We give thanks through prayer and by our offering at Mass. As members of the Church, where we receive the Sacraments of eternal life, we participate in the Church’s offering by giving our gift to the Church. We call it our tithe. Our tithe is generally defined as, “the tenth part of the increase arising from profits of land and stock” (a tenth of our income before taxes).
Do we prioritize the Lord in our lives? Meaning, does He come first in everything we do?
Because the Lord is at the center of our lives, we can think of the tithe as coming from the “first fruits” of what we have received from God, and not what is left over at the end... One guideline would be to give 5% of our income to our parish, 3% to the Diocese (e.g., Catholic Services Appeal), and 2% to second collections and other charities.
Below is a tool to help us calculate our financial giving.