Q: When the Scrutinies are celebrated in Years B and C, do all the Cycle A readings need to be used or only the Gospel? The Missal and Lectionary mention only the gospel, but I was taught that the readings were to be used as a group.
A: Only the Gospel. That’s how I interpret the missal.
Q: I received this opposite answer from another liturgist, based on RCIA #146: “the readings with their chants are those given for the three Sundays in the Lectionary for Mass, Year A” as well as LM #745, 746, 747: “The readings and chants are always taken” from Cycle A. He attributes the confusion in the Missal to the paragraph on initiation outside of Lent. Any comments?
A: I see the point he is making. In Latin RCIA 146 refers to “the mass of the Samaritan woman,” “ of the man born blind,” and “of the raising of Lazarus.” So it appears that the missal corrected the reference to indicate “the gospel of” rather than “the mass of”. The English translation of RCIA 146 is closer to the intent expressed in the missal. That being said, I still think the missal is at best ambiguous and allows an interpretation that the gospel only is where the concern exists – largely because the prayers of the scrutiny rites connect to the gospel, not explicitly to the other readings assigned with it in Year A.