An important part of the process to initiate adults in the Catholic church and prepare them for baptism are the Scrutinies that happen on the 3rd, 4th and 5th Sundays of Lent. While these Rites are liturgically celebrated only by the Elect (those seeking baptism), the contents and prayers of these Rites can be fruitful for reflection by all Christians.
The Scrutiny gospel texts are the same each year: the woman at the well, the man born blind, and the raising of Lazarus. These are all readings from the “Year A” lectionary cycle. It can be confusing if the church is in Years B or C to be in a liturgy where the scrutinies are taking place and hear Year A readings used.
The gospel texts for these Sundays are individual stories that can stand alone. But an important lens for interpretation is the broader context. The story of the woman at the well deals with an individual’s relationship with and understanding of Christ. The story of the blind man explores the blindness of a community. Lazarus’ raising from the dead looks at the universality of death and Jesus’ saving resurrection.
The Scrutinies encourage the Elect and all of us really to examine what hinders us in these three contexts: our individual relationship with God, our relationships within the community and communal direction, and our plight with regards to death.
Words and prayers from the Scrutiny Rite
During Lent, we ask our elect to recognize their own strengths and weaknesses,
and in a spirit of self‑searching and repentance, to ask God to help them in their weakness
and strengthen in them all that is upright, strong, and good.
Let us pray in silence for these elect whom the Church has confidently chosen.
May they successfully complete their long preparation and at the paschal feast find Christ in his sacraments.
First Scrutiny Exorcism
The Scrutiny Rite includes an Exorcism, calling on God to cast out those things which keep us from fully following Him.
God of power,
You sent your Son to be our Savior.
Grant that these Elect of God,
Who, like the woman of Samaria, thirst for living water,
May turn to the Lord as they hear his word
And acknowledge the sins and weaknesses that weigh them down.
Protect them from vain reliance on self
And defend them from the power or Satan.
Free them from the spirit of deceit, so that,
Admitting the wrong they have done,
They may attain purity of heart
And advance on the way to salvation.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Lord Jesus,
You are the fountain for which they thirst,
You are the Master whom they seek.
In your presence they dare not claim to be without sin,
For you alone are the Holy One of God.
They open their hearts to you in faith,
They confess their faults
And lay bare their hidden wounds.
In your love free them from their infirmities,
Heal their sickness,
Quench their thirst and give them peace.
In the power of your name,
Which we call upon in faith,
Stand by them now and heal them.
Rule over the spirit of evil,
Conquered by your rising from the dead.
Show your elect the way of salvation in the Holy Spirit,
That they may come to worship the Father in truth
For you live and reign for ever and ever.
Second Scrutiny Exorcism
God of mercy, You led the man born blind to the kingdom of light through the gift of faith in your Son. Free these elect from the false values that surround and blind them.
Set them firmly in your truth, children of the light forever.
Lord Jesus, You are the true light that enlightens the world. Through your Spirit of truth free those who are enslaved by the father of lies. Stir up the desire for good in these elect, whom you have chosen for your sacraments. Let them rejoice in your light, that they may see, and, like the man born blind whose sight you restored, let them prove to be staunch and fearless witnesses to the faith, for you are Lord forever and ever.
Third Scrutiny Exorcism
Father of life and God not of the dead but of the living, you sent your Son to proclaim life, to snatch us from the realm of death, and to lead us to the resurrection. Free these elect
from the death-dealing power of the spirit of evil, so that they may bear witness to their new life in the risen Christ, for he lives and reigns for ever and ever.
Lord Jesus, by raising Lazarus from the dead, you showed that you came that we might have life and have it more abundantly. Free from the grasp of death those who await your life giving sacraments and deliver them from the spirit of corruption. Through your spirit who gives life, fill them with faith, hope and charity, that they may live with you always in the glory of your resurrection, for you are Lord for ever and ever.