“A good person out of the store of goodness in his heart produces good, but an evil person out of a store of evil produces evil; for from the fullness of the heart the mouth speaks.”

Welcome to the third Sunday of the Pre-Lenten season.

The Holy Church gives us this season so we might not jump into the Great Lent unprepared, but ready for a spiritual journey of transformation. What we are at the end of Lent needs be quite different from what we are now.

This season is akin to the stretching exercises an athlete does before they head out onto the track. This season of stretching ourselves helps in preventing spiritual injury – regrets and disappointments – because we were unprepared for our Lenten Walk.

I have noted that God uses imagery so we might clearly understand His intent for us, the picture He envisions for us. We will continue this study of God’s imagery throughout the Great Lent. We will see God drawing all sorts of pictures that at the most basic of levels create for us a vision of where we are to be, the choices we have along the way, and the destination God desires we arrive at.

As we prepare to enter Lent, God uses imagery to call us to humility derived from self-reflection. We are asked to take account of ourselves and in all honesty to turn from those areas where we do not meet God’s vision for us.

Sirach reminds us that what we truly are will be revealed. It is a warning and an opportunity. Through Sirach, God calls us to take account and work to meet His vision so all we are lines up. If we do so, our words and actions, our character, integrity, and centeredness as we face troubles – as Sirach says – tribulations will show forth virtue. We must work to know God’s vision for us and work to bring it closer to completion.

St. Paul reinforces this call to taking account and the work of necessary change by telling us to be firm, steadfast, always fully devoted to the work of the Lord. In other words, to stay focused on meeting the painting God has created of us – the best image of ourselves.

Jesus words are a formula of opposites. Will we be a blind person trying to lead the blind or will we open our eyes to the work of necessary change? Will I pretend to be teacher in my pride or will I be a disciple and learn from Jesus’ vision. Will I have the humility to address what is in my life, the log in my eye, before I begin nitpicking others? Will I be a rotten tree with bad fruit, will what I produce be covered in thorns? Or will what I offer be good.

As we begin our Lenten journey let us take account of these questions and commit to meeting God’s vision.