The scrutinies are the heart of the elect's Lent. On three Sundays the Church gathers around those who will be baptized at Easter and prays over them, that whatever is weak or sinful in them may be healed and whatever is good may be strengthened. Each scrutiny is built on one of the three great baptismal Gospels of Saint John, read at these Masses in every year: the Samaritan woman at the well, the man born blind, and the raising of Lazarus. They are not examinations and no one fails them; they are rites of self-searching and repentance, and the whole community shares in them, because the whole community is being readied for Easter too.

What you need

• The dates of the third, fourth and fifth Sundays of Lent, and which Mass the parish uses for the scrutinies
• The three Gospels: John 4, John 9 and John 11, read at home in the week before each scrutiny
• The Apostles' Creed and the Our Father, which are presented to the elect in these weeks
• For godparents: a hand free for your candidate's shoulder

When to pray it

The third, fourth and fifth Sundays of Lent, at a Sunday Mass of the parish, after the homily; the presentations of the Creed and the Lord's Prayer are usually at weekday Masses of the third and fifth weeks.

Steps

1. 1

   Step 1: Understand what a scrutiny is

   A scrutiny is a rite celebrated within Sunday Mass after the homily, in which the elect come forward with their godparents; the community prays for them in silence and then in intercessions; the priest prays an exorcism, first to the Father and then, after laying hands in silence on each of the elect, to Christ; and the elect are then dismissed to reflect on the Word. Its purpose, in the Order's words, is to uncover and heal all that is weak, defective or sinful in the hearts of the elect, and to bring out and strengthen all that is upright, strong and good. It presumes that the elect have already come to know Christ and are being freed for him.

2. 2

   Step 2: The third Sunday: the Samaritan woman

   The first scrutiny is celebrated with the Gospel of the Samaritan woman at the well (John 4), to whom Jesus offers living water and who leaves her jar behind to tell the town. The theme is thirst: for the elect, the thirst for God that brought them here and the thirsts that have led them elsewhere. The intercessions pray that the elect may thirst for the living water, and the exorcism asks the Father to free them from the spirit of deceit and lead them to the water of Baptism. Read the Gospel during the week and ask what you have been drinking instead of God.

3. 3

   Step 3: The fourth Sunday: the man born blind

   The second scrutiny, on Laetare Sunday, is celebrated with the Gospel of the man born blind (John 9), whom Jesus heals and who comes step by step to see who healed him, while those who claim sight remain blind. The theme is light: Baptism was called 'enlightenment' by the early Church. The intercessions pray that the elect may be freed from the darkness that blinds them, and the exorcism asks Christ, the true light, to free them from the darkness of sin. Ask, that week, where you have refused to see.

4. 4

   Step 4: The fifth Sunday: Lazarus

   The third scrutiny is celebrated with the Gospel of the raising of Lazarus (John 11), in which Jesus, weeping, calls a dead man out of the tomb. The theme is life out of death, which is what Baptism is: dying and rising with Christ. The intercessions pray that the elect may be raised from the death of sin, and the exorcism asks Christ, who raised Lazarus, to free them from the power of death and to bring them through the waters of Baptism to life. It is the last scrutiny; two weeks remain to the Vigil.

5. 5

   Step 5: The exorcism prayers and the laying on of hands

   After the intercessions, the priest, facing the elect, prays the first exorcism prayer to the Father; then he lays hands on each of the elect in silence, an ancient gesture of the Church's prayer and of Christ's healing; then, with hands outstretched over them all, he prays the second exorcism to Christ. These are 'minor exorcisms', prayers for deliverance from the power of sin and the evil one over a person's life, not the rite used in cases of possession. The elect receive them in silence with bowed heads; godparents keep a hand on the shoulder; the assembly prays. No response is spoken until the closing Amen.

6. 6

   Step 6: The presentations of the Creed and the Our Father

   In the same weeks the Church 'hands over' to the elect the two texts every Christian must have by heart. The Presentation of the Creed is celebrated in the week after the first scrutiny: the elect stand while the priest and community recite the Apostles' Creed▾, or the Nicene Creed, to them, and they are charged to learn it and to give it back on Holy Saturday. The Presentation of the Lord's Prayer▾ follows the third scrutiny: the Gospel is Matthew 6, and the elect hear the Our Father▾ proclaimed as the prayer Jesus gave, which they will pray for the first time with the faithful at the Vigil Mass. Learn both texts, in the words the Church uses.

7. 7

   Step 7: Prepare for the Vigil

   After the third scrutiny come Holy Week and the final preparation. On Holy Saturday morning the elect gather with their godparents for the preparation rites: the recitation, or 'giving back', of the Creed; the ephphetha rite, in which the priest touches their ears and lips with the words Jesus spoke to the deaf man, 'Be opened'; and, where it is the custom, the choosing of a baptismal name and the anointing with the oil of catechumens. The elect are asked to spend Holy Saturday in prayer and, as far as they can, in fasting. The How to Prepare for the Easter Vigil guide takes it from there.

Tips

• The elect kneel or bow their heads while the community prays for them in silence; the silence is part of the rite, not a pause.
• Godparents stand behind the elect with a right hand on the shoulder throughout the intercessions and exorcism.
• The rest of the assembly is not a spectator. Search your own conscience during the scrutiny; the Church intends it for you too.
• Elect and parishioners alike should read the Sunday's Gospel beforehand; the scrutiny makes little sense without it.