Generosity

I'm a Catholic so the concept of tithing struck me first as odd. 

Tithing, according to Wikipedia, is the voluntary giving of one-tenth of your income to either the church or to charity.

The first encounter I had with this practice was when my parents told me about it. As members of the Couples For Christ, a Catholic lay organization, they practiced this. As for me, I went by the dictum that I am only obligated to give according to what my conscience dictates. Most of the time, my conscience dictated that I be charitable to myself.

I did improve over time, eventually resolving to give at least Php 100.00 every time I go to mass. But still, since I've started working, giving one-tenth of my pay is something I only think about. 

Last Friday, during a prayer meeting with the Lingkod Ng Panginoon community, we had a talk about Christian giving. It was probably apt considering the recent havoc created by the typhoon Yolanda and the accompanying call for material relief. In the talk, our speaker mentioned tithes (which are also known, in other cases, as pledges, love offerings, etc.). The sharers in turn talked about how generosity begets more generosity from God (The classic incentive to giving which I frown upon. Simply put, you don't give simply because you want to receive more in return. That's narcissistic motivation, not Christian charity).

What did touch me with that talk was the mention of Catholic couples who adhere strictly to this practice despite the many priorities that hound their paychecks. The question there was: if they can do it, why can't I? 

I may be responding to the call for tithes in the wrong way but now I'm challenged to start practicing it. Basically, I'm doing it because I want to prove that, hey, I can be prudent enough in managing my finances so that I can give tithes and be more generous. 

Perhaps, by doing so, I'll be a better Christian and learn another thing or two about my faith.