Lent with the Elect

(Note: this was my "pastor's reflection" in the Good Shepherd Parish Bulletin for March 14, 2010)

Scrutiny.

Now there's a scary word. While I was growing up the word always carried with it a sense of threat, judgment, and impending doom. Like the feeling I got when, as a sixth grader, I had neglected to study for the spelling test.

The American Heritage Dictionary defines scrutiny as "a close, careful examination or study." When I'm trying to figure out the meaning of a word as we uses it today, I always find it helpful to explore the origin of the word. Looking at what how it came to us and how it developed through history reveals nuances of meaning that a mere definition can't express. So where did the word "scrutiny" come from?

First of all, it's from the Latin word scrutari, meaning "to search." So far so good. But behind simple answers there often lurks a telling surprise. That word comes from an earlier word scruta, meaning "trash."

So scrutiny originally means "looking for garbage." No wonder the word is scary. But that understanding enhances rather than diminishes its importance for a those who are sincerely seeking to change and renew their lives during Lent.

The authentic, ancient tradition of the Church never viewed conversion as a merely private matter. Those seeking to become disciples of Jesus Christ do so publicly in communion (fellowship) with the community of believers.

That's why the Second Vatican Council, nearly half a century ago, calling for us today to go back and learn from our origins and heritage, restored the ancient process of Christian Initiation involving a communal journey of growth in faith and life, characterized by well-defined steps and public rites marking transitions from one stage to the next. During Lent, the whole community is invited to join in a spirit of prayer and self-examination with those, now called the Elect, who are on the final leg of their journey to full initiation into the Catholic Church.

Lent, for all of us, is a time of quite literally searching for and getting rid of the garbage of our lives in order to provide hospitality for our Risen Lord who comes to share his life with us.

On the three middle Sundays of Lent we celebrate the Scrutinies with the Elect. These moments of self-searching, illuminated by three very striking Gospel events, are truly joyful because the task at hand is making way for our Savior who is also our eternal Lover.

The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) tells us the "the Scrutinies are meant to uncover, then heal all that is weak, defective, or sinful in the hearts of the Elect; to bring out, then strengthen all that is upright, strong, and good" (#141). It goes on to say:

First of all, the Elect are instructed gradually about the mystery of sin, from which the whole world and every person longs to be delivered and thus saved from its present and future consequences. Second, their spirit is filled with Christ the Redeemer, who is the living water (Gospel of the Samaritan woman in the First Scrutiny), the light of the world (Gospel of the man born blind in the Second Scrutiny) the resurrection and the life (gospel of Lazarus in the Third Scrutiny). From the first to the final Scrutiny the Elect should progress in their perception of sin and their desire for salvation. (#143)

And we all do this along with them, gaining inspiration from their dedication and supporting them with our example and prayers. We can always profit from taking difficult things to heart, even the word "scrutiny."

I love you.