What are our moral obligations when giving to others?

[ADF081305]

I spoke with a priest about what tithing really is and if it would be okay to hold aside half of my tithe amount to help those in need around me (e.g., a family member, an organization) and give the other half to the Church. It was approved that I do this, but my wife and I have had some disagreement over to whom and how it should be given.

What should we expect from those to whom we give (if anything)? Can we expect that they use the charity in a certain way? If they don’t use it in the way in which we envisioned should we say something or not give again? What are we called to do? I know we shouldn’t judge others, but do we have an obligation to give responsibly, I would think (e.g., we shouldn’t give to an organization that we know supports Planned Parenthood, etc.).

 

[Michelle_Arnold]

A priest once told me that, at the end of life, God doesn’t ask us what was done with money we gave to those in need, but rather whether we could give and did so. While this doesn’t mean that reasonable care shouldn’t be taken to avoid giving to those who have proven themselves irresponsible and apathetic about the irresponsibility, not to mention agencies that use resources for evil purposes, it does mean that our first responsibility is to give what we can and not scruple unnecessarily over how it is used. One of my favorite illustrations of this point is a scene from the movie Becket, in which St. Thomas Becket gives a blanket to a seedy-looking beggar. His aide complains that the man will just trade the blanket for alcohol. St. Thomas shrugs and says, “Either way, he’ll be warm.”