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No Scent - Our hearts and minds complete all that we perceive though our physical senses.
For some, the scent of a freshly peeled orange or other fruit is quite pleasant, but the scent of decaying fruit is certainly not. When some disciples of Jesus came to the open tomb, they noticed the absence of Jesus but did not notice the absence of any scent of death, not even in the burial cloths that remained there. We do not normally notice the absence of a scent, but if something is dead, we would smell it even before we would see it.
Jesus’s Resurrection was so complete that no indications of death remained. Only life, and such life, so manifestly Love, which was revealed only to those who were open to such love. They saw and touched a living body with visible marks of nail and spear that were aids for them to believe, but these were not painful wounds still in need of healing. None of this makes logical sense then, nor does it now, but we are being more than reasonable to trust that God can do whatever God’s love chooses to do for us. It is a very small and delicate indication of the total extent of Jesus’ victory over death that not even the scent of death remained either with him or in the place of his burial.
Rather than being overwhelmed by the mystery of someone rising from the dead who had been publicly put to death in such an extreme manner as scourging and crucifixion, we can relax and allow small details, closer to our every-day experiences, to open us to the joy, encouragement, and support we need for dealing with the suffering and death that impact all of us. Ignatius of Loyola encouraged those of us who are willing, to spend some quiet prayer and reflection with the Risen Jesus while using our five senses in combination with our faith.
In this way, we can try applying our sense of smell by first recalling a scent that is not only pleasant but lifts our hearts in some small way. We can then think of Jesus, risen and present with us, and let the combination of our openness to scent and to his presence be whatever it is for as long as it lasts, whether for a moment or longer.
And so, with touch: We might recall, for example, when someone lovingly clasped our hand, and then, in our prayer, let Jesus touch us, or we him. He will not pull away, and we have no cause for embarrassment, since those of us who receive the Eucharist in our hands, do so regularly with simple faith. “Taste and see” are the words of one Liturgical song that we can apply in similar ways, just as we can also listen and be heard as we combine our sense of hearing with our faith in the Risen Jesus present with us.
The scent of Jesus’ presence is based on the peace of heart that occurs in quiet prayer.
Last Updated 4/4/2026