Hi, Wanda —

First, for those not familiar with the term scrutinies, they are rites of purifying and strengthening for the catechumens. The three chief rituals are celebrated at Mass on the third, fourth, and fifth Sundays of Lent. The scrutinies are rites for self-searching and repentance. They are meant to bring out the qualities of the candidates' souls:

• to heal those qualities which are weak or sinful, and
• to strengthen those which are positive and good.

During this period the candidates are formally presented with the Apostles' Creed and the
Lord's Prayer, both of which they will recite on the night they are initiated.

That said, your parish Church is sacrificing authenticity for efficiency. I am sorry. Your Baptism should be respected. You could imitate Jesus submitting to John's Baptism.

In any case, it is an act of solidarity and we Catholics frequently renew things like our Baptismal consecration and vows, even with holy water. That said, humility might be the best answer.

• Or find another parish . . .
• Or go to a priest for private catechesis . . . but then you miss the community aspect.

It's your call.

Mary Ann

Hi, Wanda —

Speaking as the director of an RCIA program, I think there is a tendency to want to make the entire class of those entering the Church feel like they belong. This year, I only have candidates and one fellow seeking Adult Confirmation who has already received his First Holy Communion.

Technically, none of them need to do scrutinies, but my parish priest wants to do scrutinies,
so we do them. It's more about the ceremony and their getting the recognition from the parishioners than anything else.

Heck, they've been coming to Mass since September every week. Now all of a sudden for the next three weeks we will dismiss them after the homily. We are doing it so they might feel a connection to the ancient tradition.

It's really not something I'd get hung up on.

John

Hi, Wanda —

We have to distinguish between Tradition and traditions.

Tradition always with an upper case T (also called Sacred Tradition) is part of the official body of Teaching or Deposit of Faith handed down from the beginning by Jesus and His Apostles yet developed and applied in each generation.

On the hand, traditions, with a lower case t, are disciplines, gestures, and actions that we, as Catholics, have practiced throughout the centuries. There is a reason for them but they are not essential and they are certainly subject to change. Moreover, there are many practices, and even liturgical norms, which serve as guidelines rather than hard and fast rules . . . not that I'm advocating crazy interpretations of liturgical norms, but there are some battles worth fighting and some that are not.

Were I in your position, I'd use this as an opportunity. If parishioners approach you about it, take the opportunity to correct the misconception. After all, you are in a wonderful position to help build bridges between Catholics and Baptists. Very soon you will find that most cradle Catholics are pretty ignorant regarding what other Christians believe. If we expect our Catholics to reach out to Protestants, it has to start with a basic understanding of who they are and what they believe.

• Should your parish handle this situation differently?

Yes, of course, but in my fourteen years since returning to the Church, I have yet to find the perfect parish. I guess that's OK since I'm not the perfect parishioner either.

It appears the RCIA program you are in is orthodox in its teachings; otherwise they wouldn't be teaching you to obey the Church. You need to decide if this one matter is worth walking away in order to find another Catholic parish.

John