{"id":2525,"date":"2012-11-11T12:00:58","date_gmt":"2012-11-11T19:00:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/?p=2525"},"modified":"2017-01-06T12:54:09","modified_gmt":"2017-01-06T19:54:09","slug":"tithing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/2012\/11\/11\/tithing\/","title":{"rendered":"Tithing"},"content":{"rendered":"

Every now and then the subject of “tithing”<\/span><\/em> comes up. The word “tithe”<\/em><\/span> literally means “tenth”<\/em><\/span>, and refers to the religious practice of offering 10% of one’s income to the things of God.\u00a0In my experience, you tend to hear much more\u00a0about tithing in Protestant circles than you do from the pulpit in your local Catholic parish.<\/p>\n

Recently a friend asked me about tithing so I said I’d offer a few thoughts about it in a short post. Considering today’s Mass Readings<\/a> today seems an appropriate day to do this. I’ll first look\u00a0at the Hebrew Scriptures, then the New Testament data and then finally look at what teaching is explicitly offered by the Catholic Church…<\/p>\n

\"Collection<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The Old Testament<\/h2>\n

The subject of tithing appears in several important places in the Old Testament. For example, Abraham gives 10% of the spoils of war to the priest Melchizedek:<\/p>\n

Then Melchizedek\u00a0king of Salem\u00a0brought out bread\u00a0and wine.\u00a0He was priest of God Most High,\u00a0and he blessed Abram,\u00a0saying,\u00a0\u201cBlessed be Abram by God Most High,\u00a0Creator of heaven and earth.\u00a0And praise be to God Most High,\u00a0who delivered your enemies into your hand.\u201d\u00a0Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything<\/span>. <\/span><\/p>\n

– Genesis 14:18-20<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Later, the Patriarch Jacob promised to return to God 10% of all the blessings given to him:<\/p>\n

Then Jacob made a vow,\u00a0saying, \u201cIf God will be with me and will watch over me\u00a0on this journey I am taking and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear\u00a0so that I return safely\u00a0to my father\u2019s household,\u00a0then the\u00a0Lord\u00a0will be my God\u00a0and\u00a0this stone that I have set up as a pillar\u00a0will be God\u2019s house,\u00a0and of all that you give me I will give you a tenth<\/span>.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

– Genesis 28:20-22<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Tithing also had an important place in the Mosaic Law. The priestly tribe of Israel, the Levites, were told that they would receive no land, but would instead receive the tithes which were offered by the other tribes to God:<\/p>\n

\u201cI give to the Levites all the tithes\u00a0in Israel as their inheritance\u00a0in return for the work they do while serving at the tent of meeting…\u00a0They will receive no inheritance\u00a0among the Israelites.\u00a0Instead, I give to the Levites as their inheritance the tithes that the Israelites present as an offering to the\u00a0Lord<\/span>…\u2019\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

–\u00a0Numbers 18:21\u201324<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

So that’s tithing in the Old Testament, but what does the New Testament have to say on the subject?<\/p>\n

The New Testament<\/h2>\n

In the New Testament there is no explicit mention of tithing, but the followers of Jesus are constantly exhorted to charity and to care of the poor. For example, when Jesus talked of the Last Judgement, He spoke about the works of mercy performed by His followers:<\/p>\n

\u201cCome, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom\u00a0prepared for you since the creation of the world.\u00a0For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat<\/span>, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink<\/span>, I was a stranger and you invited me in<\/span>,\u00a0I needed clothes and you clothed me<\/span>,\u00a0I was sick and you looked after me<\/span>,\u00a0I was in prison and you came to visit me<\/span>.\u2019 <\/span><\/p>\n

– Matthew 25:34-36<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

As a result of such exhortations, the earliest Christian communities emphasized\u00a0generosity\u00a0and communal life:<\/p>\n

…God\u2019s grace\u00a0was so powerfully at work in them all\u00a0that there were no needy persons among them<\/span>. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them<\/span>,\u00a0brought the money from the sales\u00a0<\/sup>and put it at the apostles\u2019 feet<\/span>,\u00a0and it was distributed to anyone who had need<\/span>. <\/span><\/p>\n

– Acts 4:33-35<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

When he wrote to Timothy, St. Paul had some extremely harsh words for those who did not care for their families:<\/p>\n

Anyone who does not provide for their relatives<\/span>, and especially for their own household<\/span>, has denied\u00a0the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. <\/span><\/p>\n

– 1 Timothy 5:8<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

In his letter to the Corinthians, St. Paul told the Christians in that city to collect money every Sunday for the suffering Church in Jerusalem:<\/p>\n

On the first day<\/span> of every week,\u00a0each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with your income<\/span>, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made. <\/span><\/p>\n

– 1 Corinthians 16:2<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

So, although there’s no explicit mention of tithing, the New Testament talks a lot about faithful stewardship and Christians giving what they can to those in need. But what does the Catholic Church teach?<\/p>\n

Catholic Teaching<\/h2>\n

Much like the New Testament, the Catholic Church does not speak about formal tithing, such as that found in the Old Testament. However, also like the New Testament, the Church exhorts her children to have giving and generous hearts.\u00a0In fact, it is one of the\u00a0Five Precepts Of The Church<\/a>:<\/p>\n

1. To attend Mass on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation, and resting from servile works.
\n2. To observe the days of abstinence and fasting.
\n3. To confess our sins to a priest, at least once a year.
\n4. To receive Our Lord Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist at least once a year during Easter Season.
\n5.\u00a0To contribute to the support of the Church.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Catechism explains:<\/p>\n

The fifth precept (“You shall help to provide for the needs of the Church”) means that the faithful are obliged to assist with the material needs of the Church<\/span>, each according to his own ability<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

– Catechism of the Catholic Church, Paragraph 2043<\/span><\/p>\n

This paragraph of the Catechism cites the Code of Canon Law:<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Christian Faithful are\u00a0obliged to assist with the needs of the Church<\/span>\u00a0so that the Church has what is necessary\u00a0for divine worship<\/span>, for\u00a0apostolic works<\/span>\u00a0and\u00a0works of charity<\/span>, and for the\u00a0decent sustenance of ministers<\/span>.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

–\u00a0Canon Law #222<\/span><\/p>\n

The Catechism also provides a quotation on this subject from St. Justin Martyr<\/a>, the Second Century Apologist:<\/p>\n

Those who are well off, and who are also willing, give as each chooses. What is gathered is given to him who presides to assist orphans and widows, those whom illness or any other cause has deprived of resources, prisoners, immigrants and, in a word, all who are in need. <\/span><\/p>\n

–\u00a0St. Justin,\u00a0Apology\u00a0#1, Chapter 67 (LXVIII)<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

…and, just like in Justin’s day, every Sunday Catholics are encouraged to give freely of their blessings for the work of the Church.<\/p>\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n

I have not always tithed\u00a0regularly. Although there is no official tithing requirement for those in the New Covenant, we can see that generous giving is encouraged in the strongest of terms.\u00a0This money is used to support the material needs of the Church, the\u00a0proclamation\u00a0of the Gospel and the care of the poor.<\/p>\n

I\u00a0have heard different proposals for Christian giving. For example, some people suggest a donation of 5% to their local parish and another 5% to\u00a0charitable\u00a0organizations, preferably Catholic ones. At first, this might seem like a very difficult thing to ask of people, particularly in these straitened times. I would suggest that, if this seems too much, begin by being aware of the Christian duty to give and start somewhere<\/span>, be it just a few dollars or a few hours of your time.\u00a0If you think that you can only donate 1% of your income, then do that. After a while, see what\u00a0luxuries\u00a0you can go without.<\/p>\n

For example, could you purchase only one morning coffee a week and donate that money as well? I would also suggest finding charitable causes about which you are passionate. Do you really care about the poor? If so, donate some money to your local homeless shelter, but also spend an hour or two each month helping out there. Seeing how your money is being put to good use is tremendously gratifying and a real encouragement.<\/p>\n

Any gifts given to us by God are not just for our own benefit, but for the benefit others. If Christ gave all of Himself to us, could we give back to Him anything less?<\/p>\n

But since you excel in everything…see that you also excel in this grace of giving…. For you know the grace\u00a0of our Lord Jesus Christ,\u00a0that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor,\u00a0so that you through his poverty you might become rich\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

– 2 Corinthians 8:7-9<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Every now and then the subject of “tithing” comes up. The word “tithe” literally means “tenth”, and refers to the religious practice of offering 10% of one’s income to the things of God.\u00a0In my experience, you tend to hear much more\u00a0about tithing in Protestant circles than you do from the pulpit in your local Catholic parish. Recently a friend asked<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_crdt_document":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[2969,103,1349,1350,1753,1754],"class_list":["post-2525","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-faith","tag-featured","tag-money","tag-new-testament","tag-old-testament","tag-tithe","tag-tithing"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2525","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2525"}],"version-history":[{"count":21,"href":"https:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2525\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":63791,"href":"https:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2525\/revisions\/63791"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2525"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2525"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2525"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}