Why We Tithe
“Freedom has been the greatest fruit of tithing. It has become a source of joy and peace in our life as we strive to be in the world, but not of it.”
Matt, Naomi, and Kolbe Davis | 2021 Alumni
I (Naomi) grew up with parents and grandparents who gave generously to the church. Every Sunday, us kids looked at Dad expectantly as he passed out dollar bills so that we could skip down the aisle and drop our dollar in Father’s basket. My parents made it clear that 10% of our blessings ought to go back to the Lord, and that we should be generous with our time and talents as well. In college, I continued to tithe. It’s a bit harder to scrape 10% off the top of a meager part time job to give to the Lord, but I will never forget my close friend’s testimony on tithing in college. Paying rent was tight for her. She worked hard, went to school full time, and always gave 10% to the church. She always said, “When we give to the Lord first, we can trust that he will provide for our needs.” She had seen the Lord providing for her family time and time again, and her witness inspired me to surrender more deeply to the Lord. As Proverbs 3:9-10 states, "Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce; then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine."
Tithing is a biblical act, established in the Old Testament, of giving one-tenth of our blessings back to God (in Hebrew, tithe means one-tenth). Christ fulfilled the old law, and thus we are no longer required to follow the precise rubrics defined in the Old Testament. Yet, Christ calls us to help provide for the needs of the Church inasmuch as we are able. Biblically, God always asked that the “unblemished lamb” or other choice offering be sacrificed to him. Today, this might be comparable to setting aside resources for the Lord first, rather than giving Him our leftovers.
When Matt and I got married, we had different ideas of what it meant to tithe, and figuring out how it should work as “real adults” with a “real income” was a learning curve. On a practical level, we have found it easiest to set up a small checking account where a set amount of our paycheck automatically funnels into every month. Then, we can set up auto withdrawals to our parish or charity of choice from the small checking account. This strategy of tithing has been freeing because when someone asks for our support, we already have money set aside monthly to draw from so that we can contribute to missions that we believe in.
Freedom has been the greatest fruit of tithing for me. I enjoy supporting others in their missions, but without a dedicated fund of money, it can feel like giving to fundraisers, a parish, or missionaries is “taking away” from money that could otherwise be spent to provide for our family. In today’s world, money provides us security, so it is extremely powerful to return our financial resources back to the Lord, the source of every goodness in our life. This act fosters trust and surrender. By setting aside money every month and giving the Lord “off the top,” we have stopped relying on this money for day-to-day expenses and are truly free to give generously and without fear. This has helped us live in accord with Corinthians 9:6-7, "Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver." In addition, we are currently in a state of life wherein we do not have much time to give to the church. There were seasons where, between going to daily mass, attending bible studies, leading retreats, and holding leadership roles, Matt and I were able to give 30 hours a week to the Church, but that is no longer the case. We can, however, support friends, family, and parishes that continue to be Christ’s hands and feet. We feel we have an important, albeit indirect role in their mission through our financial support. The fruit of this is communion and engagement with the church as well as gratitude for the gifts that the Lord gives us in our current state of life.
“At JPII Newman I encountered students who loved God and lived with a freedom that I knew could only come from God.”
We continue to support the Newman center, as it was home to us for several years. We met, discerned our vocations, did marriage prep, and baptized our son there. We found a community there that embraced us. The Newman Center has played a particularly important role in Matt’s faith life. In high school, I (Matt) had stopped going to church and receiving the sacraments, but shortly after moving into the Newman Center I went to confession for the first time in years and started going to church again. At JPII Newman I encountered students who loved God and lived with a freedom that I knew could only come from God. I became friends with great people who challenged me and cared for me. During my time at Newman, I enjoyed having daily mass, adoration, and confession so accessible to me, and through these things, I was able to grow in relationship with the Lord and experience the freedom that originally drew me in. Naomi’s and my life has been majorly impacted by Newman, and we enjoy continuing to give money in hopes that more young people can experience some of the things we did. The Newman center is fertile ground for friendship and fun, and we hope that students will continue to meet the Lord there for years to come.
Returning our blessings back to God in the form of tithing is a beautiful, albeit difficult, way to surrender to the Lord and trust His plan. For Matt and I, it has become a source of joy and peace in our life as we strive to be in the world, but not of it.