Lent 2007 : The Spiritual Sense of Smell
A sermon preached by Fr Michael Fuller
For many centuries the sense of smell has been foundational to the beliefs of particular Christian communities, especially in the Middle East. Whereas the tasting of bread and wine in the Eucharist has been essential for European Christianity, believers outside of Europe have tended to understand humans according to their activity as breathing, smelling, creatures. Humans are defined by their interaction with God in the second chapter of the book of Genesis and verse 7, where God breathes spirit into the nostrils of humanity. The source of life, breathing, inhaling is also the source of all human, the God that exhales spirit.
In this context we looked at what role is played by smell in the Christian tradition. The scent of sweetness in the perfume of flowers was taken to indicate that paradise awaiting all creation in the resurrection yet to come; smell was also a reminder of covenants and dedications. As smelling was active not passive, it suggested that such covenantal relations required participation, not simply assent. We concluded with a discussion on smell as indicating presence to something invisible. Scent, especially in clouds of liturgical incense, is to remind participants of the promise of guidance to those Hebrews who wandered in the desert. However, one can also experience the saturation of clouds in precipitation. The rain of sweet-smelling incense is akin to the perfume used by Mary Magdalen in John 12: a presence that is sweet but also over-powering and intense to smell.
In reflection, we ask: how do we know ourselves in a cloud?
Scent helps us understand the presence of God and its variety: with us as active participants; as assurance and protection, as invisibly guiding, as a prompt to remember God’s faithfulness.
Further Reading
- Genesis 8:20-9:17, John 12 and 1 Corinthians 10:1-6
- Martin Warner, Known to the Senses, chapter 4
- Susan Harvey, Scenting Salvation
Fr Michael Fuller : 13th March 2007