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Understanding Charity

       An act of charity can take place with or without being an act of love. Charity is the giving of food, clothing, time, energy, or finances to someone in need. To be spiritually meritorious charity must be given unselfishly. There is no desire for temporal recognition in a charitable act given in love.

       For many charity is no more than a social event, albeit for a good cause. Other acts of charity are done for political purposes. Such acts are of no eternal value if they were not done in real love (one's reward is received here on earth).

       The Golden Rule: "Do to others whatever you would have them do to you." [Mt. 7:12 & Lk. 6:31]  A corollary to this rule is: "Pay attention to and serve God as you would have Him pay attention to and serve you."

       Always keep in mind that God has full power. We are given but an infinitesimal fraction of that power for momentary use in this life. However, those received into Heaven will have an extensive use of power. This power will first be used to give glory to God and then be used to bring every saint perfect happiness. Those sentenced to Hell will only have a limited use of power. This limited power might be used on others in Hell in a repetitious but ever expanding cycle of mutual hatred and torment — hoping to find temporary distraction from their never-ending suffering. Existence, in both Heaven and Hell, is eternal.

Understanding Tithing

        The advent of tithing

        The advent of tithing took place when Abram [Abraham] gave ten percent of his possessions to the protopriest Melchizedek. The practice of tithing [contributing ten percent of one's income to the Church] and other offerings was confirmed in the Mosaic Law and acknowledged in Matthew, Luke, and Hebrews. ¹

Have I tithed to my church (if it is actively promoting the true teachings of the Church and observing correct liturgical practices)? 10% of one's net income (all income less the actual cost of acquiring income, that is, seed, tools, . . .) must be given in the following order:
a.) given to the Church of the parish in which one resides (boundaries defined by diocese).
b.) given to the Church where one attends Sunday Mass only if one's own parish is not acting in accord with the teachings of the Church and the pastor has been properly notified of existing concerns.
c.) given to promote the restoration of the Church to its own formal teachings and practices.
d.) given to the cause of promoting justice within the Church.
e.) given to serve the justice that should have been overseen by the Church.
f.) set aside for future giving to worthy advocates for truth and justice within the Church.

Charity is apart from and in addition to what is given by tithing. The giving to any diocesan sponsored collection is part of charity, not of tithing. Those who can afford it should minimally give an additional 10% of their income to a charity serving Christian goals of one's own choosing, that is, not in conflict with the interests of God. Direct acts of charity are to be preferred to institutional giving.

NOTE: Personal involvement in charity is greatly more meritorious than a hands off / indirect method of giving. Those who have substantial wealth should give 20% or more to charity in addition to tithing. Those who give large sums and others, through the actions of committees, should have access to record keeping and be able to reasonably investigate the use of charitable donations.

Additional offerings in the form of Mass stipends, prayer requests, and other offerings are given to priests or religious? This living custom in today's Church was foreshadowed in the Old Testament.

       The Church, priests, religious, and the poor are consumers of offerings made to God (God has no practical use for temporal offerings but values them as a witness to faith in Him). These offerings are given either as a corporal work of mercy or in the making of a special request to God. Offerings given to the poor, whether priests, religious, or laymen, are covered under the concept of charity as stated above. The worthiness of an offering to God is largely in the degree of sacrifice being made.  NOTE:  A dozen Masses said with minimal offering of stipends (non-sacrificial) is of less value than one Mass said as a result of real sacrifice made in faith.

       Which is the more worthy offering, a dollar from a hungry person or a hundred thousand dollars from a millionaire? Which is more apt to gain the greater attention from God?

       "A poor widow also came and put in two small coins worth a few cents. Calling his disciples to himself, he said to them, "Amen, I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the other contributors to the treasury. For they have all contributed from their surplus wealth, but she, from her poverty, has contributed all she had, her whole livelihood." " [Mk. 12:42-44 also Lk. 21:1-4]

       "But Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, "Behold, half of my possessions, Lord, I shall give to the poor, and if I have extorted anything from anyone I shall repay it four times over." [Lk. 19:8]

       Since such offerings are in effect being made to God, a priest or religious may not discourage or reject them without giving offense to God. (Priests and religious that do not need or want them for themselves may always give them to a worthy person in need or to a just cause.)

The following are all factors in regard to the acceptability of an offering:

1. The offerers faithfulness to Jesus and to the teachings of His Church
2. The quality of the intention
3. The quality of the offering
4. The quality and true need of the receiver of the offering. – Such person at some level must be open to the word of God and must be willing to improve his own condition according to the degree available.

NOTE: An offering knowingly given to a priest or to a religious group who is opposed to even one formal teaching of the Church is wasted. ^*

       In regard to a priest (or religious community) who receives an offering:  Which would be considered as the more worthy offerings in the sight of God:

1. An offering made to a priest who is humanistic?
2. An offering to a priest who places spiritual values above human values?
3. An offering made to a priest who will use it selfishly?
4. An offering to a priest who uses the money not only for his own support, but also for the good of the Kingdom?

        "If you can trust a man in little things, you can also trust him in greater; while anyone unjust in a slight matter is also unjust in greater. If you cannot be trusted with elusive wealth, who will trust you with lasting?" [Lk. 16:10-12]

       Then he told them a parable.  "There was a rich man whose land produced a bountiful harvest. He asked himself, 'What shall I do, for I do not have space to store my harvest?' And he said, 'This is what I shall do: I shall tear down my barns and build larger ones. There I shall store all my grain and other goods and I shall say to myself, "Now as for you, you have so many good things stored up for many years, rest, eat, drink, be merry!" But God said to him, 'You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you; and the things you have prepared, to whom will they belong?' Thus will it be for the one who stores up treasure for himself but is not rich in what matters to God." [Lk. 12:16-21]

Request for Financial Support

        Due to unjust and arbitrary action on the part of my bishop (Archbishop Oscar H. Lipscomb) concerning defense of the unborn – the opinions of Vatican theologians have been equally divided and there is no doctrine of the Church to cover justifiable defense under current conditions of civil law protecting murderers who painfully slaughter numerous unborn children whose spirits are individually created by God at the instant of conception — a condition more abhorrent to God than the slaughter of 16,000,000 people during the regime of Adolph Hitler or the 911 murders at the World Trade Center 2001 A.D. by eternally damned Muslim suicide killers – I have been deprived of justly due income for more than nine years. During this time period I have developed this web site containing sound theology not only in defense of the unborn but even more importantly expanding theology to overcome many of the existing problems within the priesthood and the hierarchy of the Catholic Church.

        My short term debt now exceeds $65,000.00. Contributors who are interested may visit and if qualified may examine my distributions concerning faith and life.        Domicile    Entrance

NOTE:  I am available to a bishop willing to give me legal faculties. There have been no charges placed against me, only my faculties have been removed for taking an unpopular but correct position favoring the innocent unborn. There is no official Church teaching opposed to the position I have taken. The statement of Saint Thomas Aquinas does not deal with legally approved and publicly advertised murder of innocent victims by medical doctors.

Father David C. Trosch
P. O. Box 850307
Mobile, AL  36685-0307
E-mail:  fr.david@trosch.org
Tel.  1 251-639-7456

¹  Biblical Quotes Concerning Tithes

And blessed be God Most High, who delivered your foes into your hand." Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything. [Genesis 14:20]

This stone that I [Jacob] have set up as a memorial stone shall be God's abode. Of everything you give me, I will faithfully return a tenth part to you." [Genesis 28:22]

"All tithes of the land, whether in grain from the fields or in fruit from the trees, belong to the LORD, as sacred to him. [Leviticus 27:30]

"To the Levites, however, I hereby assign all tithes in Israel as their heritage in recompense for the service they perform in the meeting tent. [Numbers 18:21]

"Give the Levites these instructions: When you receive from the Israelites the tithes I have assigned you from them as your heritage, you are to make a contribution from them to the LORD, a tithe of the tithes; [Numbers 18:26]

Thus you too shall make a contribution from all the tithes you receive from the Israelites, handing over to Aaron the priest the part to be contributed to the LORD. [Numbers 18:28]

"When you have finished setting aside all the tithes of your produce in the third year, the year of the tithes, and you have given them to the Levite, the alien, the orphan and the widow, that they may eat their fill in your own community, [Deut. 26:12]

Dare a man rob God? Yet you are robbing me!
And you say, "How do we rob you?"
In tithes and in offerings! [Malachi 3:8]

Bring the whole tithe
into the storehouse,
That there may be food in my house,
and try me in this, says the LORD of hosts:
Shall I not open for you the floodgates of heaven,
to pour down blessing upon you without measure? [Malachi 3:10]

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You pay tithes of mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier things of the law: judgment and mercy and fidelity. (But) these you should have done, without neglecting the others. [Matthew 23:23]

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. [Luke 11:42]

And Abraham apportioned to him "a tenth of everything." His name first means righteous king, and he was also "king of Salem," that is, king of peace. [Hebrews 7:2]

See how great he is to whom the patriarch "Abraham (indeed) gave a tenth" of his spoils. The descendants of Levi who receive the office of priesthood have a commandment according to the law to exact tithes from the people, that is, from their brothers, although they also have come from the loins of Abraham. But he who was not of their ancestry received tithes from Abraham and blessed him who had received the promises. [Hebrews 7:4-6]

In the one case, mortal men receive tithes; in the other, a man of whom it is testified that he lives on. One might even say that Levi himself, who receives tithes, was tithed through Abraham, [Hebrews 7:8-9]

I, for my part, would often make the pilgrimage alone to Jerusalem for the festivals, as is prescribed for all Israel by perpetual decree. Bringing with me the first fruits of the field and the firstlings of the flock, together with a tenth of my income and the first shearings of the sheep, I would hasten to Jerusalem and present them to the priests, Aaron's sons, at the altar. To the Levites who were doing service in Jerusalem I would give the tithe of grain, wine, olive oil, pomegranates, figs, and other fruits. And except for sabbatical years, I used to give a second tithe in money, which each year I would go and disburse in Jerusalem. The third tithe I gave to orphans and widows, and to converts who were living with the Israelites. Every third year I would bring them this offering, and we ate it in keeping with the decree of the Mosaic law and the commands of Deborah, the mother of my father Tobiel; for when my father died, he left me an orphan. [Tobit 1:6-8]

They decreed that they would use up the first fruits of grain and the tithes of wine and oil which they had sanctified and reserved for the priests who minister in the presence of our God in Jerusalem: things which no layman should even touch with his hands. [Judith 11:13]

[8] With each contribution show a cheerful countenance, and pay your tithes in a spirit of joy. [Sirach 35:11]

Let Jerusalem and her territory, her tithes and her tolls, be sacred and free from tax. [1 Macc. 10:31]

From this day on we grant them release from payment of all other things that would henceforth be due to us, that is, of tithes and tribute and of the tax on the salt pans and the crown tax. [1 Macc. 11:35]

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