A reader writes:
I have another question about tithing in the Catholic Church? Is there any teaching of the Church or in Canon Law, that recommends how much Catholics are to give financially out of their income, to support the Church? Take for example, if one makes 45,000/year, what would be a reasonable amount to give in terms of every Sunday at collection?
Okay, first let me clear away a potential linguistic issue.
Tithing is a word that many people abuse, using it to refer to regular giving to the Church in any amount. That’s not what tithing is. Tithing is giving ten percent of something. That’s what the word "tithe" means–a tenth. So if a person isn’t giving ten percent of something then he’s not tithing. He’s giving, but he’s not tithing.
Now, tithing was required under the Old Law, and the Old Testament laws regarding tithing were rather complex (and somewhat unclear, at least from our latter-day perspective).
We, however, are not under the Old Law, and Christ chose not to repeat the law of tithing as part of the New Law. Instead, we are simply encouraged to give according to our means.
How much we are to give is not something that canon law presently specifies. It’s very general on this question, saying:
Can. 1262 The
faithful are to give support to the Church by responding to appeals and
according to the norms issued by the conference of bishops.
The U.S. conference of bishops also didn’t get any more specific on this. This relevant complementary norm says:
The National Conference of Catholic Bishops authorizes diocesan bishops
to establish norms for Church support by the faithful for their own
dioceses [SOURCE].
And my impression is that most bishops leave it pretty general, too, though I have heard suggested guidelines like giving one or two percent of your annual income for most parishioners, perhaps in the form of one percent ot the Church and one percent to other charities.
That level is calibrated to be within the reach of almost everyone. Many people will be able to give much more than that.
It’s really hard to give a one-size-fits-all rule here, because the economic conditions of different people vary widely. A family with several children and medical bills is likely not as able to give the same percent of their income as a single person with no children, good health, and a good-paying job.
What God is ultimately concerned about is whether we are cultivating the virtue of generosity with our giving, and generosity involves some degree of going out of our way to do something to help others. This suggests that, whatever level is appropriate for us to give, it should be a level where we feel its financial impact in some way. We shouldn’t give so much that we harm our selves or those to whom we have obligations (e.g., by giving so much that we fail to provide a decent education for our children and a decent retirement for ourselves if we have the ability to afford these things), but it should be enough that we in some way feel the financial impact.
Another piece of advice here is to start small and ratchet up the amount you give. You might want to start with a one percent figure and then adjust it upward over time until you find a good level that fits your overall finances.
You may also wish to talk to your diocese’s stewardship office (every diocese has one, and there’s likely a stewardship page on your diocesan web site) to see if your bishop has further guidelines.
So: Wish I could give you a specific number, but I hope this helps!
One thing is to pray about a starting point. Then if called by God as I was to increase your giving by the amount of raise you get each year. So if you are currently giving say 5% of your gross income and you get a 10% raise (to keep the math easy) then the following year you would raise your giving amount by 10% or to 5.5% total. Pray…pray…pray…and you won’t be sorry for following God in this!
One thing is to pray about a starting point.
I did that with alms to the poor…..be careful what you ask for. God just might answer you. 😉
Note also that tithing was in existence before income taxes were. Some of your income taxes go, ostensibly, to help the weak and the poor.
Vaguely related: anybody know what’s up with a “stewardship” parish? My home parish has all these legalistic regulations about fundraising because we call ourselves a “stewardship” parish.
Forgive my ignorance about the tax system in your part of the world, but over here in England, all our charitable contributions are tax refunded where the contributer is in paid employment.
I think the current figure is 28% in the pound. Effectively then for an average weekly donation of say £10.00, the Church can claim a £2.80 tax refund on top of that, ie £28 for every £100. That’s a whole lot more giving without any extra expenditure from the pocket of the parishoner!
Perhaps this point is moot as I’m a Brit, but felt it worth mentioning as even over here people are slow to catch on, and all it it takes is a name and address, or if you are known by name to your parish, your signature will suffice.
For those in less affluent circumstances it’s important to remember that tithing can be done by way of giving time and talents to the Church (and other *charitable causes also)…I know that sometimes that’s pretty much all I have to give.
Maybe we could help out at church events, visit the elderly and housebound or if we have a particular talent or creativity, offer it for the good of the Church.
God Bless.
*I’m thinking of Tobit burying the dead for some reason – I know that it’s not likely that we will have to do something like that though – must be my recent reading of the book that bought it to mind!
Anyone else here ever read “Happy Are You Poor” by Fr. Thomas Dubay? I just finished it, it’s pretty intense, in fact so challenging that I would probably just dismiss it if it wasn’t written by such an awesome author.
He basically distinguishes between destitution and poverty, then says that all Catholics, both lay and religious, are called to voluntary poverty, even though almost no one is living it at the level he seems to define.
If anyone else has read the book, I’d be interested in their thoughts.
I want to add that Fr. Dubay emphasizes that the Gospel calls us to factual poverty, not just detachment from our things, good stewardship, or availability of our time, talent, and resources.
Can I get a second opinion?
I simply want to encourage the anonymous questioner because (s)he clearly wants to honor God in his or her giving. I would also like to suggest that we look at biblical principles about God’s blessings and our responsibility to use them wisely. It is very easy in our culuture to slip into crass consumerism, buying luxury item after luxury item while our parishes or vital apostolates struggle along. I believe it is a noble goal to actually tithe (ie. 10%). Just think, you get to keep the other 90% that God gave you. What a deal!! Between our parishes, Catholic Answers, EWTN, local Catholic radio stations, Priests for Life, etc. etc. etc. there are so many very worthy Catholic organizationas that desperate need contributors.
Quote: “Just think, you get to keep the other 90% that God gave you.”
The IRS (and other state and local tax officials) probably won’t be too happy if you try to keep that ENTIRE 90% for yourself… 😉 But you do make a good point nonetheless.
“He basically distinguishes between destitution and poverty, then says that all Catholics, both lay and religious, are called to voluntary poverty, even though almost no one is living it at the level he seems to define.”
RyanHerr,
It sounds like Father Dubay might be exaggerating, or could be misinterpreted in an overly perfectionistic way. Yes, voluntary poverty is a good, but it is not precisely obligatory for everybody. As I understand it, voluntary poverty is typically classed as a “counsel of perfection”, after the words Our Lord spoke to the rich young man who had many things: “if you would be perfect…” sell everything and give it to the poor. A counsel is not a requirement.
Those who seek that kind of perfection are to be admired and praised for their sanctity, but I don’t believe Catholic ethics requires such poverty. You might have heard of the heresiarch Pelagius, who seemed to require every Christian to be a monk. One of his sayings was “since perfection is possible, it is obligatory,” and I think that sentiment exhibits a greatly dangerous rigorism.
During our annual Pastoral Services Appeal (PSA), our parish and/or diocese suggests one hour’s wage a week to the parish (~ 2.5%) and one hours wage a month (~ 0.6%) to the diocese, with a matching one hour wage to the charity(ies) of your choice. Pretty much doable.
Kevin Jones, those who seek perfection are Saints. Pelagians are those who (like myself all too often) become confused about Who is the Source and Summit of perfection.
Here’s a humorous memoir excerpt about modern Pelagianism, in time for Lent.
In my country, the conference of bishops says 1%.
In the Archdiocese of Atlanta, the recommended giving is 10%, divided as follows: 5% to parish, 1% to archdiocesan annual fund, 4% to charities of choice. For many Catholics here, that is quite within reach.
Being a recovering Protestant I was trained to always give 10% as it was the Biblical prescription. So that has kinda carried over into my Catholic life.
I would disagree with the concept of starting small and ratcheting up; it’s common wisdom that you can afford what’s important to you. I would be more inclined to start small and adjust downwards if you’re stretched too thin.
Obviously, one should never place one’s family in jeopardy. There is also no point in trying to impress God or your priest or your neighbour in the pew.
There’s an urban legend in Protestant circles about a guy who give 90% to his church and lives off the remaining 10%.
What we’ve learned in our family is that God never lets us down when we’re generous with our parish.
“Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s” seems to be an indication that tax doesn’t necessarily need to be figured in, since it’s not yours, so I’d start from one’s after-tax dollars and see where one gets. In retrospect, I think I came close to 7-8% aftertax last year, but I wasn’t really trying: I think I’ll do a little better this year. I also intend to donate a little time to charity work as well.
Note that the line ‘I pay tithes on my whole income’ from the Pharisee in Luke 18, which seems to imply he is somehow going above and beyond the requisite tithe, and counterpoint it with “Woe to you Pharisees! You pay tithes of mint and of rue and of every garden herb, but you pay no attention to judgment and to love for God. These you should have done, without overlooking the others.” In another place, after the above “Blind guides, who strain out the gnat and swallow the camel!”
So, I agree that we should be heading towards 10%, I think it can be 10% after-tax, but maybe we should also pay more attention to judgment and our love for God than we do, too.
“In the Archdiocese of Atlanta, the recommended giving is 10%, divided as follows: 5% to parish, 1% to archdiocesan annual fund, 4% to charities of choice.”
We are encouraged in our parish, in the Omaha Archdiocese, to do the same.
“Between our parishes, Catholic Answers, EWTN, local Catholic radio stations, Priests for Life, etc. etc. etc. there are so many very worthy Catholic organizationas that desperate need contributors.”
I strongly echo this, Doug.
In fact, I was hoping Jimmy would hit this home a little more. Sure, the Church only requires a general, non-specific guide on this one. But consider this:
The Church only requires us to receive communion once a year as well. I’m sure all of us would agree that the vast majority of faithful Catholics far surpass this Church requirement. Most of us would feel somewhat uncomfortable if we were to willingly only attend Mass and confession once a year.
As an educated guess I would comment that we here discussing this are probably called by God to attend these beautiful sacraments much, much more often than what the Church actually requires.
Then why do we seem so comfortable to just pass by with the bare minimum on our giving to the Church? Why is it that Catholics are some of the least-giving Christians? With all that Holy Mother Church gives to us – freely and abundantly – my feeling is that we aught respond with more.
And more means sacrifice. It means doing something we might not want to do. To quote Mother Theresa of Calcutta, “Sacrafice, to be real, must cost, must hurt, must empty us of ourselves.”
“We shouldn’t give so much that we harm our selves or those to whom we have obligations (e.g., by giving so much that we fail to provide a decent education for our children and a decent retirement for ourselves if we have the ability to afford these things), but it should be enough that we in some way feel the financial impact.”
Jimmy, I really disagree with you on this one.
First, I feel that God calls us all to the tithe, the noble and very attainable goal of living off 90% of what God gives you.
I think the 10% tithe should, at times, impair our ability to save for retirement, save for education, it can and should at times cause us to really suffer. God forgive me the day my ROTH IRA comes before those who would not eat a meal this day, or I fail to understand that the most important education my children can receive is far distant from a University classroom. These things are important, yes, I know. So important that my family uses some of our 90% to save for them.
As Americans this is such an adverse idea, yet I’m convinced that Gospel poverty sometimes means just the basics – food & shelter – St. Francis’ beloved “Lady Poverty.” To be poor is to truly rely on God for what we need and trusting that He will always provide.
Let’s face it folks – we’re sitting here, typing away on our computers, chatting with each other from thousands of miles away at our leisure – we are affluent, it’s plain and simple. Give 10% without exception and I promise you your soul will rejoice.
Having read “Blessed Are The Poor” I will add that the view is not exagerated. Father Dubay tries over and over again to distinguish between poverty and destitution. I don’t remember if this was an example from the book, but I considered eating bread for lunch for a few months (I know, Rule #21: High Carb violation.) While this wouldn’t make me destitute, it would allow me to impoverish myself. There are certainly degrees of holy poverty. The author cites St. Francis during Lent eating only half a loaf of bread as an example on the far end of the spectrum. The book is very modest in its recommendations, but it is still a very beautiful book.
When we were a struggling young couple with three small children, we felt called to change our 2% to 10% and did it in one fell swoop. That was scary–but only the first time. We’ve never missed the money. We always have enough for what we need, and then some. You can’t outdo God in generosity. I would recommend 10% (most of it to your parish, some to the dioceses, and some to other charities) to everyone. You will be amazed at what God will do in your life.
Don’t forget Peter’s Pence, the Pope’s discretionary fund, to which you can contribute online. It is **NOT** used to run the Vatican City State, but on THAT topic, if any misguided friends or relatives start complaining about the “rich” Vatican bureaucracy, they should get the facts (I know George Weigel has them somewhere): apparently the Vatican’s budget is smaller than Notre Dame University’s, for a billion Catholics, and the employment figures are – relatively speaking – miniscule.
I’m really glad to hear about the lower norms. I’ve always wanted to give money, but I didn’t think I could afford ten percent to the church on top of what I already gave to charity. So mostly I just feel guilty and worried about it and never give anything, unless I happen to have some money on me when people are asking. (Usually I take this as a sign that I should give that money, as I usually don’t walk around with any money on me besides bus fare! Unfortunately, this tends to mean that when I actually get some real amount of money in the account, it goes away, too….) But I could probably do these kinds of amounts.
Re: taxes in the US
If you do certain kinds of tax forms (the 1040EZ, which I use, especially since I can call it in over the telephone), you don’t get to take off charitable donations. But quite frankly, the savings in time, aggravation, and worry are well worth not being able to deduct.
This is how I would answer the original poster’s question:
Our parish recommends the same formula shared above by someone from Atlanta:
5% to your parish – which would be $43 weekly or $186 monthly (a total of $2,236 annually).
1% to your diocese
4% (in combination) to any charities you choose.
Note that a household following this formula would actually BE tithing (a true 10%).
The term we use to describe regular support of the parish is Sacrificial Giving. We use a three fold approach with every new household to our parish:
1. First, we ask them to make a committment of prayer, that is, that they will attend the Eucharist weekly and Penance regularly. To pray before meals, etc.
2. We ask them to make a committment of sharing their time and talent with the parish family. To join at least one committee, ministry or group. For instance, Perpetual Adoration, serve as an usher at Masses or serve on a committee. Those who are homebound are asked to pray regularly for our parish and school as their committment of time and talent.
3. We ask them to make a committment of sacrificial giving. Even starting at 1% is fine for those who have never given regularly to the Church. We have a chart that shows weekly equivalents from 1%-%5 in half percent increments. It’s easy for them to identify a suggested place to start. Additionally, we do offer ACH for automatic withdrawal each month, which is quite popular with younger members of the parish.
God bless you all,
Deacon Chris
though I have heard suggested guidelines like giving one or two percent of your annual income for most parishioners, perhaps in the form of one percent ot the Church and one percent to other charities
One to two percent!?!?! In the richest country in the history of mankind!?!?! I’m sorry, but that’s pitiful.
Before anyone objects to my strong language, I fully realize that there are some people in this country unable to give at least 10%. But I’ve heard so many people tell me that they have little money to give, and I see they drive a brand-new SUV, have a very large house, and their kids have enough toys and other “stuff” to fill a warehouse. Hmmm……
Also, I have read Fr. Dubay’s book, and I really enjoyed it. And it is as radical (to us rich Americans) as it as been described in previous posts. I think Fr. Dubay is trying to remind us Christians that we can live on so much less than we think we can, and our dependence on material goods truly hurts our spiritual life. It is extremely hard to be “poor in spirit” (which we all are called to be) when we are “rich in possessions”. I remember something about a camel and the eye of a needle…
So does Father Dubay hold this “life of poverty” to be the same as a sacrificial and ascetic, albeit non-monastic, life? Or am I missing something?
So does Father Dubay hold this “life of poverty” to be the same as a sacrificial and ascetic, albeit non-monastic, life? Or am I missing something?
It’s been a few years since I read the book, so I hope I’m not confusing it with others, but yes, that is what he is advocating: that all Christians are called to a sacrificial and ascetical life. This does not mean monasticism, nor does it mean destitution. It does mean, however, living “without” – without the possessions that will surely control even the best of us. We should strive to simply own what we truly need, not just what we want. He is not advocating feeding our kids scraps, nor even not saving for our kids’ education. He IS advocating, however, that we realize how much un-needed “stuff” we have, and how much it separates us from a deep, intimate union with Christ. In America today, that is especially needed advice.
Maybe I’m confused on this topic, but it has been in my mind lately. Do you all mind if I give a concrete example? Mind you, I don’t know if it’s “right,” but I often wish I could see inside someone’s head how they make their decisions.
We just raised our level of giving to the church after successfully paying off our credit cards and saving six months salary. It didn’t happen overnight. To accomplish this goal I used a lot of household economic (tightwad) strategies that limit what we can buy for our personal gratification. We just had our second baby. We were very fortunate in that we didn’t have any financial “setbacks” like cars blowing up or kids needing stitches.
However, there is another tier of expenses that we don’t necessarily have control over, things like insurance and taxes and health insurance. I can deny myself when it comes to consumer goods, but these other non-tangible expenses seem both huge and unreasonable in the sense that we have no choice but to pay them. I mention this because recently I took my toddler to the emergency room for something that turned out to be a false alarm. But now the medical bill for the visit looks like it’s going to be over $1,000. That’s a mortgage payment for us. You can’t help but feel robbed and cheated and every other bad feeling in the world. I’d rather give that money to the church–but now I have to pay it to the hospital for something that turned out to be nothing.
How to handle this expense? A friend told me I should apply to the welfare office for aid, but I decline this. We are “comfortable” enough and our savings account is there to handle this kind of stuff, even though it leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I cut up the Costco card and even my Goodwill card and will cancel the credit card that pays our Costco membership “for” us. It never occurred to me to reduce our giving to the church over this. We make about $50,000 plus bonuses and overtime, and we give about $400 a month between the parish, the building fund, catholic charities, and the archdiocese. It still doesn’t equal 10% but I am aggressively saving so that we can move back to be around my husband’s family, have more kids, and maybe he can get a job that lets him be home with us, because he’s gone almost constantly now. I haven’t even touched on the issues of paying for Catholic school, or my husband’s retirement, which is only 25 years away (theoretically).
Sometimes you can only think so far. Money always makes me feel stupid, and I’m always confessing about it. But I have begun a daily prayer life so I don’t worry about this stuff so much. We have so much, it seems, in comparison to poorer countries. It’s true that you really only need shelter and food and safety. But I guess we wouldn’t be very much good for anything beyond that if we didn’t have a modicum of security.
A while back Francis DS had to disambiguate himself from me. Now I guess I have to do the same– I used to post under the name “francis,” but I’ll be “francis 03” from now on. I am not the same person as the fine fellow who made the last few posts by “francis.”
I think you give according to your means. 10% is a reasonable target, but it’s not obligatory and we should be careful about making people feel bad about not giving more if we don’t understand their circumstances very well indeed.
But I disagree at least partly with those who say that “tithing” should be on your after-tax income. If you’re going to shoot for giving a percentage of your income, why should it matter how much the government takes? Should we also adjust for sales tax, and property tax, and just give X% of what’s left after those? What about adjusting for the artifically-inflated prices we might face because of government trade policies? Do we get to “deduct” retirement-plan contributions or health-insurance costs from our giving (after all, for money people these expenditures come straight out of their salaries and that money never shows up on their paycheck)? How far are we going to go with this principle?
It seems to me that it would be much easier to just figure out (1) how much money you make in a year (either from your paycheck stubs, from your contract if you’re salaried, or from your 1040), and (2) what portion of that you feel you can give. Then (3) you divide that in half–half to your parish, the other half to the diocese, Peter’s Pence, and other charities.
If you live in a country where the tax burden changes dramatically every few years, maybe it would be a better idea to just scrap the whole percentage thing and give according to your means.
I want to add that whatever percentage a person decides on is, of course, only a goal– and a goal that can be adjusted or abandoned altogether if circumstances require it.
Let’s just not turn this into one of those “more renunciatory than thou” posts, like the annual Lenten Fast Olympics. I mean, I know some spiritual works advise competing on how much good you can do, but I’m pretty sure they didn’t mean it like that…. 🙂
The problem is that some people find this kind of talk about how much they can possibly give really spiritually rewarding, and some of us really don’t.
Myself, I find it acutely embarrassing to mention money at all, especially money in connection with good works. My mother is a big one for believing that prayer and good works don’t count if you ever say word one about them, much less about how much you’re doing or what other people should do. (And she does have scriptural support for that view.) So I feel like I’m being punished for saying as much as I did!
More than anything it boils down to prayer and being open to God’s will in your life as to what you choose to give. God probably does not call everyone to a true tithe. He may call others to much more. If you put God first in your life he will ask you to risk but never more than you can manage under his care.
I’m not sure whether it’s right or not, but I’ve always thought it appropriate to look at time spent volunteering for charitable causes and money spent helping those in our immediate acquaintance as part of the “tithe requirement”. Obviously one should give cold, hard cash to the parish, too 🙂
Maureen, you’re right. We shouldn’t turn this into a “I give more than you do” discussion. But I do think people need to be challenged. My husband and I were challenged to increase our charitable giving many years ago after hearing someone give a talk about tithing (in the true 10% sense). I marveled at her confidence in God’s ability to provide for her family even as they were making sacrifices to reach a tithing goal. At that point in our marriage, we had no children and the only giving we did was when a charity managed to get us on the phone. We spent zero time thinking about our blessings much less about how to share them. We were guilted into charity (and sometimes that DOES serve a purpose), but we didn’t give out of love for the Lord. I think I was meant to hear that woman’s witness talk at that time. Over the next five years we made a conscious effort to increase our giving. First we started with 2% of our gross income. Next we went up to 4% then 6% then 8% and now we have reached 10-11%. And honestly, each time we increased our giving God DID provide more. Every year my husband would get an unexpected raise or an extra bonus, or stock options and one year a new job with a much more generous salary. Now we give with true joy. We are careful about the charities we give to and we make sure that the money we give is well spent. I am happy to give and since I can’t give much of my time (four small kids, etc…) I give my money. I suspect that as my husband and I get older and the kids leave we’ll have more time than money and then we’ll be donating that.
Again, this is not to say that everyone MUST GIVE 10% or they are not a good Christian. But I know MANY people who don’t drop a single dollar bill in the collection plate or give to any charities because they feel THEY have earned the money and if someone else wants money then THEY can earn it. What a missed opportunity to convert these people with the Gospel message of Christ: “whatever you have done for the least of my brethren, you have done for me.” At least now, I can look at myself in the mirror and know I am doing something, no matter how small.
There is one point about tithing in the NEW TESTAMENT that people are missing.
Click to learn
Why Tithing is wrong
The Puritan Belief website states: “The Puritans are men of God who started in the sixteenth century”. Latecomers to Christianity. The Catholics are people of God who started in the first century.
Interesting update
http://www.cwnews.com/news/viewstory.cfm?recnum=42289
So sorry, wrong combox!
One thing I want to point out is that giving is risky. We lose control when we give. God says he will bless us, but doesn’t say how or when. It can be scary to give, but give anyway.
Give freely…but do not give God the “left-overs!”
Very interesting site I congratulate
I find it worth noting that in the NEW TESTAMENT Hebrews 7- Abraham tithed to Melchezedek- well before the passing down of the law. It seems to me that Abraham did it out of a desire to bless the Lord- Abraham just wanted to do it. I have tithed for many years and I don’t do it because of a commandment- I just do it because I want to- and the Lord has blessed me. I look at tithing as not a command- but a useful spriritual discipline that the Lord can use to train one to keep Him first. I think of Paul’s admonition that God loves a cheerful giver- whatever the amount we’re giving. I think too that if one stays open to God’s prompting, He will challenge us to higher levels in our offerings.
Jimmy,
You are right on the money on this topic! I’m a recent convert to the Catholic Faith from over 20+ years of adult life in various forms of Evangelicalism. Much of the Protestant world, including nearly all Fundamentalists, Pentecostal/Charismatics, and Evangelical Mega-Churchers are incredibly occupied with tithing and for good reason, simply economics in the way of competition for resources between 100’s of differing groups demands it!
Many “Fundamental” and “mega-” churches manifest, in my opinion, some of THE worst sterwardship on God’s earth. Think of the MASSIVE dupication of effort between differing Churches that are often located no more than four or five miles from each other AND in many cases have only minor doctrinal differences. Buliding programs, large salaries paid to ministers and often many staff members to support programs demand a persistent rhythm beaten on the “Tithe drum”. Sacred Scripture can be quoted as a kind of “Carrot and Stick” to promises of 100-fold rewards for those who tithe and intimate curses for those who don’t. In fact, one neo-Pentecostal Pastor I was formerly knew was found of stating, “you have not even begun to give until you have given 10% on the Gross, because the Tithe is already God’s.”
If you leave once of these Chruches after years of faithful tithing what do you take with you? I mean while there, what did you really get (expect for usually Baptism) in the way of sacraments? Certainly not the richness of Holy Mass, no opportunity for infused (as opposed to a “positional” imparted), righteousness actualized through the Sacraments of Reconcilliation and the Holy Eucharist. And, although many an Evangelical preacher can take you “down the Romans road” and tell you “who you are in Christ”, very few Evangelical Bible teachers can, in my observation can even tie the shoes of a good Holy Catholic Priest when it comes to preaching from The Gospels –especially the Synoptics. The very Priests that make <$10,000 per year in most Dioceses on top of their room and board! I have not witnessed such duplication of effort and resources in the Catholic Church that is wholesale in Evangelical Churches. Catholic friends, let us embrace our Lord's "easy yoke and light burden" wholeheartedly. Give what we can within our "station in life" and pray to God for wisdom and frugality so we can give more -especially to benefit efforts to stop Abortion and alleviate human suffering. Thank God that so many Parishes (at least where I live) have 4-6 overflow Masses every weekend as well as Daily Mass, and other events! Opportunities to serve abound in our Catholic Faith! Let us first make a love gift of ourselves to the Lord Jesus Christ and earnestly court the friendship of God in faith for what He would have us to do financially, starting with what we can do, of course without being selfish. Economics favor the Catholic model of Ecclesiology. In my parish there are over 5,000 registered families, and our property and buildings is no more grand than other local "mini-mega churches" that don't have that many total people, including children. There are simply so many of us Catholics, that if we all do our part, The Church will be amply supplied for the great work Christ has given us!
Correction to the above post. Our parish has 10 Masses each weekend, 2 on Saturday evening and 8 on Sunday (including concurrent Masses going on in different places). This is one big way a single Catholic Parish, with a main Church Sanctuary that seats right at 1100 folks (MUCH smaller then most “mini-mega Churches” can serve 1000’s of familes.