This weekend at the 9AM Mass on Sunday, we celebrate the First Scrutiny with the elect. Who are the elect? These are the people who are preparing to enter our community at the Easter Vigil. Some have been baptized already and are the Candidates; those who are not baptized are the Catechumens. After the Rite of Election during the first week of Lent, they are all now called the elect (technically, the catechumens are just ‘the elect’; the candidates remain as ‘candidates’ – but for our sake, we refer to all of them as ‘the elect’). During the following two weekends, at the 5PM and 11AM Masses consecutively, we will celebrate the 2nd and 3rd Scrutinies. Here’s a little information from the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults that explains these rites:
141. The scrutinies, which are solemnly celebrated on Sundays and are reinforced by an exorcism, are rites for self-searching and re-pentance and have above all a spiritual purpose. The scrutinies are meant to uncover, then heal all that is weak, defective, or sinful in the hearts of the elect; to bring out, then strengthen all that is upright, strong, and good. For the scrutinies are celebrated in order to deliver the elect from the power of sin and Satan, to protect them against temptation and to give them strength in Christ, who is the way, the truth, and the life. These rites, therefore, should complete the conversion of the elect and deepen their resolve to hold fast to Christ and to carry out their decision to love God above all.
143. In order to inspire in the elect a desire for purification and redemption by Christ, three scrutinies are celebrated. By this means, first of all, the elect are instructed gradually about the mys-tery of sin, from which the whole world and every person longs to be delivered and thus saved from its present and future consequences. Second, their spirit is filled with Christ the Redeemer, who is the living water..., the light of the world…, the resurrection and the life… From the first to the final scrutiny the elect should progress in their perception of sin and their desire for salvation.
144. In the rite of exorcism, which is celebrated by a priest or a deacon, the elect, who have already learned from the Church as their mother the mystery of deliverance from sin by Christ, are freed from the effects of sin and from the influence of the devil. They receive new strength in the midst of their spiritual journey and they open their hearts to receive the gifts of the Savior.
145. The priest or deacon who is the presiding celebrant should carry out the celebration in such a way that the faithful in the assembly will also derive benefit from the liturgy of the scrutinies and join in the intercessions for the elect.
It is the hope of the Church that all of us will be able to gain strength in our faith as these scrutinies are celebrated with the elect during this Lenten season and we reflect upon our own call to conversion.
This weekend we also hear the wonderful, well-known story of the Samaritan woman at the well as she encounters Christ. Our opening song, “I Heard the Voice of Jesus”, references this Gospel passage in the sec-ond verse: “I heard the voice of Jesus say, ‘Behold, I freely give the living water; thirsty one, stoop down, and drink and live.’” We are al-ready attuned to what we are going to hear in the liturgy during this opening song. Our offertory song, “Change Our Hearts,” is a challenge to us to truly hear the Gospel and make a change in our lives because of it.
Change our hearts this time, your word says it can be.
Change our mind this time, your life could make us free.
We are the people your call set apart, Lord, this time change our hearts.
During the rest of Lent, maybe we can strive to allow Him to change our hearts as we focus on prayer, fasting and almsgiving.