Sacred Heart of Jesus

GUIDELINES FOR TITHING

What is Tithing?

Tithing refers to the custom of giving back to God the first 10% of what we receive as a offering, giving God His due.

Why Tithe?

Tithing is mentioned in the Old and New Testaments.

In the Old Testament, giving God “the first fruits” is an act of recognizing that all we have is a gift from God; and giving Him the first tenth of what we make, earn, or receive is a biblical way of being reminded constantly about Who it is that is the source of all of our blessings. We give back to the Lord because God laid it down in the Law that tithing is God’s way for us to recognize our obligations before Him.

In the New Testament, Jesus presumes that everyone tithes and asks us to “go the extra mile” and to give without counting the cost. Remember the story of the widow’s mite, “who gave everything she had to live on, even her last penny.”

The Old Testament lays upon us our obligation; and the New Testament offers us a freedom so that we not live in fear but rather tust in the Providence of God who has every hair of your head numbered.

How do we Tithe?

We tithe by giving back to God a full 10% of what comes to us in terms of time, talent and treasure.

We tithe with our time by being someone who gives generously of our time for the well-being of others: taking care of a needy relative or friend, visiting the sick, caring for the poor, volunteering in any service to others, especially for the sake of the poor, or volunteering in our local parish.

We tithe with our talent by contributing the skill we each have in our own unique way for the good of others. “Whenever you did it for one of these least ones, you did it for Me.” Some are skilled in finances, others are skilled in manual labor, others are skilled in organizing, and others are skilled in listening. Offering these talents to a parish, a school, a nursing hom, a cvic organization are all ways to be generous with our talent.

We tithe with our treasure by giving 10% of our income, with this suggestion: give to our local parish 5% of our income; give 1% to the Archdiocesen Annual Appeal, and give 4% to other charities that we find appealing.

What are the Rewards of Tithing?

“God cannot be outdone in generosity,” Scripture says. So, when we tithe we learn how to live without fear, how to trust in God’s providence, how to become more loving, and how to be more content. Most people who genuinely tithe experience this: that what we give to God comes back to us tenfold.