"As each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of God's varied grace."  1 Peter 4:10

Stewardship is not an everyday sort of word.  In fact, it is not an everyday sort of idea.  It is sometimes seen only as a way to increase offertory collections. Stewardship is actually a way of looking at life. It is developing a profound sense of gratitude for God's love and generosity to us.  It is seeing everything - everything - as a gift from God. When we recognize just how good God is, we are motivated to do what God does; namely, share what we have with others ... our family, our community, our church.

If everything we have is a gift from God, then it is up to each one of us to become the best steward we can be, using our time, our abilities and our resources for God's purposes.  Jesus is God's ultimate gift to us. If we grow close to him, we will begin to see what it truly means to live a life of Christian stewardship.

"Once one chooses to become a disciple of Jesus Christ, stewardship is not an option."
~United States Catholic Bishops

What is the best gift anyone has ever given you?  Was it for your birthday?  Anniversary?  Graduation?  Christmas?  Remember how you felt when you received it?

As you look back on that exciting moment, notice that you were experiencing three distinct feelings simultaneously; great pleasure because it was such a special gift; enormous gratitude toward the person, who gave you the gift; and an overwhelming desire to return the favor, that is, to do something special for the gift-giver. At the moment you received that gift, you fully understood the meaning of Christian stewardship.

Stewardship is (1) the recognition of the great joy God's gifts and blessings bring to our lives; (2) A sense of how grateful we are for God's generosity; and (3) A desire, in fact a need, to give something back to God, to do something for God.

Holy Cross is entrusted to us by God to carry out our mission of forming people in the image of Christ, so that we can better serve the Lord and our neighbor.  For over 40 years, Holy Cross has been spiritually enriching the lives of others and is committed to continuing this work for another 40 years.

We are inviting you to donate a portion of your time, your abilities and your financial resources to the Church of the Holy Cross. We know the joy of God's companionship and the generosity of God's blessings. In that same joy and gratitude, let us receive God's gifts gratefully, cultivate them responsibly, share them lovingly and return them with increase to the Lord.