Why are certain Scriptures read on certain Sundays? Except for a few minor revisions, the Readings that we have at Mass are from a Lectionary (literally, a book of readings) that was mandated for the whole Catholic Church by Pope Paul VI in 1971.  The Lectionary follows a three-year cycle:  the Gospels of  Year A (which we are in now) are mostly taken from Matthew’s Gospel; the Gospels for Year B from Mark; and the Gospels for Year C from Luke. While the Lectionary may have been put together in just a few years following the Second Vatican Council that called for a reform of the liturgy, the movement to open up the Bible to the Catholic faithful had been going on for decades. There had been a great reluctance on the part of Catholic leadership to encourage Catholics to read the Bible. This was partly due to the strong focus that many Protestant churches gave to reading the Bible. If Catholics started reading and interpreting the Bible for ourselves, would we all become Baptists? In a touch of irony, the Catholic cycle of Readings proved so popular that it was also adapted by many mainline Protestant churches. Go to a Lutheran Church or an Episcopal Church and you are likely to hear the same Scriptures you would hear at Assumption.

Prior to the present Lectionary there were only two readings at Sunday Mass and they were repeated every year. Most of the Gospels came from Matthew. Very rarely did we hear a Scripture from the Old Testament or Hebrew Scriptures. When Mass was in Latin, the Epistle and the Gospel were read or chanted at the altar, and then read again in English from the pulpit prior to the sermon. The cycle of Readings we now use at weekday Mass simply did not exist prior to 1971.

Though the Lectionary introduced in 1971 was revolutionary in its efforts to open up the Scriptures to the Catholic faithful, it still follows traditional patterns, especially during Lent. We continue to hear an account of the Temptations of Christ on the First Sunday of Lent, an account of the Transfiguration of Jesus on the Second Sunday, and an account of the Passion and Death of Christ on Palm Sunday, but only in Year A does that account come from the Gospel of Matthew.  On the Third, Fourth, and Fifth Sundays of Lent, the Gospels vary greatly from year to year. But there is one exception, and here we really go “old School.”

When I was in the seminary in the early 1980’s, one of the new things being discussed was the RCIA (now OCIA). Instead of having adults who had not been baptized or people who wanted to become Catholic attend a “convert class” or receive individual instruction from a priest and then be baptized or received into the Church whenever they finished the textbook, RCIA would be a group experience centered around Easter, as it was in the early church. It would not be just about absorbing information but also on putting the Scriptures into practice and being integrated into the community. Because I had no experience with it, I found all the terminology (pre-catechumenate, catechumen vs candidate, rite of election, scrutiny) confusing, but when I encountered it in practice my first year after ordination, I quickly came to appreciate its value. Focusing adult initiation on Easter restored a deeper understanding of Lent, which had begun as a time of preparation for those preparing for baptism. Now as a community we accompany our catechumens and candidates on a Lenten journey of prayer, fasting, and charity.

Here is where we go “old school.” Whenever there are adults preparing for baptism present at Sunday Mass, rituals called scrutinies (or calling down of the Holy Spirit) take place at Mass on the Third, Fourth, and Fifth Sundays of Lent. At the Mass when scrutinies take place, Readings from Year A are always used, since they relate specifically to Baptism: the woman at the well who seeks living water, the man born blind who can see after washing in a pool of water, and the raising of Lazarus, since baptism is being born again. In two out of three years, the Gospels are different at the Mass when the scrutinies  take place (typically the 10:30) than at the other Sunday Masses. This year, though, since we are in Year A, we will all hear these foundational Gospels relating to Baptism. This Lent offers us a wonderful opportunity for all of us to reflect on our own baptism, our own calling to be a disciple of Christ, and our need for constant conversion, as we journey with and pray for those who will be born again at Easter.

                                      Fr. Joe