Is it reasonable for a Catholic School Teacher to skip tithe due to taking a lower salary

[1ke]

Right… but what if I want to give of my time and talent elsewhere?

It is fine to do that in addition to supporting your local parish.
Supporting your parish however isn’t optional. Scripture is clear and gives abundant example that supporting the local church is of paramount importance. It’s so important that the apostles establish a specific ministry to the widows and orphans and distribution of food, that is the deacon. When Paul talks about the gifts, from context it is very clear that he is talking about gifts used in the church. Is perfectly fine to help other charities, it is not fine too refuse to Give your time talent and treasure to the local church.

 

[ShrodingersCat]

Ok. I just find it weird that no one ever mentions it from the pulpit or anything. It’s a completely alien concept to me and I grew up in a very conservative Catholic family (admittedly my parents were introverts and I honestly don’t think my home parish had a shortage of volunteers).

I also find it strange that I need to commit to a parish just so I can volunteer for the church, when I’d only be doing it reluctantly out of a sense of obligation. I guess because I don’t see it as volunteering for God - in my head (I can tell this isnt how others see it) it’s just a thing that needs to be done, like housework.

 

[ShrodingersCat]

And to be clear, I know we must financially support the church. It’s the volunteering time that I hadn’t heard was mandatory before. What I usually hear is, if you cannot give money because of poverty, you can give time instead.

 

[Tis_Bearself]

I don’t think anyone is saying it’s “mandatory” for you to volunteer at your parish. Most good Catholics who are rooted in a parish do end up naturally finding some way they can help or meet a need.

I’ve had times in my life when I did some volunteer work for the parish church, Catholic school or local charity, with varying levels of satisfaction in the outcome. (Not every volunteer program is well organized or managed, and sometimes the people in charge of running it have an agenda or other issues that make it hard to work with them.) Right now I’m in a position where it would be very difficult for me to sign up as a volunteer for anything due to my schedule and other demands on my time, and I expect this situation to continue for some years. I don’t feel like I’m violating any Church rule by not volunteering if I can’t reliably serve.

If you are in a position where you think you can give a little time to a need the Church has, then be cognizant and do it. It could be as simple as getting asked to help move some chairs or stuff some bulletins at the church after Mass (one of the parishes I attend often asks the daily Mass goers to help with these chores). If you aren’t in that position for whatever reason, don’t sweat it. It’s not like everybody is expected to give 2 hours a week. One person who’s retired might have 20 hours to give while somebody else who has a job, family responsibilities, an illness etc might give 0.

 

[ShrodingersCat]

That makes a lot of sense, thanks

 

[TheLittleLady]

I also find it strange that I need to commit to a parish just so I can volunteer for the church, when I’d only be doing it reluctantly out of a sense of obligation

What do you mean by “commit to a parish”?

You are a member of a parish based on where you live, just like you live inside a county or state or Provence, you live inside a parish boundary.

You might attend another parish, but, you already have a home parish.

 

[ShrodingersCat]

I mean commit to attending that one every week. The one I live in has a church that is further away and a mass time that suits less than the one I usually attend.