Giving to a Sick family member in Lieu of Donating to the Church?

[hotdot824]

I hav a step daughter who needs a thousand dollars for a dental visit, she has a bad tooth. I normally give $200 a week to my Parish, would it be ok for this one month to give to the family member instead and resume giving to my parish later?

 

[Fr.Charles_Grondin]

For God said, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and ‘Whoever curses father or mother shall die.’ But you say, ‘Whoever says to father or mother, “Any support you might have had from me is dedicated to God,” need not honor his father.’ You have nullified the word of God for the sake of your tradition.

-Matthew 15:4-5

The basic principle of Scripture is that we need to provide and take care of our family, it is a commandment from God. Therefore it would be perfectly fine for you to take care of your step-daughter’s dental issue even if that meant you were unable to contribute to your parish temporarily. It would be sinful for someone to be able to care for their family but refuse to do so.