collection basket

Rubens Peale - American, 1784 - 1865
Still Life Number 26: Silver Basket of Fruit,
1855-1856
American Painting
Oil on tin13 in. x 19 in. (33.02 cm x 48.26 cm)

question o' the day that will make some of you stay and some of you leave, turn on that heel and go in the other direction: do you tithe?

tithe? what does that mean? in part,

The Church looked on this payment as "of divine law, since tithes were instituted not by man but by the Lord Himself" (C. 14, X de decim. III, 30)

as per the Catholic Encyclopedia. the entire source is linked in the word tithe, above.

so what does this mean to you and me? my particular parish requests not the 10%, but only 5% of our earnings be given as our tithe. i guess it's okay for them to make that change, but is it, really?

another wonderful source, complete with back-up Scriptural explanation can be found at Philosophy and Principles of Tithing:

Principles and Philosophy of Tithing: Our Holy Father, Pope John Paul II said: "We cannot stand idly by, enjoying our own riches and freedom if, in any place the Lazarus of the twentieth century [or any century] stands at our doors."

hoo-boy. there's plenty more where that came from :)

question o' the day: do you tithe?

do you not tithe?

why or why not?

i'll be the first to answer. we don't. in fact, as of late, i am wondering if that is why we have not been blessed as we can be in our financial situation. please pray for me as i take this situation to the husband for consideration. we should be giving 10% of our income - pretax dollars - because isn't it God's, anyway? in doing so, would it not force us to be better stewards of God's resources, budgetary and frugality-wise?

your thoughts most welcomed.