appreciate their goodness in a new way. The crosses/crucifixes and images of our Lord’s Passion will be unveiled at the celebration of our Lord’s Passion on Good Friday. It is part of the liturgy, that the cross of our Lord be unveiled and then venerated by people coming forward and kissing his body. It would only make sense if they were veiled for a period of time, they are to be un-veiled during the liturgy on Good Friday. The images of the saints and images of our resurrected Lord remain veiled until the beginning of the Easter Vigil. The Easter Vigil, celebrated after the sunset on Holy Saturday, is our ancient anticipation of and celebration of the Resurrection. These statues are unveiled “prior” to the celebration, because it is the resurrection that brings them meaning. It is the resurrection that opens the doors of heaven, and allows the saints to live in Glory. In our Catholic Tradition we veil things that are good: chalices, tabernacles, statues and even girls on their first communion and brides on their wedding day. The veil teaches us that it is good, beautiful and mysterious. May we enter into this mystery with eyes and hearts open.

Why do you use incense at Mass? What does it mean/symbolize?

The use of incense is rooted deeply in our tradition of worship. In Judaism incense was used on a regular basis. The temple in Jerusalem was a place where incense was burnt on a daily basis. Incense was used in the thanksgiving offerings of oil, rain, fruits, wine (Numbers 7:13-17). The Lord instructed Moses to build a golden altar for the burning of incense (Exodus 30:1-10), which was placed in front of the veil to the entrance of the meeting tent where the ark of the covenant was kept. We do not know exactly when the use of incense was introduced into the celebration of Holy Mass. At the time of the early Church, the Jews used incense in their own Temple rituals, so it would be safe to conclude that the Christians would have adapted its usage for their own rituals; especially when the temple was destroyed in 70AD, the Christians would have most likely continued the use on their own. The purpose of incensing and the symbolic value of the smoke is that of purification and sanctification. The Psalmist prays, "Let my prayer come like incense before you; the lifting up of my hands, like the evening sacrifice" (Psalm 141). Incense also creates the ambiance of heaven: The Book of Revelation describes the heavenly worship as follows: "Another angel came in holding a censer of gold. He took his place at the altar of incense and was given large amounts of incense to deposit on the altar of gold in front of the throne, together with the prayers of all God's holy ones. From the angel’s hand, the smoke of the incense went up before God, and with it the prayers of God’s people.” In the General Instruction of the Roman Missal incense may be used during the entrance procession; at the beginning of Mass, to incense the altar; at the procession and proclamation of the Gospel; at the offertory, to incense the offerings, altar, priest and people; and at the elevation of the Sacred Host and chalice of Precious Blood after the consecration. The priest may also incense the Crucifix and the Paschal Candle. During funeral Masses, the priest at the final commendation may incense the coffin, both as a sign of honor to the body of the deceased which became the temple of the Holy Spirit at Baptism and as a sign of the faithful’s prayers for the deceased rising to God. The usage of incense adds a sense of solemnity and mystery to the Mass. It can be used at any Mass. In fact I could use it every day if I desired. But, it is normally used only on high feast days or special occasions. The visual imagery of the smoke and the smell remind us of the transcendence of the Mass which links heaven with earth, and allow us to enter into the presence of God.