Yesterday was the Feast of St. Francis. Every year we bless animals in honor of the feast. How easy, or convenient it is to remember the vision Francis had while standing in front of a cross. He heard God say, "Francis, go and repair my Church, which, as you see, is falling into ruin."

Our parish buildings are in good shape, but our parish community could stand some repair. It would probably do us more good every year to think about the ways we could repair and strengthen the community and see how we're doing on St. Francis's feast day.