Among the most evocative rites celebrated during the Lenten season in our archdiocesan parishes are the Scrutinies. The Scrutinies are an ancient Christian practice that continues to be observed today on the Third, Fourth, and Fifth Sundays of Lent. Because these rites were recovered in the years following the Second Vatican Council, they may be somewhat unfamiliar to parishioners who encounter them at Sunday Masses during Lent. The Scrutinies, however, play a very important role in the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults. Through these solemn rites, the entire community is asked to offer prayerful support to those preparing to celebrate the Sacraments of Initiation at the Easter Vigil.
What are the Scrutinies?
The Scrutinies are liturgies celebrated for the sake of the Elect, that is, those preparing to receive the Sacraments of Initiation. Their purpose is twofold: first, to uncover and heal all that is weak, wounded, or sinful in the hearts of the Elect; and second, to bring out and strengthen all that is upright, faithful, and good in them.
At their core, the Scrutinies are rites of self-examination and repentance, reinforced by solemn prayers that ask God to free, protect, and strengthen those preparing for baptism. The Church rightly recognizes that those preparing for Christian initiation may experience a time of spiritual testing in the weeks leading up to the completion of their preparation. The Scrutinies are meant to support them during this final period through the prayers of the Church universal and, in particular, the prayer of the local parish community that has journeyed with them throughout the catechumenate.
The History of the Scrutinies
The Scrutinies are not newly composed rites. Rather, their origins stretch back to the earliest days of the Church. An important document describing Christian liturgical life in the third century, the Apostolic Tradition, speaks of a sustained catechumenate marked by solemn prayers for protection from evil and a careful discernment by the community of those preparing for baptism. In this context, the “scrutiny” of catechumens served two purposes: to examine the authenticity of conversion and to pray for freedom from whatever hindered a true turning to the Lord.
Traditionally, the Scrutinies were celebrated on the Third, Fourth, and Fifth Sundays of Lent, which may correspond to an earlier three-week Lenten observance in Rome. By the eighth century, however, they began to be celebrated on weekdays rather than Sundays. Many scholars believe this shift was related to the rise of infant baptism as the predominant practice in Christian communities, which reduced the need for the full assembly to function as a supportive presence to those receiving the prayers of the Scrutinies. During this same period, the original meaning of the Scrutinies also became less clear, since infants could not be evaluated in terms of their personal growth in the Christian life. As a result, the emphasis shifted toward prayers of protection rather than petitions for ongoing conversion. In the centuries that followed, the Scrutinies were eventually collapsed into a single, lengthy rite of Christian initiation celebrated immediately prior to baptism.
Recognizing the value of a sustained period of preparation, the Second Vatican Council called for the restoration of the adult catechumenate as a staged process involving catechesis, liturgy, and communal prayer. The result was the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA), first promulgated in 1972. This ritual book situated the Scrutinies once again in their traditional place on the Third, Fourth, and Fifth Sundays of Lent. As part of this renewal, the Church also revised the prayers associated with the Scrutinies, using sober, scriptural petitions that ask God to protect the Elect, free them from whatever binds them, and strengthen them as they approach the Sacraments.
Celebrating the Scrutinies Today
In their current form, the Scrutinies are not private rites but acts of communal prayer and intercession. After the homily, the Elect come forward with their godparents, and the entire assembly is invited to pray for them. Through a series of intercessions and solemn prayers, the community asks that the Elect be given freedom of heart, integrity of life, and perseverance in faith. These prayers, traditionally known in the Church’s liturgical language as prayers of exorcism, are not dramatic confrontations with evil, but reflective petitions asking God to protect, heal, and strengthen those preparing for baptism.
The Gospel readings proclaimed on the Third, Fourth, and Fifth Sundays of Lent are those traditionally associated with the Scrutinies: the Samaritan woman at the well, the healing of the man born blind, and the raising of Lazarus. Together, these passages trace a movement of conversion marked by thirst for Christ, enlightenment through faith, and the promise of new life. These Gospel narratives illuminate the journey of the Elect as they prepare for baptism, while also issuing a call to conversion for the entire Christian community throughout Lent.
These same Gospel readings are those assigned to Year A of the Lectionary. A common pastoral question concerns which Gospel should be proclaimed when the Scrutinies are celebrated during Years B or C. In these cases, when the Scrutinies are celebrated at Mass, the Year A Gospel readings and their corresponding Eucharistic Prayer prefaces are to be used. Celebrants also sometimes wonder whether this requires the preparation of multiple homilies in Years B and C. In response, the Lectionary permits, when pastorally appropriate, the use of the Year A readings at all Sunday Masses on these days.
Because the Scrutinies have been restored only in recent decades, many Catholics may experience them initially with curiosity rather than prayerful engagement. For this reason, a brief introduction, whether in a bulletin article or from the ambo, can be helpful in situating the Scrutinies within the Church’s liturgical tradition and the community’s prayerful support of those preparing for baptism. When celebrated and understood well, the Scrutinies can become moments of profound prayer not only for the Elect, but for the entire assembly, reminding all the faithful that Christian life involves ongoing conversion, healing, and trust in the saving power of Christ.