Homily originally presented March 2, 2019
Tithe to the Church!
Here in Football country, the initials TD are very familiar to most people ...
since they’re used for like 6 months in row.
And those initials often bring a smile when they refer to ...
a Touch Down for our team.
Well, the initials TD can also designate something else ...
something that we refer to just once a year ...
something that brings a grimace to everyone instead of a smile ...
namely Tax Day.
Yes, Accountants know that day well as they will be working hard over the next 6 weeks to be sure all Federal & State Income Tax Returns are filed by the due date
April 15th ... Tax Day !
And so I, myself and I’m sure most of you will be gathering your forms & receipts together and writing a check if necessary ... to do what the Government expects ...
which is to pay your Taxes on time.
It’s a happy day when we get a refund.
It’s a sad day when still owe more money.
But everyone participates in paying taxes.
We live in the greatest country in the world and living here comes at a price.
We as citizens pay a portion of our income to the Federal and State Government to provide us with many important services such as our National Defense, Public Education, Medicare, State & Interstate Roads, National Parks, and many others.
We don’t like paying Income Taxes ... but we can understand why we need to.
We benefit from many wonderful services ... and there’s a cost to keeping them.
Given that, I hope you’ll appreciate the similarity between:
paying taxes to the Government ... and
paying tithes to the Church.
We the Parishioners of Holy Spirit Church / St. John Church gather in some of
the most beautiful Churches in the land and gathering here comes at a price.
We as parishioners pay a portion of our income to the Church for the operation and maintenance of our facilities ... and to provide many important services such
as Daily Mass, Sunday Mass, Sunday School, Sacramental Preparation, RCIA, Outreach, Adult Education, Adult Retreats, Youth Retreats and much more.
What’s different here is that no annual bill is calculated and due on Tithe Day.
Rather, a collection is taken up as we gather each week, and the expectation is ... that all people would know and honor the proper amount to contribute ...
based on the rate that was established long ago ... by God.
The rate is called a tithe ... which means ... “one tenth of a person’s income.”
Yes, as soon as God created the First Family, He ordained that all people would express their gratitude to Him for blessings received ... by giving back to Him ...
the first tenth ... the first 10% ... of the income that they received.
We hear of this in Genesis where Able gives of his flocks and Cain of his crops.
While everything belongs to God,
He asks for the first 10% of our income to be offered to Him!
That means that we get to keep ... the remaining 90%!
This idea of a fixed tithing rate for all people is very fair ...
because it insures that both the rich and the poor pay at the same rate.
You know, on occasion I hear people say, “I can’t tithe; I make too much money!”
Or some say, “I can’t tithe; I make too little money!” Well 10% is 10% ...
it’s not related to how much you make ... the same rate applies to all.
We’re all familiar with the Sales Tax that we pay on everything we buy.
If you buy a Big Mac combo meal for $5 ... you pay .50 cents in Sales Tax.
If you buy a new Chevy Pickup for $50,000 ... you pay $5,000 in Sales Tax.
The amount is different ... but the ratio is the same!
And so it is with our Tithe to God.
The guy who makes $12,000/a year would pay $1,200 in tithe.
While the guy who makes $120,000/a year would pay $12,000 in tithe!
One pays more money ... but both pay at the same rate of 10%.
So, whether you make a lot of money or just a little money ...
each person pays the same rate of return to God through His Church.
The Government doesn’t make distinctions in Tax; the rate is the same for everyone.
And God doesn’t make distinctions in Tithe; the rate is the same for everyone.
Sometimes too, I hear people say , “I can’t tithe; I’m on a fixed income.”
Well, you know what ... most people are on a fixed income!
Back in my days in Sales, I had a variable income ...
that would go up and down depending on bonuses and sales commissions.
But most working people have a steady salary or a steady number of hours each wk.
So, most people are on a fixed income.
If you’re retired & your Pension or your Social Security or your Retirement Fund pays you $1,000 a month or $1,600 a month or $2,000 a month ... that’s income!
You may call it fixed income ... but it’s income.
Where would you be without it?
Well,
God expects you to pay a tithe on your income ... whether it’s fixed or variable.
He says so in His Book ... the Holy Bible.
I myself am on a fixed income!
I make $19,000 / year. It’s fixed ... I get the same pay... year after year.
But because I receive income, I’m accountable to God to pay a tithe on that income.
And I do!
Tithing does 2 very important things:
- It enables us to show our gratitude to God ... in a tangible way ...
for His countless blessings,
- It’s like sending a Thank You note for the gifts you’ve received.
- It enables His Church to sustain itself and to grow.
- For just like your home, it takes money to run each parish Church.
For those of you who are new to our Parish or just visiting ...
realize that I only talk about money on 2 of 52 weeks per year:
Once in Mar. - to remind everyone of their duty to support this Parish financially,
Then in Sept. – to invite people to give alms to help the needy in Catholic Charities.
So today is my annual reminder about Tithing.
Tithing is not my plan … it’s God’s plan! It’s mentioned 46 times in the Bible!
For example, God says in the Book of Deuteronomy,
“No one shall appear before the Lord empty-handed,
but each of you with as much as he can give,
in proportion to the blessings which the Lord, your God, has bestowed on you.”
Whether you earn your wages using your hands as a Laborer,
or using your brains as a Business Professional,
it’s only possible because God has gifted you with those things.
Your talents and abilities are a huge gift from God.
- You honor Him when you use them for good purposes.
- And you thank Him when you give Him back the first fruits of your labors.
While many of us who grew up Catholic may not have heard Tithing preached in the past, it has always been the method that God established to support His Church.
Our Protestant brothers and sisters understand Tithing well and follow it closely. The large brick churches that they erect with Parish Life Centers, and Ball Fields are a testimony to their members giving at the level that God established.
The Catholic Church doesn’t hold tithing as a requirement for attending or participating ... so the weight of following God’s plan is on each individual person.
The American Bishops suggest the following plan for Tithing.
Give 5% to your Parish, and 5% to the Charities of your choice.
Figuring out the correct contribution to our Church is very simple ...
just take your Gross Income from last year and calculate 5% of that number, and divide that by 52 weeks and you have your weekly donation to the Church ... and
your weekly donation to the Charities of your choice.
Then you’re giving as God asks you to give.
And you get to keep the other 90%!
God calls us to Tithe …
it’s His plan for how we are to take care of the needs of His Church.
Tithe does not mean donation … tithe means tenth!
God was very clear on how much He wants us to give back to Him in thanksgiving.
He says, “Give me back the first fruits of your labors, the first 10%.”
We need to be united in our support of this Church and I’m right there with you!
I tithe to the Church every week. You see, I’m under the same command as you …
to give back to God the first fruits of my income.
Actually, I’ve registered with “WeShare” on-line giving so that
my Tithe is automatically taken out of my bank account ...
and I don’t have to be bothered with writing a check or carrying cash.
I hope you will explore this method for yourself;
You can sign up right there on our Holy Spirit Web Page.
In the Book of Malachi, God says, “bring the whole tithe” into the Church?
He goes on, “Try me in this: Shall I not open for you the floodgates of heaven,
to pour down blessing upon you without measure?”
See, when you tithe, God comes right back and dispenses more blessings on you.
God will not be outdone in generosity. He will lavish us with even more blessings.
We thank Him ... and He blesses us ... for thanking Him!
My request is that after hearing these ideas, you will take God’s call to tithe
to heart and to prayer and consider how you will participate in the weeks ahead.
This week all Parishioners will receive a letter from me ...
outlining many of our Parish expenses ...
and asking you to fill out a 2019 Pledge card.
Please bring it to Mass next week and place it in the Collection Basket ...
or mail it in or bring it to the Office.
Tithing is not dependent on whether you like
the Church, the Priest, the homilies, the singing, or the people.
Tithing is based on God’s command to give Him back the first fruits of our labors.
All of you who have been contributing to this Church, I thank you sincerely.
For those who have been Tithing ... please continue.
For those who have not been Tithing ... please begin.
Let’s all follow God’s Plan ...
making every Sunday .. a TD ... a Thanksgiving Day!
God will be so pleased ... and we will be so blessed!
Not included!
Let me give you an example of how Tithing could come right back to help us as a Church Community. I took the 300 families of SEAS and the 100 families of SH and estimated an avg. annual income for those households of 30,000 = $12 Million
If each family gave 5% to the Church we’d have $600,000 in Tithes which means we could pay all our bills ... and ... send all of our kids to Catholic School Tuition free!
And if our families gave 8% to the Church we’d have $960,000 inTithes which means we could send all of our kids to Catholic High School Tuition Free!
Do you need another good reason to tithe?
Please pray and fill out your Pledge Card and bring it to Mass next week,
where you will bring forward and place it at the Altar your Pledge for 2016!
Please show only the amount that you will give to this parish. (not to Charities)
Realize that by Canon Law, all Catholics are required to be registered in a Parish Church. There are New Parishioner forms available. Please do this.
Here is how the money that you tithe to this Parish is used:
- Operational Expenses: staff, bulletin, printing, utilities, maintenance
- Program Expenses: RCIA, PSR, Adult ED, Retreats, Missions.
- Savings for future needs:
- New buildings, structures, equipment, repairs
You don’t need to worry about how we use your tithe.
We have a Parish Council and a Finance Council to oversee our spending
I’m more careful with your money than I am with my own.
God is the giver of all that we have and are. He gives us our life, our health, our faith, our intellect, our abilities, our jobs and He asks for us to demonstrate our gratitude by giving Him 10% of what we earn … and we get to keep 90%.
The weekly collection is an important part of the Mass because ...
it’s where we fulfill God’s plan for funding His Church.
Please come to Mass and please give your part in the Collection.
Another benefit of the 5% 5% split is that it leaves room for those 6 second collections that we know are coming through the year for things like:
Home Missions, Propagation of the Faith, Church in Latin America, etc
Contributions to those needs can easily come out of the 5% set aside for charities.
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