Wide Receivers

Congratulations to all the men who received the sacrament of  Holy Orders this past weekend.  I was able to share in one of these beautiful masses as a gent from Allentown was ordained to the transitional deaconate.  These men celebrate 6-10 long, hard years of seminary formation and now go off to be formed spiritually and socially by the people of God.
One of the greatest bits of wisdom Ive learned in my formation is to always receive and never to take.  This may sound strange and could be quite a challenging way to approach life.  However difficult, it is a way to live in the divine providence of God. There certainly are things we should still take regardless of our state in life, which include, but are not limited to taking: baths, showers, and me out to the ball game! 
Think about all the items, questions, choices we come across each day.  We can always take but what do we actually receive.  Even if we need to take sometimes the question alone will help us sort out what we've actually received. Whatever we receive can only be viewed as a gift, who these gifts come from is another question to ponder.
If you are reading this you have received another gift, the gift of another day from our heavenly Father. And what a gift it is.  What else have you received today? What have you taken today?  Often when we take something it is necessary but perhaps its a selfishness that causes us to take. Can we not have faith in God that he will provide for us, we most certainly can, hasnt He always come through in the past.
What if you receive a nasty comment, or a freshly smashed egg on your car? Is that a gift from God? Why not, its indirect but its an opportunity to stretch your virtue muscles and love in the face of anger.  This is a great gift from the Lord.
There is a group of religious sisters that live in northeastern PA who live a Franciscan spirituality (owning nothing) and rely solely on the divine providence of God working through His people.  They rely on us for food, shelter, and all the necessities, while they spend their entire day in prayer of thanks to God and on our behalf.  How simply they live, how joyful they are.
We should thank all those who give us gifts tomorrow and someday return that favor.