Do you give money to your Church? If you do, how and why do you do so? What is your motivation?
Some people give money to their Church from their hearts. Others do it as a public show, to attract public acclaim. Some do not give it; and advance all types of excuses for their action.
The issue of tithing or giving money to the church has never been an easy one to discuss. It has raised a lot of dust. It is a controversial subject on which much ink has been spilled.
It interests me to know your take on this thorny matter. Are you for or against offering money to the Church? And what reasons do you advance for the position you have taken.
I have come across people to whom giving money to the church is throwing away valuable income.
They say money is precious and hard-to-earn currency that should be jealously guarded and preserved for themselves and their families.
They hold and say giving money to the Church is a way to swell the bank accounts of Church leaders and make them feed fat on the sweat of others.
I do not deny that many Church authorities have swollen jaws and smooth faces, reflective of good living.
But I don’t buy the idea that money should not be given to the Church. I don’t feel comfortable with it. Unfortunately, this school of thought seems to be gaining grounds in Christian milieus. I actually see it winning more adherents and the spread is more or less like a wildfire among Christians.
You find people who actually resist coming out during offertory on Sundays to chip in their widow’s mite for the spread of the gospel and the upkeep of the Church.
When at all they do it, it is more to throw dust in the public eye. What they put in is minimal.
Of course, at the other extreme of the spectrum, there are magnanimous individuals who give to the church with joy and generosity.
To them, all they have is a gift of God’s grace and hence, it is only but fair to give back to him some of what has been received as a way of gratitude.
This is wisdom. When we give alms during offertory in Church, we are offering to the one who has offered us so much. Our alms are needed for the work of evangelization. God has commanded us to take the gospel to all the corners of the earth. This needs money. The Church needs money for its buildings, for it to function. The pastor or priest needs money for his upkeep to do the best work for God. And the Church is not an income-generating or commercial enterprise. Where then will such money come from?
Giving of alms and other donations to the Church is one way God wants the lay faithful to contribute to the building of God’s kingdom on earth.
Both the New and the Old Testaments are replete with verses that exhort us to give cheerfully to the Lord, for God loves a cheerful giver.
It is proper for us to give money and other gifts to our Church. In fact, it is compulsory except we do not truly believe the faith we profess. One cannot be a serious Christian and expect the work of evangelization to triumph and not contribute for it to do so.
Give money to your Church. Give generously. You will be rewarded as you give.
