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3 SPECIAL EDITION | ARCHBISHOP'S CATHOLIC APPEAL In his first letter, St. Peter tells us: The end of all things is at hand. Therefore, be serious and sober for prayers. Above all, let your love for one another be intense, because love covers a multitude of sins. Be hospitable to one another without complaining. As each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of God 's varied grace. Whoever preaches, let it be with the words of God; whoever serves, let it be with the strength that God sup- plies, so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ … (1 Peter 4:7-11). God the Holy Spirit intensifies our love for others, enlarges our hearts with hospitalit y and gives us various gifts for the good of all. Because we live in such a transactional societ y, the temptation is to see things with worldly eyes and hearts, calculating whether we stand to gain something from loving others. God's unconditional love stands in stark contrast to this. He does not weigh the benefits he will gain; he pours out his love to all without question, so that they may receive his love and be transformed. Just after the Book of Acts describes how the first believers claimed no possession for their own, we hear that a disciple named Joseph sold his propert y and gave all the proceeds to the Church. Then, we are introduced to Ananias and his wife Sapphira, who say that they are selling a field for the benefit of the Christian communit y but then withhold some of the money for themselves. They had decided that they couldn't completely trust the Holy Spirit to provide for them and lied about the amount they had received for the sale. St. Peter con- fronted Ananias and said, "You have lied not to human beings, but to God," and separately he accused Sapphira of conspiring with her husband to "test the Spirit of the Lord" (Acts 4:36-37, 5:1-11). The same temptation confronts us today when God calls us to follow him and we say, "Yes, Lord, but let me keep committing this sin," or, "I will follow you, but let me keep my money." Jesus seeks our trust because his mission is to restore the relationship bet ween God the Father and humanit y that was broken by Adam and Eve's failure to trust. When you read the articles in this commemorative magazine, I hope the stories of these trailblazers of our early Church remind you to trust in the Holy Spirit as they did. Let us not weigh the benefits. Please consider helping us spread the Gospel as the apostles did with a gift to the Archbishop's Catholic Appeal that intro- duces Christ to the people of northern Colorado, feeds the hungry, shelters the homeless, and funds more than 40 ministries that help secure our Church for the future and keep Christ's message alive. As we live out the joy of Easter, let us ask the Holy Spirit to unite us in heart and mind as a Church. Let us personally ask him for the gifts of trust and having his generosit y so that we are empowered to boldly proclaim the Gospel and serve others especially those in most need.