Most Reverend Jerome E. Listecki
Archbishop of Milwaukee
 

As human beings, most of us receive information in different manners. One of our physical information systems is the five senses: seeing, hearing, feeling, tasting and smelling. I believe the sense of smell is the one that often gets short shrift – or is it short sniffed? But, it is certainly an important sense. The sense of smell even overpowers other senses. 

Disney TV programs have educated kids in the practical science. Once, their weekly program featured an experiment of blindfolding an individual and placing a piece of fruit under the nose of the person. They then had them place a different piece of fruit in their mouth. The person thought they were consuming the fruit that they smelled. 

Smells can also trigger memories in all of us. The smell of fresh mowed grass announces spring, even with the sneezes. The smell of barbeque celebrates summer. The burning of leaves (be careful about local ordinances) identifies autumn. And, of course, that rich smell of pine introduces winter and the Christmas season. 

Recently, I was asked what after-shave cologne I used. I said “Old Spice.” Now, I don’t buy after-shave or colognes, but I do at times receive them as gifts. Perhaps my friends are subtly telling me something about my hygiene. However, I don’t re-gift, so I use these considerate gifts.

The question about scent got me thinking of the different types of traditional men’s colognes. A few of those old names are interesting. “Brut,” “Hai Karate,” “Aqua Velva,” and “English Leather.” It’s hard to imagine someone wanting to smell like an English riding saddle. However, I am sure these names were placed before promoters, emphasizing the real manly scent. Even my gift of Old Spice forces me to pause and ponder. Does it mean putting a little spice in the old guy, or is it a stale spice trying to put flavor in one’s aged life? Who knows? Of course, women’s colognes have gentle and flowery names. But, now with the advent for equality, perhaps future colognes will reflect a more rugged approach to a woman’s life, such as the aroma of “sweat socks,” the lingering scent of “dirty t-shirts,” or the pungent smells of the “local workout room.” There is a part of me that thinks women will stick with flowers.  

Of course, God uses every aspect of our senses to communicate to us. After all, He created us in love, and we reflect His power and glory.

There is in the realm of hagiography (the study of saints), a sign of sanctity that is associated with the sense of smell. It is called the “odor of sanctity.” It is reported that individuals have experienced the smell of flowers when they were in the presence of a holy person, with the stigmata (wounds of Christ) or at the death of a holy person. People testified to the smell of flowers in the presence of St. Padre Pio, the convent of St. Teresa of Avila reported the smell of flowers that filled her monastery for three days after her death, and the smell of roses in the convent for days after the death of St. Thérèse of Lisieux. When the cause for sainthood is taken up by the proper authorities, the incident of the odor of sanctity is mentioned.

I had hoped that maybe the question of my scent was a sign of the odor of sanctity, but no, it was just Old Spice after-shave. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could just splash on some “odor of sanctity,” and it would help us to live as God’s instrument? One can only dream. We have a long way to go on the road to holiness – it happens one step at a time.

God has given us our senses to experience the world around us. A world He created and gifted us with His Son. Let us try our best to experience His love and carry the scent of His Son as we LOVE ONE ANOTHER.

Note: This blog originally appeared as the August 1, 2017 "Love One Another" email sent to Catholics throughout the Archdiocese of Milwaukee by Archbishop Jerome E. Listecki. If you are interested in signing up for these email messages, please click here.