The Eucharistic Prayer
is a prayer I hear.

But to the Elect,
it is a personal encounter with You.

This ancient Catholic tradition of the three Scrutinies
is not made up of random moments,
but is drawn from the Gospel.

The woman at the well.
The man born blind.
The raising of Lazarus.

Thirst. Sight. Life.

Not just stories,
but invitations.

At the heart of the scrutinies
is this call to self-examination:
from distance to encounter,
from blindness to recognition,
from death to life.

The Elect are preparing
to step into the “many”.

In Isaiah 53:12:
וְהוּא חֵטְא־רַבִּים נָשָׂא
(ve-hu chet rabbim nasa)
“He bore the sin of many.”

Not “many” as in some but not all,
but “many” as in a great multitude —
all humanity.

And the Church faithfully keeps
to Your words in the Gospel.

In Matthew 26:28:
τοῦτο γάρ ἐστιν τὸ αἷμά μου…
τὸ περὶ πολλῶν ἐκχυννόμενον
(touto gar estin to haima mou…
to peri pollōn ekchynnomenon)
“This is my blood…
which is poured out for many.”

This Lent,
I feel blessed
to be one of the many.