Archive for the ‘Scrutinies’ Category

I’m not sure why, but some places do stuff to the scrutinies that makes them less “scrutinish.” The primary symbol—the main event—in this rite is the exorcism. You can find the exorcism at paragraphs 154, 168, and 175. There are three things that we need to do well to make the exorcisms as liturgically meaningful [...]

I think all of us at some point in our lives have someone—maybe our parents, a teacher, a certain group—someone we wanted so much to just love us as we were. We want someone who knows everything about us, all the good stuff and all the bad stuff, and who still wants us anyway. But [...]

Came across this recently in an essay by the American Catholic novelist, Flannery O’Connor (1925-1964): Saint Cyril of Jerusalem, in instructing catechumens, wrote: The dragon sits by the side of the road watching those who pass. Beware lest he devour you. We go to the Father of Souls, but it is necessary to pass by [...]

The Scrutinies—three of them—are experiences of the freeing touch of grace, which restores our sight, letting us see good and evil, sin and grace, as they really are.

“Why can’t we use Year B readings this year for the Scrutinies?” “The assembly is missing out on hearing the readings for Year C. How come we always have to do Year A at the Scrutinies?” “We’ve written new scrutiny rites for the Year B readings. Can we use those?” I hear those questions every [...]

The initiation rites of the third, fourth, and fifth Sundays of Lent don’t have the most comforting of names. On these days we engage the elect in rites and prayers called scrutinies and exorcisms. The first connotes probing and critical examination of one’s life, and the second—well, let’s just say many of us have had [...]

Rehearsal outline: Scrutiny RCIA 150-156, 164-170, 171-177 6:30 Before everyone arrives Turn on lights and put out microphones. Put the lectionary on the ambo. Put the presider’s script or ritual book on his chair. Put the catechumenate director’s script on her chair or pew. Place name tags in the pews where you want the elect [...]

The adaptation of the scrutiny rites for child catechumens is confusing (RCIA 291). Instead of clearly labeling the rites as scrutinies, they are called “Penitential Rites (Scutinies).” And even though the title is plural, only one text is given with an instruction to write your own for a second, using the given text as a [...]

We all know that we always use the readings from the Third, Fourth, and Fifth Sundays of Lent, Year A, for the scrutinies, right? But do you know what Mass prayers to use? They are not the Mass prayers from those Sundays. Instead, whenever the scrutinies are celebrated, we use the Mass prayers for “Christian [...]

The stories of the man born blind, the woman at the well and the raising of Lazarus from the dead are a set of readings that must always be proclaimed whenever we celebrate the Scrutinies. Why then are today’s readings so important for those who are preparing for initiation? Why are they so important for [...]