 |  | Change in society can only start with a change in each of us, especially in our hearts. That is what Pope Francis is calling us to do. This calls for change in people, a complete change of mind and heart called metanoia. It is the place where people begin a new way of life. It is also a place of hunger. People hunger for the Lord. It calls for going to the margins of society, where the poor and powerless live. That is where we find Jesus. It is where we also begin. We need to change, to confront our sinfulness and seek a way to be different, to follow the call of God in our lives. Things do not always have to be as they have been in the past. We can make a new world. So many people in our world today are afflicted by poverty, disease, and marginalization. Many people feel as if there is no hope, as if they are powerless. Things can be different, but they must begin with each of us. The beginning of a new year is a time of hopeful expectation. In order to be ready, we must clear from our lives whatever would not allow us to see Jesus, especially as He comes in those who are not like us; the neediest, the sick, the stranger. Jesus comes in all of these and more. We must be ready to see and receive Him.
| 
