The Barren Francis As the day that belongs to Francis closes, a couple quick thoughts: We need Francis. Because he was radical, meaning, he could see past all the fluff and the pomp and the beaucracy and see JESUS ALONE in poverty at the root. We need Francis. Because he showed us in his own flesh and blood that we can live free in God's Providence. He will provide! Through the great stripping away of our selfishness, God will cloth us even here with all that we truly need. We need Francis. To show us that success is not in numbers or programs, but in each ONE of us turning our faces to God in absolute trust.... To quote again from Fr. McNamara: "One solitary God-centered, God-intoxicated man can do more to keep God's love alive and His presence felt in the world than a thousand half-hearted, talkative busy men living frightened, fragmented "lives of quiet desperation." Dear God, please send us through your holy saints, like light through a prism, the splendor of Your Truth and Your Love! St. Francis, pray for us!