Tithing our salaries

by Letters Editor · Published October 20, 2011 · Updated October 14, 2011

From R Auret, Thornville, KZN

Some weeks ago our parish had the parish finance figures shown to us. The picture was not pretty, unless one likes downward slopes.

Our parish is not a small one and seems to be well attended, certainly on Sundays and, judging by the number of elegant and expensive motor cars parked outside the grounds, has members who can well afford to donate generously to the well-being of the parish (unless of course, the cars have all been purchased on credit, the curse of modern finance).

We listened to the sermon with the usual feeling that the Church is always asking for money. We heard how good it was with the Protestant churches whose members tithed, the implication being that we too should pay tithes as instructed by the Bible.

How does one estimate one�s income to be able to fulfil the requirements of tithing? After taxes in various forms, huge Catholic school fees, enormous medical bills, high transport costs, exorbitant food bills and so on, not much is left to tithe. If we tithed on our salaries and other incomes, there would be very little, if anything to live on.

Times have changed, though not for the better. There are wars throughout the world, political violence and drug wars. There are droughts and floods. All these add up to mass hunger, pain and disease, all requiring attention and assistance.

Among the major care-givers are members of the Catholic Church, the nuns, priests and even lay people. They need the support of prayers and finance.

We need to assess our attitudes to Church support and how it is spent. Christianity relates more to giving than to getting.