How much are we to give?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Miles_Militis
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
M

Miles_Militis

Guest
This is something that has been bothering me for some time. And recently its really come forward more.

How much is enough? we say that we are to give all to Christ…but is that literally what the Catholic Church teaches? We honor the Saints, and stand them up as examples of what it means to follow Christ. But are we all called to be like the Saints?

I’m talking about what I think is referred to as heroic virtue. We all know the story of the old woman who gave her last penny, but are we called to give all our belongings? As a college student I am a man of very little means, and a growing amount of debt. I try to save what I can to afford myself some things, but whenever I go to mass I feel like I am guilty for not giving the money to the Church instead of spending 50 cents on a snack here and $2 for an energy drink once in awhile to help me get through my day (I spend maybe $25 a week, 20 of which on gas). I just keep thinking, ‘that adds up, and it could have gone to a better cause.’

I drive myself crazy with this sometimes. I just always hear about how we are to give our all, but common sense seems to scream at me that I’m being foolish to even deliberate over this. This may sound stupid, but its something that begun to really bug me.

Recently I was talking to a priest, I asked him “If you can be great, is it a sin to be good?” He said absolutely and that we should always strive for greatness, that Christ is disappointed if we only give 80% when we could have given 100%.

I don’t tithe. Mainly because with my schedule and trying to be a student I can’t work very many hours, and what money I get is mostly spend getting me to school / family expenses. I’ve always felt a level of guilt about this, but been able to get over it for reasons prudence says I probably shouldn’t discuss.

sigh

Am I crazy? How do I answer this question? Am I really supposed to give 100%? Wouldn’t 100% include material possessions? Christ told the man to give away his belongings and follow Him…are we all supposed to do this? If not, why not? I feel like everything I read / hear taught says give it all…but when I speak to actual people I’m supposed to balance things.

Am I supposed to balance things? Wouldn’t that be keeping one foot in the boat (in reference to Peter walking on water)?:confused:
 
Your post was not clear to me…you did not say if you gave anything in the contribution basket…not my business just the same.

We are not called to give 100%. We are called to contribute as our means allow, and a tithe is a wonderful gift. But giving can come in many forms - time, talent, treasure as our church promotes.

Perhaps you can look at your personal spending habits. Do you spend money on social things…movies, entertainment. You do not have to give up your energy drink - but wow - it would be a form of fasting if you gave up the drink one day - opted for a bottled water or soda instead and tossed the difference in the collection basket.

Perhaps you have no money to spare and could help out at a youth event in your parish?
 
100% of what is ours to give, remembering that we need to be prudent also with God’s gifts. Sometimes, keeping those things in mind, the things we have to give are time or talent - not material treasure. The wisest thing to do is to pray before paying for anything for ourselves or others. Also, keeping in mind that God wants us to take physical care of His Temple (our body). At least, that’s how I understand it.:confused: I have certainly been wrong before (lots!).
 
God doesn’t call us to be destitute.

An excellent book on the subject is;

Happy Are You Poor: The Simple Life and Spiritual Freedom
by Thomas Dubay

Jim
 
My own opinion is that we need to be balanced about this. Poverty is one thing, destitution is another. We need to plan for old age, to take care of responsabilities, and help others.

I went through a Chapter 13 Bankruptcy a few years ago, which requires drawing up a budget of “reeasonable and usual expenses”, and anything left over as “disposable income” to the Trustee.

In my case. at age 63, I still need to put away money for retirement, currently $15,500 per year at work. I have rent, cats to take care of, and my AA program.

I get two paychecks a month, usually. The second paycheck is for rent, followed by living expenses. The first is other living expenses, with the leftover going to my savings account and the church.

Back when I had overetime every Saturday, I was not only able to tithe 10%, I actually did it.

Now I do not work overtime. That is $800 a less month take home pay. Do I now tithe? No, Do I feel guilty? No. God knows I do the best I can. The surplus after the first check is used up is smaller, but what can go to the Church goes to the Church.
 
God does want us to give all.

This does not mean to literally give every penny of ours to church.
What means, I think, is to let our heart totally belong to Him. We ought to put God first, to be in this world but not of this world, to truly love him and his commandments, to follow his teachings, to totally trust in him, to be obedient to his will without reservation.

Catholic Church does not emphasize tithe. If we are able to tithe, by all means do it.
If not, then do our best. And tithe includes our time and talents also.

Don’t beat yourself over. Relax, be at peace.
 
Hey Miles,

I just wanted to say that I can very much relate to what you say. I also live on very little as weekly spending goes, I eat very simply, sometimes get old bread from bakeries etc… and I have had this dilemma too.
It is good to pray to God and feel His love for you.

Kathrin
 
Miles_Militis said:
This is something that has been bothering me for some time. And recently its really come forward more.

How much is enough? we say that we are to give all to Christ…but is that literally what the Catholic Church teaches? We honor the Saints, and stand them up as examples of what it means to follow Christ. But are we all called to be like the Saints?
Click to expand...
your question is NOT about tithing
to give you the straight answer, yes we are all called to be saints. that is we are all called to holiness, to continuing conversion, and to an attitude best described in the Beatitudes
poor of heart–not giving love and desire for material possessions more weight and attention than love and desire for God
meekness and humility
hunger for justice and righteousness

yes we must adopt a spirituality that regards material things only as incidentals which enable us to serve God, not as ends in themselves. we must adopt a spirituality that acknowledges all we have is a gift from God–talent, skill, our very life, the bodies in which we live that life, food, shelter, education, job, family–and that all is owed to God from whence it came.

we must adopt a spirituality of virtue, of choices that deny evil and choose the good, always.

we must define good as Christ did, in line with the beatitudes, not as the world does–choosing what Satan offered when he tempted Christ: sensual pleasure and satisfaction, wealth, power and disdain of God’s authority.

if I am poor I am called to welcome the poor, identify with the poor, and cultivate poverty of spirit

if I am wealthy I am called to welcome the poor, identify with the poor, and cultivate poverty of spirit.

a poor person can be just as prone as a rich person to place more value on material wealth than on spiritual riches.

it is also hard for the rich to enter the kingdom because the gate is narrow, as Christ says, and anyone burdened with possessions he cannot give up will not fit through the narrow gate.

whatever I have I owe to God. If I am strong I give my strength to serve the weak. If I am weak and helpless, I give my weakness and helplessness to God, in union with the weakness and helplessness of Christ on the Cross. If I am wealthy I give all my surplus, so that I can then give out of my need, sacrificially, to God, His Church, and His beloved Poor. If I am poor, I give out of my poverty to someone who has even less, and I give my poverty to Christ, who himself owned nothing and had “nowhere to lay his head.”
 
In giving our all to God, He is not asking for our material possessions or our wealth.

He talking about something more precious, our hearts.

We are to detach ourselves from created things, and attach ourselves to loving God.

You could give all of your money to God, but still be attached to things that keep you from getting close to Him, as he desires.

There was a Carmelite nun, who had a beautiful picture, of the Holy Family, that she loved. She had it for many years and always said the novena prayer on the back. One day, a novice nun, saw the picture and said, “what a beautiful picture that is. I have never seen anything so beautiful!” The older nun, immediately, gave the picture to the novice.

This is the sort of detachment God ask of us. Treat everything as a gift from God, to be used as you need it. But never attach yourself to these things, to the point that they take more importance than your love for God and your fellow man.

Jim
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top