In Giving we Receive!!!!!!!

As we are preparing to celebrate the feast of St. Francis our founder and Father, a few thoughts ran in my mind which i would like to share through this page. I remember having read small but very powerful anecdote about a little Ant who was carrying a small grain of rice in its mouth. It was happy and delighted to have found food for the day so filled with gratitude towards the Lord it was marching home to share with the rest of the clan. As it was moving in full speed it saw on the road another grain of horse gram with which one could prepare something spicy to be taken along with the Rice. The little ant was exuberant and happy to have found something more to live on. Thanking the Lord the ant expressed gratitude to the Lord saying that "Lord your really care for your creatures. You provided rice and now you made available something more". But the ant was unable to pick up both the grains in Mouth, so it became a little unhappy. 

St. Francis teaches us that in life we cannot have many things. Either you have position or God, Rice or horse grams. You will have to forgo or renounce something in life. Francis renounced Knighthood but preferred to be a jester in the court of the almighty. Sometimes when we are happy with our normal human and spiritual life and we suddenly find something which takes aways the satisfaction of being contended with what we have. we begin to crave more and at last end up being unhappy all through our lives. Francis had everything in life but was not happy he was looking for that one thing which would bring loads of happiness. That one thing was union and communion with the Lord of the Universe. 

We human beings are like the Ant as long as we do not have something negative in life, we are happy and contended with what we have. But once desires and inclinations increase, then take away our moments of happiness and joy. To give a simple example of some new models of electronics or clothing that we purchase and we are happy with the choice made but within a weeks time something new and better comes out in the market, then we begin to feel bad....why did i not wait for another one week....i would have had the new one...

Negative plans create confusion in our minds...they disorient us totally and snatch away our joy. sometimes we get so much involved in those negative things that our mind does not work in a right and positive way. Francis after conversion learnt to use things that connected him with the Lord. He found no happiness and joy in using things that would disconnect him from the creation and creatures. 

We the sons and daughters of St. Francis got to learn a valuable lesson that we are surrounded by many negative vibes and situations which take us aways from the very source of happiness, so we need to hold on to the basic source of contentment and that is total surrender to the Lord. St. Francis is teaching us that God has given us two hands, those hands are not meant only to receive and collect, but with one hand to receive and with other hand to give away. In giving we receive plentiful.