How Much Should I Give to My Parish?
Mark S. Roberti, Director of Stewardship
Heartland Parishes of Ellis County

I recently read a story of a covert to Catholicism who had been a faithful tither in her Protestant Church for years. The priest in her parish did not push tithing and, consequently, the parishioners did not practice it. So she also stopped. This is exactly the opposite of the way it is supposed to work. Tithing isn’t something you are "supposed" to do. It’s meant to be something you want to do because you love God and want to obey His precepts.

The lady in the article said that during her adult life, the only time she ever had trouble meeting her expenses was when she had become a Catholic and stopped tithing. So she started again and has done so ever since. More importantly, she says, she does it out of love. She does it because she wants to tell God, in a concrete way, that she loves Him. She offers it up as a sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving.

Scripture mentions tithing 46 times. The one I like best from the book of the Prophet Malachi. Years ago, when I was in Jerusalem, I visited his tomb.  The quote reads, "Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house, and try me in this says the Lord of Hosts: shall I not open for you the floodgates of heaven, to pour down blessing upon you without measure?" (Mal 3:10)

Trusting fully in God is something most us are very reluctant to do. We would rather trust in ourselves than trust in the God who created universe and holds it in existence. We are funny creatures, we human beings.

The first time tithing is mentioned is in the Book of Genesis. Abram (before God changed his name to Abraham) had just returned from rescuing his nephew Lot. He had also taken the goods of the vanquished nations, using them to offer a tithe to Melchizedek, the King of Salem. The name Melchizedek means "King of Righteousness." Salem means peace. Salem was later to become Jerusalem, City of Peace. So Abram gave a tithe to the King of Peace, the King of Righteousness.

Abram owned the goods by right, by conquest.  He earned them.   Just as we do today.  But he recognized that it was through God’s hand that he had won his victories.   In offering his tithe he showed himself to be the master of his goods, not a slave to them.  His relationship to the king was properly ordered. 

Just as God was with Abram in his endeavors, He is also with us. We have received a wonderful bounty in advance. Everything we have and are is a gift from God.  We, too, are supposed to be willingly and lovingly giving a tithe to the King of Peace and Righteousness. We, too, are supposed to tithe 10 percent out of gratitude to God for the blessings he has bestowed upon us.

How many do you think do? As a stewardship director, I can tell you. Not many. It’s really analogous to the story of the 10 lepers who Jesus healed, only one returned to thank him.  Except, in the case of stewardship, a lot less then one in ten truly tithe.   More often, our desire for "things” and “securities" robs of us a deeper, more profound, relationship with God. 

Instead, we build bigger silos just as Jesus explains in the "Parable of the Rich Fool" (Luke 12:19-21).  But remember what God said to him, "You fool, this night you life will be demanded of you; and the things you have prepared, to whom shall they belong?" Jesus then explains, "Thus will it be for one who stores up treasures for himself but is not rich in what matters to God."

In the Book of Deuteronomy, God ordered the Israelites to tithe "all the produce that grows" in the fields they had sown. Their tithe was supposed to be the first fruits of their grain, wine, oil, herds, and flocks. The Israelites are told, "In generous spirit pay homage tot he Lord, be not sparing of free will gifts. With each contribution show a cheerful countenance, and pay your tithe in a spirit of joy. Give to the most high as he has given to you, generously, according to your means. For the Lord is one who always repays, and he will give back to you sevenfold." (Sir 35:7-10). We, too, in 2005, are to pay God homage in a generous spirit.

How much should we give to our parish?  We can’t be certain, scripturally. But I can tell you assuredly that we are all supposed to be tithing 10 percent of our income to promote the kingdom of God. The formula that the International Catholic Stewardship Conference (ICSC) suggests is five percent to the parish, one percent to the diocese, and four percent to other charities. The ICSC is an extension of our national bishops. It’s an authoritative source.

The reason to give is out of love for God and His Church.   We should tithe because we want to help our Catholic Church to evangelize. That’s what good stewardship does, it help the Church evangelize. It helps our parishes bring inactive and fallen away Catholics back, and it helps bring un-churched people into the fold. Stewardship is a very important element of the mission of the Church which is evangelization.

It’s time, it’s past time, for Catholics to seriously reflect on tithing as a lifestyle the contributes to our personal holiness, our sanctification. God is reaching His hand out to us. But we can’t take His hand when ours are full. We’ve got to let go of what’s in our hand. What God wants to give us is better. We’ve got to trust Him.