Questions & Answers

Holy Pascha

Faith Q&A › Metropolitan Youssef › Prayer, Fasting and Worship › Holy Pascha

The question

I had wanted to know why incense is not used during the first three days of Pascha. Particularly when incense is usually associated with the raising of one's prayers.

I was under the assumption that the Passover lamb was kept for three days (Exodus 12) prior to being sacrificed. I assumed that likewise, the first three days were alike, but I do not fully understand the correlation, if it is even correct?

The answer

The raising of the incense occurs during the prayers of Matins and Vespers which precede the Divine Liturgies. During Holy Week, all services and the Divine Liturgies requiring the raising of the incense are not conducted from Monday until Thursday. This ritual correlates with the commemoration of the keeping of the lamb of the Passover for three days before its slaughter. Raising of the incense is used starting on Maundy Thursday beginning with the Liturgy of the Water (Washing of the Feet) followed by the Divine Liturgy of the Holy Eucharist.

Answered by His Eminence Metropolitan Youssef (opens in a new tab)

Questions answered by His Eminence Metropolitan Youssef (opens in a new tab) of the Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern United States. Question 1768 on the Diocese’s Q&A site. Questions and answers © Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern United States. All rights reserved.