“The soul that is attached to anything however much good there may be in it, will not arrive at the liberty of divine union. For whether it be a strong wire rope or a slender and delicate thread that holds the bird, it matters not, if it really holds it fast; for, until the cord be broken the bird cannot fly.” St. John of the Cross
Last year my oldest brother, Tom, told me that one of the most important decisions he and his wife made shortly after getting married was to tithe. He realized his strong attachment to material things, and foreseeing a fairly lucrative career ahead as a top engineer for General Motors, he started giving 10% of his pay check to charities. He wanted to keep it simple and develop a habit of being generous. Twenty seven years later, he is still happily married, and on his way to becoming a permanent deacon. Tom is a man who has found his treasure in Christ and in his family. Tithing truly is a way of life!
My question is for Father. My husband lost his job a year and a half ago, when a private Catholic school closed, here in St. Louis. He has not been able to find a job in his field, and now works three part time jobs, yet our income is only half of what it used to be. Since certain things were in place, before he lost his job, such as house payments, and all the cost that goes into owning a home, and a small car payment, if we did give 10% it would makes things very difficult, and in fact I am not sure we can actually do that.
We give every week at church, donate to various charities, and, of late, to political campaigns, for obvious reasons. Should we still give the 10% with faith that all will work out okay?
Thank you.
Judy
Fr Michael sends a response: Prudence is a key virtue and you my need to scale back a bit until things improve. God bless!