Gratitude and thankfulness should be the bedrock of our daily lives. Fr. Rolheiser writes that to be a saint is to be motivated by gratitude, nothing more and nothing less. Scripture, everywhere and always, makes this point. For example, the sin of Adam and Eve was, first and foremost, a failure in receptivity and gratitude. God gives them life, each other, and the garden and asks them only to receive it properly, in gratitude, receive and give thanks. Only after doing this do we go on to “break and share.” Before all else, we first give thanks. To receive in gratitude and be properly grateful is the primary of all religious attitudes. Proper gratitude is the ultimate virtue. It defines sanctity. Saints, holy persons, are grateful people who see and receive everything as a gift. The converse is also true. Anyone who takes life and love for granted should never be confused with a saint. The failure to be appropriately grateful, to take as owed what’s offered as a gift, lies at the root of many of our deepest resentments towards others and their resentments towards us. Invariably, when we are angry at someone, especially at those closest to us, it is precisely because we are not being appreciated (that is, thanked) properly. Conversely, I suspect more than a few people harbor resentment towards us because we consciously or unconsciously think it is their job to take care of us. Like Adam and Eve, we take, as if it is ours by right, what can only be received gratefully as a gift. This goes against the very contours of love. It is the original sin.