This Sunday begin the first of the three “scrutinies” that occur each year on the third, fourth and fifth Sundays of Lent when we are blessed to have catechumens in our community.
Fr. Steve Mimnaugh praying over the elect, Lent 2019
The scrutinies are three intense prayers prayed over people who are preparing for baptism in the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults. During the scrutinies, the priest and the whole community pray that those seeking baptism remain strong in their conviction to follow Christ and to be ready to receive the gift of their new life filled with God’s own Spirit.
When the scrutinies are celebrated, no matter what year it is in the Church’s three year cycle of readings, we use the Gospels of cycle A. So if you attend the 5 PM Mass at St. Francis this Sunday, you will hear the Gospel of the Woman at the Well from John’s Gospel. Next week you will hear of the Man Born Blind, and on the 5th Sunday of Lent you will hear of the Raising of Lazarus.
While we pray especially for our Elect during the scrutinies, these prayers give us all an opportunity to reflect on our own life as followers of Jesus. Like the woman at the well and our converts, we all thirst for Christ. Like the man born blind, we all want to see the Savior more clearly and like Lazarus we all desire to hear the Lord call us into a fuller life with Himself.
Whether you attend the 5 PM Mass this Sunday in person or on livestream, or whether you attend a different Mass this Weekend, I invite everyone to pray for our:
Elect preparing for Baptism:
Jason and William
and for our Candidates preparing for Confirmation and Full communion:
Brooke, Erin, Kathleen, Mary Lou, and Xavier.
May the Lord bless them and strengthen them as the journey through Lent to the waters of Baptism and the coming of the Holy Spirit.
-Joseph Nuzzi
Director of Evangelization