Tithing is good for you and your parish

Friday, Apr. 15, 2016

Tithing is good for the individual Catholic and therefore good for the parish. So why don’t more Catholics tithe? We know the usual suggested reasons: We are not used to it, we just do not have it in our culture, tithing asks too much of our resources, tithing is just to get more money for the Church. I think these are just excuses. 

I believe that we reject tithing because we don’t know why we should. Below is a list of reasons for tithing. The first reason is the primary one; the others are secondary to it. 

1. Tithing enables us to be saved.

As Christians, we want to be saved. We want to be healed. We want meaning, purpose, fulfillment and direction in our life. We want to “go to heaven” rather than the other option. We want to become like Christ. Tithing doesn’t purchase any of these things for us, but tithing is a powerful way to turn over what we have to God so that we are open to receiving his many blessings.

A basic principle of the Christian life is that we cannot receive God’s blessings if we remain full of ourselves. Tithing helps us empty ourselves making room for God.

Don’t get me wrong – giving money is not the only way that we work out our salvation and become open to receiving blessings, but whatever time, talent and treasure we have are all gifts that we are called to give back to God. 

2. Tithing shows that we are serious.

We can define tithing as serious giving. Ten percent is serious for most of us; some can afford more, some cannot afford that much. The point is to be serious about the work of God being done through the Church and serious about supporting that work. 

How do we know if we are serious? Well, to start, if we are spending more on entertainment every month than we are giving to the Church, it is safe to say that we are not being serious about giving.

I love the phrase “put your money where your mouth is.” Jesus says almost exactly the same thing when he says, “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Matt. 6:21). Where we put our money demonstrates where are heart is. 

3. Tithing is Catholic.

Tithing is a biblical concept introduced in the Old Testament (Malachi 3:8-10) and affirmed by Jesus in the New Testament (Mathew 23:23).

Giving is Catholic, generosity is Catholic, ministry is Catholic, discipline is Catholic, and tithing encompasses all of these things.

Tithing is not an “absolute requirement” to be saved, but how can we be saved if we do not nurture a generous heart? And how can we nurture a generous heart without becoming disciplined about giving? 

4. Tithing becomes ministry.

There are things parishes would love to do but cannot because they do not have the financial resources. Perhaps they could improve or repair the church building or build a new one. They could hire more personnel to serve the needs of the congregation. They could give more to the DDD thus funding vocations and other ministries. The opportunities for ministry are endless. When we give our money, God turns it into ministry.

5. Tithing changes a parish culture.

I often hear, if only the membership knew all the financial problems in their parish, they would be inspired to give a little bit more, but giving information about shortfalls to the unmotivated usually does not accomplish much.

But what if we started thinking about parish life in a whole new way? What if we stopped talking about paying bills and instead started thinking about why each of us needs to become a faithful steward – a serious giver? Rather than complaining about money problems, we develop a culture of generosity/giving, and our money problems fade.

A tithing parish sees itself as a group of people ministering to one another, building up the Body of Christ and doing God’s work not as a group of people who are paying bills to get something in return.