This weekend brings Worship Offering Commitment Sunday. We ask everyone to consider their practice of tithing, and to make a worship offering commitment for the year ahead. Tithing means giving 10% of your income to God by using it to help the poor or to help spread the Gospel. But tithing is also a style of giving in which we can all grow, whatever our resources.  

Tithing is priority giving: we give to God first, trusting him to take care of our needs, before we take care of our wants. Tithing is planned giving: we give to God consistently, based on prayer and forethought.Tithing is percent giving: we commit to giving God some percent of our income. Tithing is progressive giving: periodically we consider what God has given to us, and how he asks us to grow in generosity.

Tithing is a basic discipleship step, like prayer or serving others, and the best reason to tithe is that by tithing we make and keep a commitment to God, growing in trust and love. But tithing also makes us part of God’s blessings to others. Thanks to people who tithe, we give more scholarships than ever before, $139,310 last year, we grow our small groups, teaching the faith to children in public schools, and celebrate Mass in beautiful churches, lifting souls to God. What’s your next step in tithing?