An Encounter With the Overwhelming Grace of God

Scrutinies are rites of self-reflection, repentance, and exorcism celebrated in the Catholic Church on the 3rd, 4th, and 5th Sundays of Lent for Elect (those preparing for baptism) to strengthen their faith and heal weakness. The whole parish community is invited to pray over the Elect during Mass.
 
This is the basic structure, which takes place immediately following the homily:

• The elect (with sponsors) are invited forward.
• The parishioners are invited to silently pray for them.
• Intercessions for the elect follow, finishing with a prayer of exorcism
• The priest lays his hands on the elect and prays over the elect.
• The elect are dismissed.

The weeks after the Rite of Election for the catechumens are considered a time of purification and enlightenment. The prayers of exorcism are intended to help purify the elect from sin and sinful desires, while the general prayers are meant to support their enlightenment through the Word and grace of God.
 
In the early days of the Church, the conduct of the catechumens was examined just before their baptism. After this examination, the bishop daily laid hands on the catechumens and led prayers of exorcism over them until their baptism. With the renewal of the initiation rites, the scrutiny is no longer simply to assess one’s readiness, since that was established at the Rite of Election with the godparents’ testimony and the bishop’s acceptance of the catechumens’ names. The purpose of each of the Scrutinies is “to uncover, then heal all that is weak, defective, or sinful in the hearts of the Elect” and “to bring out, then strengthen all that is upright, strong, and good” (OCIA).

 Eventually, the Scrutinies are not about the sinfulness of the Elect but about the overwhelming grace of God in Christ – an encounter with the healing power of the Spirit.
 
The First Scrutiny – The Samaritan Woman
The Elect desire new life through Christ and have already begun to experience it to some degree. But they desire to experience it in a greater fullness, which is the purpose of celebrating the Scrutiny. For those of us who are already Catholics, the Scrutinies are an opportunity for us to experience the same gift of renewal of life from God again. This scrutiny highlights Christ as Living Water.
 
The Second Scrutiny – The Healing of the Man Born Blind
The core message in the Gospel and the Second Reading is moving from darkness to light, symbolized by the healing of the man born blind. We still need to be enlightened, to see our own patterns of sin and blindness, and to grow in God’s truth. Like the other Scrutinies, this one teaches an important truth about who Jesus is: “I am the light of the world.” 
 
The Third Scrutiny – The Raising of Lazarus
The Third Scrutiny highlights Jesus as “the Resurrection and the Life.” The raising of Lazarus previews what will happen on the last day. It signifies that the believer has eternal life and has passed from death to life. It is also, once again, an anticipation of what is celebrated during Easter and in Baptism: resurrection and eternal life.