Article Tools Printer Friendly
Email to a friend

Take Five for Faith, Fifth Sunday of Lent, March 9

Sunday, March 9, 2008

Fifth Sunday of Lent; Third Scrutiny of the Elect

Don’t miss the meaning

As we celebrate the third and final Scrutiny of the Elect, it’s good to remember that these rites are not solely for those who have not yet been baptized. In the scrutinies, as in all sacramental actions, the entire community of believers is transformed. To imagine anything less is to forego much of their power and beauty. In the words of T. S. Eliot, “We [will have] had the experience but missed the meaning.”

      One way to prepare for the third scrutiny is by asking this question of ourselves: “Where do I experience being bound up like Lazarus and yearning to be free?”

Today’s readings: Ezekiel 37:12-14; Romans 8:8-11; John 11:1-45

“Jesus said to them, ‘Unbind him, and let him go.’”

©2008 by TrueQuest Communications, L.L.C. Phone: 800-942-2811; e-mail: mail@takefiveforfaith.com; website: www.TakeFiveForFaith.com. Licensed for noncommercial use. All rights reserved. Scripture quotes come from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible.

Contributors: Father Paul Boudreau, Alice Camille, Daniel Grippo, Father Larry Janowski, Ann O’Connor, Sean Reynolds, Joel Schorn, and Patrice J. Tuohy