For the next three Sundays (at the 9 am liturgy), we will celebrate the Scrutinies for our elect, Samantha Starkey. These rites reveal both what is weak, sick, and sinful in the hearts of the elect so that it can be healed, and what is honorable, strong, and holy, so that it can be strengthened. Their purpose is mainly spiritual. The Scrutinies are ordered toward liberation from sin and the Devil, and they give strength in Christ, who is the way, the truth, and the life of the elect. “Moreover, the Scrutinies are set forth to purify minds and hearts, to fortify against temptations, to convert intentions, and to awaken the will, so that the elect may cling more closely to Christ and pursue more vigorously their desire for God” (OCIA, 141).
When the Scrutinies are celebrated, the readings change from the cycle we’re in to Year A (with lengthier Gospels from John). Within them, we encounter three fascinating Gospel characters: the Samaritan woman, the man born blind, and Lazarus. They show all of us, the baptized and the elect, how Jesus is constantly transforming us. These lengthy Scripture passages present to us images of baptism and conversion.
The celebration of the Scrutinies for the elect fills their spirit with Christ the Redeemer, who is living water (cf. the Gospel of the Samaritan Woman), light (cf. the Gospel of the Man Born Blind), and resurrection and life (cf. the Gospel of the Raising of Lazarus). From the first to the final Scrutiny, the elect must grow in the awareness of sin and in the desire for salvation (OCIA, 143).
In the Gospel of the Samaritan Woman, Jesus speaks with her at length. Although the story begins with his thirst, it is she who is refreshed. She enters the story as a catechumen and becomes an evangelist, a bearer of Good News! She did not know him. She was not part of his people or his faith, and she was certainly not looking for anything remarkable to happen at the well that day. And yet, she was the first to ask whether he could be the Messiah. How can each of us begin, or continue better, to share the Good News with others during this Lenten season?
Fr. Terry