# Let Jesus change you: reflections for the second week of Lent
*2017-03-17*

> Bill Young reflects on the Feast of St. Patrick and shares a Lenten meditation from Pope Francis on the necessity of opening our hearts to Christ's transformative mercy.

## Celebrating Saint Patrick

Good afternoon. This is Bill Young, and welcome to the Prayer N Lunch podcast. Today is the Feast of Saint Patrick, and it is a glorious day. I recently re-shared a story about how my own prayers to Saint Patrick were answered a few years back; it serves as a reminder that Saint Patrick and all the saints are here to help us. I want to thank the Lord for giving us Saint Patrick, who brought us so many priests and nuns who have taught, guided, and ministered to us.

## A Lenten Call to Change

As we continue our Lenten journey, we look at a daily reflection by Pope Francis for Friday of the second week of Lent. The reading is from 2 Chronicles 30:11: "The Lord, your God, is gracious and merciful, and will not turn away his face from you if you turn to him."

How many times have we felt the need to effect a change that involves our entire person? How often do we say to ourselves, "I need to change; I cannot continue this way"? We realize that if our life stays on its current path, it will be a useless life and we will not be happy. In those moments, Jesus, who is near to us, extends his hand and says, "Come to me, I'll do the work. I'll change your heart. I'll change your life. I will make you happy."

## Opening the Door to Mercy

The question is: do we believe this? Jesus invites us to change our lives, and the Holy Spirit creates within us that restlessness to be a little better. We must not put up resistance. Only if we open our souls to His mercy will we find true life and true joy. All we have to do is open the door wide, and He will do the rest. He does everything, but we must open our hearts so that He can heal us and move us forward. I assure you that you will be much happier. The thought for today is: with Jesus' help, what might I want to change about myself and my life now?

## Prayer to the Holy Family

We conclude with a prayer to the Holy Family written by Saint Pope John Paul II:

"Oh Holy Family of Nazareth, God's community of love offered by Jesus, Mary, and Joseph to one another, a model and ideal for every Christian family. We entrust our families to you. Open the heart of every home to the faith, to acceptance of the Word of God, and to Christian witness, so that they may become a source of new life and holy vocations. Mold the minds of the parents so that they may guide children with zealous clarity, prudent care, and loving mercy to attain their spiritual eternal blessings. Form the righteous consciousness and a free will in the souls of young people so they may generously accept the gift of divine calling, growing in wisdom, stature, and grace. Holy Family of Nazareth, by contemplating and imitating your faithfulness in prayer, your dignifying poverty, and your general purity, grant that we may all strive to fulfill the will of God and accompany with wisdom and grace those among us who are called to follow more closely the Lord Jesus, who has given himself to us. Amen."

*True joy and transformation are possible when we stop resisting and open our hearts to let Jesus do the work of changing our lives.*