SECOND SCRUTINY (FOURTH SUNDAY OF LENT)
Liturgy of the Word
Readings
Homily
After the readings and guided by them, the celebrant explains in the homily the meaning of the second scrutiny in the light of the Lenten liturgy and of the spiritual journey of the elect.
Invitation to Silent Prayer
After the homily, the elect with their godparents come forward and stand before the celebrant. The celebrant first addresses the assembly of the faithful, inviting them to pray in silence and to ask that the elect will be given a spirit of repentance, a sense of sin, and the true freedom of the children of God.
The celebrant then addresses the elect, inviting them also to pray in silence and suggesting that as a sign of their inner spirit of repentance they bow their heads or kneel; he concludes his remarks with the following or similar words.
Presider: Elect of God, bow your heads and pray.
The elect bow their heads and all pray for some time in silence. After the period of silent
prayer, the community and the elect stand for the intercessions.
During the intercessions the godparents stand with their right hand on the shoulder of the elect.
Intercessions for the Elect
Presider: Let us pray for these elect whom God has called, that they may remain faithful to him and boldly give witness to the words of eternal life.
Assisting Minister: That God may dispel darkness and be the light that shines in the hearts of our elect, let us pray to the Lord.
All: Lord, hear our prayer.
Assisting Minister: That he may gently lead them to Christ, the light of the world, let us pray to the Lord.
All: Lord, hear our prayer.
Assisting Minister: That our elect may open their hearts to God and acknowledge him as the source of light and the witness of truth, let us pray to the Lord.
All: Lord, hear our prayer.
Assisting Minister: That he may heal them and preserve them from the unbelief of this world, let us pray to the Lord.
All: Lord, hear our prayer.
Assisting Minister: That, saved by him who takes away the sin of the world, they may be freed from the contagion and forces of sin, let us pray to the Lord.
All: Lord, hear our prayer.
Assisting Minister: That, enlightened by the Holy Spirit, they may never fail to profess the Good News of salvation and share it with others, let us pray to the Lord.
All: Lord, hear our prayer.
Assisting Minister: That all of us, by the example of our lives may become in Christ the light of the world, let us pray to the Lord.
All: Lord, hear our prayer.
Assisting Minister: That every inhabitant of the earth may acknowledge the true God, the Creator of all things, who bestows upon us the gift of Spirit and life, let us pray to the Lord.
All: Lord, hear our prayer.
Exorcism
After the intercessions, the celebrant faces the elect and, with hands joined, says:
Presider: Father of mercy, you led the man born blind to the kingdom of light through the gift of faith in your Son. Free these elect from the false values that surround and blind them. Set them firmly in your truth, children of the light for ever. We ask this through Christ our Lord.
All: Amen.
Then, with hands outstretched over all the elect, he continues:
Presider: Lord Jesus, you are the true light that enlightens the world.
Through your Spirit of truth free those who are enslaved by the father of lies. Stir up the desire for good in these elect, whom you have chosen for your sacraments. Let them rejoice in your light, that they may see, and, like the man born blind whose sight you restored, let them prove to be staunch and fearless witnesses to the faith, for you are Lord for ever and ever.
All: Amen.
If the elect must remain with the baptized, they are to be
instructed that though they are present at the eucharist, they cannot take part in it as the baptized
do. They may be reminded of this by the celebrant in these for similar words.
Presider: Although you cannot yet participate fully in the Lord’s eucharist, stay with us as a sign of our hope that all God’s children will eat and drink with the Lord and work with his Spirit to re-create the face of the earth.
Liturgy of the Eucharist
When the eucharist is to follow, intecessory prayer is resumed with the usual general intercessions for the needs of the Church and the whole world; then, if required, the profession of faith is said.
The liturgy of the Eucharist then begins as usual with the preparation of the gifts.
O Jesus, light of the world…
O Jesus, light of the world, why were you born, and why did you die in such obscurity? Bethlehem was hardly a shining place, the stable hardly a burning stand for Light come into the world. Was not Calvary too an ending place for life and light; And would not a cross in the afternoon sky, all eyes away? Blind man, did your eyes turn away too? Or were you so accustomed to the dark as to see what others could not see? For once, it was not long ago, Someone seeing you all in darkness touched your eyes and told you to wash until you saw God’s glory shining through your beggar’s clothes. And you believed, no one could stop you, or explain it all away, you believed.
Amazing grace! (May be sung)
Amazing grace! How sweet the sound That saved and strengthened me!
I once was lost, but now am found; Was blind, but now I see.
’Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, And grace my fears relieved;
How precious did that grace appear The hour I first believed!
Through many dangers, toils and snares, I have already come;
’Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far And grace will lead me home.
The Lord has promised good to me, His Word my hope secures;
He will my Shield and Portion be, As long as life endures.
When we’ve been there ten thousand years, Bright shining as the sun,
We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise Than when we’d first begun.
Gospel (Year A)
The man born blind John 9:1-41
As he passed by he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" Jesus answered, "Neither he nor his parents sinned; it is so that the works of God might be made visible through him. We have to do the works of the one who sent me while it is day. Night is coming when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world." When he had said this, he spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva, and smeared the clay on his eyes, and said to him, "Go wash in the Pool of Siloam" (which means Sent). So he went and washed, and came back able to see. His neighbours and those who had seen him earlier as a beggar said, "Isn't this the one who used to sit and beg?" Some said, "It is," but others said, "No, he just looks like him." He said, "I am." So they said to him, "(So) how were your eyes opened?" He replied, "The man called Jesus made clay and anointed my eyes and told me, 'Go to Siloam and wash.' So I went there and washed and was able to see." And they said to him, "Where is he?" He said, "I don't know." They brought the one who was once blind to the Pharisees. Now Jesus had made clay and opened his eyes on a Sabbath. So then the Pharisees also asked him how he was able to see. He said to them, "He put clay on my eyes, and I washed, and now I can see." So some of the Pharisees said, "This man is not from God, because he does not keep the Sabbath." (But) others said, "How can a sinful man do such signs?" And there was a division among them. So they said to the blind man again, "What do you have to say about him, since he opened your eyes?" He said, "He is a prophet." Now the Jews did not believe that he had been blind and gained his sight until they summoned the parents of the one who had gained his sight. They asked them, "Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How does he now see?" His parents answered and said, "We know that this is our son and that he was born blind. We do not know how he sees now, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him, he is of age; he can speak for himself." His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews, for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone acknowledged him as the Messiah, he would be expelled from the synagogue. For this reason his parents said, "He is of age; question him." So a second time they called the man who had been blind and said to him, "Give God the praise! We know that this man is a sinner." He replied, "If he is a sinner, I do not know. One thing I do know is that I was blind and now I see." So they said to him, "What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?" He answered them, "I told you already and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples, too?" They ridiculed him and said, "You are that man's disciple; we are disciples of Moses! We know that God spoke to Moses, but we do not know where this one is from." The man answered and said to them, "This is what is so amazing, that you do not know where he is from, yet he opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if one is devout and does his will, he listens to him. It is unheard of that anyone ever opened the eyes of a person born blind. If this man were not from God, he would not be able to do anything." They answered and said to him, "You were born totally in sin, and are you trying to teach us?" Then they threw him out. When Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, he found him and said, "Do you believe in the Son of Man?" He answered and said, "Who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?" Jesus said to him, "You have seen him and the one speaking with you is he." He said, "I do believe, Lord," and he worshiped him. Then Jesus said, "I came into this world for judgment, so that those who do not see might see, and those who do see might become blind." Some of the Pharisees who were with him heard this and said to him, "Surely we are not also blind, are we?" Jesus said to them, "If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you are saying, 'We see,' so your sin remains.
The Man Born Blind
**Right after the opening prayer, cover the Cathecumens’ eyes and leave them in darkness for a few minutes. Have total silence for a couple of minutes or move around shuffling or whispering.
How did you feel? We do not like the darkness. It makes us feel uncomfortable; it challenges our insecurities, eg. waking up suddenly in the nighttime what do we instinctively do – look for light. As is probably apparent by now the key theme this week is Darkness and Light.
Scripture Passage: John 9:1-41
What was the logic used by the Pharisees?
You are blind and therefore sinful. The man who gave you sight (Jesus) is sinful because he broke the Sabbath. Only God could have restored your sight to you But this man Jesus cannot be from God because he is sinful This does not compute. How can it be?
How did the blind man answer them?
When the Blind Man bravely and frankly points out the obvious to them:
What was the attitude of the parents?
Discuss:
There are many similarities with last week’s passage of the Woman at the well and that of the story of the Blind man:
Outcasts: Why were the Woman at the Well and the Blind Man outcasts, on the fringes of their respective societies?
Water: How did Jesus use water in each of the cases?
Prophet: How did each of the characters declare Jesus a Prophet?
Messiah: How was Jesus declared the Messiah and by whom in each case?
Belief: Who declared belief in Jesus in each case?
Receptive crowd: Last week Jesus converted many Samaritans from the city of Sy'char in Samaria. This week he is converting people in Jerusalem. Which group of people was most receptive of Jesus? It is of note that the people in the Samaritan town were much more receptive to the Light than the Pharisees and the neighbours of the Blind Man in Jerusalem.
Thoughts:
Jesus is the Light of the World. Jesus wants to make those who are blind able to see. Those who currently see, he will make blind.
*For you who want to become Catholic, becoming blind is a process you must go through by choosing to follow Jesus BLINDLY.
*Blindness sharpens your other senses and makes you more aware, intuitive and humble to ask for assistance.
1. God made Paul physically blind so that he could see - Acts 9:1-8.
2. Paul’s sight was subsequently restored and he believed - Acts 9:17-22.
3. Many conversions are much more subtle than St Paul’s but often just as dramatic and life changing.
Sing “Amazing Grace” as a closing prayer.