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Dear
Sisters and Brothers in the Lord,
Lent is
marked by the two themes – baptism and penance. We are very familiar
with the Lenten penitential practices of prayer, fasting and almsgiving,
but what about the baptismal aspect. For those parishes involved in the
Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA), the baptismal focus of
Lent is abundantly clear. The RCIA is the process by which the Catholic
Church welcomes and initiates new members into the Church. If these
inquirers reach the point of deciding to undertake the journey towards
membership of the Catholic community, they enter the catechumenate.
The
catechumenate (a word which comes from a Greek word meaning “to
resound”) is a period of discovering from the example of others what
Catholics believe and how they live the life of faith. Active
participation in Sunday liturgy; prayer; reading Scripture and learning
about the Church’s teaching, traditions and disciplines are the primary
means of preparation. During this time sponsors, catechists and the
entire community of believers support them.
People in
the catechumenate fall into two groups: catechumens and candidates. A
catechumen is someone who has never been baptized and who will be
initiated through baptism, confirmation and Eucharist celebrated
together, usually at the Easter vigil. Candidates are those who have
already been baptized (usually in another, non-Catholic church) and now
wish to become members of the Roman Catholic Church. They will be
confirmed and receive Eucharist after a simple rite of reception into
the full communion of the Catholic Church. In the past these people were
often referred to as “converts”, an inappropriate name because baptism,
which they have already received, is the sacrament of conversion. Most
Christian Churches now accept one another’s baptism and do not
re-baptize a new member.
For
catechumens and candidates, Lent is a period of intense preparation
called the period of purification and enlightenment. The celebration of
the rite of election or enrolment of names on the first Sunday of Lent
marks the beginning of this stage. This ritual celebrates publicly the
fact that these people have progressed on their faith journey and have
opened their hearts to Christ in a spirit of faith and love. They are
“elected” for initiation into the Church, not because they have
earned it, but because God has chosen them. From this point on they are
known as “the elect” and the community has a particular role to
play in their journey. The Church asks that we “should surround the
elect with prayer so that the entire Church will accompany them to
encounter Christ” (RCIA 108). The elect, together with their godparents
and sponsors, are living symbols of Lent in the midst of community,
icons of the season’s baptismal character.
On the
third, fourth and fifth Sundays of Lent the scrutinies are celebrated
with the elect. These rites confer strength and healing and confront all
the faithful with the need for conversion. The Gospel readings of year
“A” are used when the scrutinies are celebrated. These stories from John
which have been used for centuries in baptismal preparation are filled
with images of thirst and water, darkness and light, death and life. The
RCIA rites call the whole community to assess its baptismal relationship
with God in preparation for the renewal of baptismal promises at Easter
so that “all of us may walk in newness of life and show to the world
the power of the risen Christ” (Intercessions, 3rd Scrutiny).
Let give
our hearts and minds to the Lord this Lent. — Fr. Joe
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