How much do I HAVE to Give?

Lent starts tomorrow. Our Lenten practices help us with an inner conversion as we seek to live out our Catholic faith in preparation for the great feast of Easter. It is a time of growing closer to God through prayer, scripture reading, fasting and giving alms.
 
Since Compass Catholic is passionate about teaching the link between faith and finances, we are often asked about giving alms. The most common question is: "How much do I have to give?"
 
People are looking for a very simple answer, as if following a set of technical rules about giving fulfills their obligation to live a Christ-centered life. It reminds me of the Pharisees who were so technical in following the law that they tithed even to the smallest mint leaf. Yet Jesus condemned them because they followed a set of rules, but disregarded justice and the love of God.
 
Many Christian churches teach that tithing is required. In the Old Testament, there were two instances of giving a known amount. In Genesis 14:20, Abraham gave 10 percent — a tithe — after the rescue of his nephew, Lot. In Genesis 28:22, Jacob promised to give the Lord a tenth of all his possessions if God brought him safely through his journey. With the Old Testament Law came the tithe (10%) as the amount the Israelites were required to give.
 
The of danger of tithing is that it can be treated as simply “another bill” to be paid. A further potential danger of tithing is the assumption that once we have tithed, we have fulfilled all our obligations to give.
 
A better way to look at giving is from Tobit 4:7-9, which commends sacrificial giving in proportion to the material blessing we have received. “Give alms from your possessions. If you have great wealth, give alms out of your abundance; if you have but little, distribute even some of that. But do not hesitate to give alms.”  
 
Back to the question...How much do I have to give? The answer from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops may surprise you:
“How much do I have to give? We’re sure that this thought has crossed your mind. The answer is that you don’t have to give anything. As a good steward, you should be asking the question, ‘How much do I want to give?’ The blessing that we have as good stewards is that we are free to give as much as we want. The whole question of giving shouldn’t revolve around the ‘minimum' gift, but on the ‘maximum’ gift. Our gifts should come from our heart and should be an indication of our faith. (Cf. USCCB, “Stewardship – A Disciple’s Response; A Pastoral Letter on Stewardship,” p 67.)
 
Maybe instead of asking "How much of my money do I have to give to God?" The real questions should be "How much of God's money do I need to keep?"
 
We can never out give God – just try!

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