When the priests left the holy place, the cloud filled the temple of the LORD so that the priests could no longer minister because of the cloud, since the LORD's glory had filled the temple of the LORD. Then Solomon said, "The LORD intends to dwell in the dark cloud; I have truly built you a princely house, a dwelling where you may abide forever." (I Kgs 8:1-7, 9-13)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/020524.cfm
There was a time when clouds of incense provoked awe and wonder . . . these days people with allergies would be heading for the doors. Of course, there is the botafumeiro of the Shrine of Saint James in Santiago de Compostela in Spain. Saint Agatha was one of the famous virgin martyrs of the early church.
These reflections are a result of more than 40 years of ministry as a Roman Catholic priest. Most of these years I spent in the Diocese of Charlotte which covers Western North Carolina. Now I am retired, and live in Medellín, Colombia where I continue to serve as a priest in the Archdiocese of Medellín.
Saint Agatha, Virgin & Martyr, February 5
