Fr. Simon's Letter - March 12, 2023

The Lenten journey of the Church continues for the next three weeks, bringing into focus those preparing to be baptized at the Easter Vigil: those seeking to be welcomed into the Catholic faith and those who desire to complete the sacraments of initiation, confirmation, and Eucharist. The Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA) is the program that guides adults through this process. We are happy to welcome Xavier Cepeda, Amber Damerow, Vincent Jops, Jacqueline Renken and Sammi Renken into the Queen of All Saints faith community at the Easter Vigil. 

Over the next three weeks, we will listen to more extended gospel readings at the Sunday Mass, focusing on the Easter symbols of water, light, and life. Those in the RCIA program will also undergo what is called Scrutinies. Tell people today that they'll face scrutiny before being accepted into an organization, and they'll most likely say, "Thanks, but no thanks." Yet boldly, our Church expects not one but three Scrutinies of catechumens before their baptism at Easter. 

In the early years of the Church’s history, the Scrutinies were celebrated to mark the spiritual progress of the catechumens. The moral preparation of catechumens included prayers of exorcism to drive out the spirit of evil, which kept them from embracing Christ as their Light. Through the Scrutinies, the Church discerned if those exorcisms had achieved their desired effect. Catechumens entered the church, stood barefoot on goatskin, and renounced evil influences all night long. Those unworthy of baptism had to wait another year for Easter to roll around again.

Today's Scrutinies are less intense. They still include an exorcism, in which the priest prays that the spirit of good may replace the spirit of evil. The purpose is not to examine the candidates' mental readiness but their spiritual readiness. The Scrutinies offer the catechumens the support they need to approach the waters of baptism worthily. I encourage you to include our catechumens and candidates in your prayers as they prepare to become part of the Body of Christ here at Queen of All Saints. 

Towards the end of this week's rather long Gospel reading, the Samaritan woman, after talking to Jesus, went right back into the town. She immediately told the townsfolk about her encounter with Jesus and invited them to “come and see.” Her words echoed Jesus' words to the first disciples who followed Jesus after John the Baptist had identified him as the Lamb of God. At that time, the disciples questioned Jesus, “Where do you live?” Jesus said to them, “Come and see.” The Gospel tells us, “they went and saw and remained with him that evening.”

In today’s Gospel, the Samaritan townsfolk heard the woman. Based on her witness, they started walking towards Jesus. They were open enough to see unexpected possibilities: open to other, perhaps better, ways of seeing life and open to learning, even from a Jew, especially at a time when Jews were traditionally classified as a bitter enemy. The Samaritans asked Jesus to stay with them, and he stayed for two days. Like the first disciples, they remained with Jesus. After the encounter, the Samaritans could say, "We have heard him ourselves, and we know that he really is the savior of the world.” We, too, know that Jesus really is the Savior of the World.

This week, I suggest we reflect on the questions, “Who is Jesus to me? What does Jesus mean to me? Can I express my answer in words not learned from others – from the catechism, from other people, from Catholic sub-culture – but in my own words?” As the Samaritan townsfolk said to the woman, can we, too, say, "We no longer believe because of what you told us, we have heard him ourselves, and we know him”? Based on our own personal experiences, what does Jesus mean to each of us? The words to the Samaritans in today’s reading can ring in our ears: come and see. They went, they saw, and they remained with him. Their experience of Jesus led them to their truly personal response of faith. Let us go to Jesus and remain with him.

Blessings!!