On the first Sunday of Lent, Bishop Rhoades celebrated the Rite of Election at St. Pius X. The Rite of Election marks the readiness of the catechumens for Baptism and candidates for full communion in the Catholic Church. Each parish “sends” the catechumens and candidates to the Bishop, vouching for each person. The Bishop acknowledges that support from the parishes and they become part of “the Elect”.
Lent was originally intended to be an intense time of prayer and reflection for those preparing for Baptism and full initiation into the Catholic Church. For example, St. Cyril of Jerusalem (d. 386), who created the paradigm for our current OCIA, had 18 pre-baptismal instructions given to the catechumens during Lent.
Over time, Lent was a discipline, not only for those preparing for baptism, but became a period of penance and dying to oneself for those already baptized in preparation for Easter. Now, it is for all the baptized and those preparing for Baptism as a time to commit to change our lives, ask God to heal us, ask for the grace to heal, grow, and be converted more profoundly to Christ.
For those who are preparing for Baptism in the OCIA, the third, fourth, and fifth Sundays are designed to help the Elect “uncover” those things in their lives that may still be obstacles (sins) to a life of grace in Christ. Specifically, these Sundays are dedicated to what are called the Scrutinies. The readings for those Sundays when a Scrutiny takes place are taken from the A Cycle. The Gospels we hear are the Samaritan Woman, the Man Born Blind, and the Raising of Lazarus from the Dead. Regardless of the Cycle we may be using, these are always read at a Mass that has a Scrutiny.
This year, we are in Cycle A, so we all get to reflect on these same readings. We, who are baptized, can also reflect on these powerful Gospel readings to “uncover” those things in our lives that limit us to union with Christ. This week, in the first reading and the Gospel, we hear about water. In the first reading from Exodus, God provides water from a rock, because the Israelites were thirsty and complaining about it. God provided the miracle they needed. It was living water in the sense that they could go on physically. They questioned, in their suffering, “Is the LORD in our midst or not?” Despite their lack of trust, God did provide. This reading foreshadows the Gospel reading of the Samaritan Woman. It points to something deeper to be revealed by Christ.
In the Gospel, Jesus promises the Samaritan woman the living water. She too, suffered greatly. If she drank this water, unlike the Israelites that would get thirsty again, her thirst would be eternally quenched. What, exactly, did Jesus mean by “thirst”? What was this Samaritan woman thirsty for? What did she really long for? What do we all thirst for? What are our deepest longings?
God created us to long for God. Psalm 42:2 expresses it so beautifully.
As the deer longs for streams of water, so my soul longs for you, O God.
My soul thirsts for God, the living God. When can I enter and see the face of God?
We long for God, who is eternal. Try as we may, nothing that is finite will satisfy us. Like the Samaritan woman, we look to fulfill that longing with finite things, like fleeting pleasure, acceptance from others, and intimacy with other humans. Jesus recognized this in her, just as he would in each of us. As Catholics, we know, but sometimes struggle with, recognizing that only God, who is eternal, can quench our thirst. Ultimately, only God can satisfy our deepest longings of feeling like we fit in, of being in an intimate friendship, or of being healed when we are hurt. Only God can give us peace when we experience worry or anxiety. Only God can fill our emptiness.
Lent is a time to search our souls for what we long for and ask God for the grace to satisfy our deepest longings. It is a time to “uncover” those things in our lives that prevent us from having that relationship so that God can fulfill those longings. Do we do our part to have an intimate relationship with God? Do we carve time out each day for prayer? Do we pour ourselves out to others in need? Do we ask for God’s mercy and forgiveness through the Sacrament of Reconciliation? Do we have relationships with people who are intimate with God? Do we continue to deepen our faith by learning more about it? Do we celebrate this mystery by partaking regularly in the Mass and Eucharist?
The Rite of Election held a few weeks ago acknowledged that those who have been thirsting for the Eternal have found it! Over 750 people in the South Bend area alone, have found the Living Water and will enter the Church through the waters of baptism or by renewing their baptismal vows, being Confirmed and receiving the Holy Eucharist at the Easter Vigil. Like Jesus, who changed the life of the Samaritan woman by offering the Living Water, someone, somewhere and at some moment in their lives, invited the newly Elect to drink the Living Water through example, words, or taking a risk and extending an invitation to hear how God satisfies our thirst.
Praise God!
Teresa Oross
Sacramental Prep/Becoming Catholic (OCIA)
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