Sacrificial Giving Is:
Planned: This is a decision that requires thought and needs to be integrated with all other financial decisions. It is an intentional response to God’s generous nature. Planning our giving allows us to give from our “first fruits”, not our “left-over’s”; we are putting God first in our lives not last after everything else. Planning also allows for dialogue among the family, which can foster ownership about the decision to give back to God. The absence of planning your gift can lead to tension in the family.
Proportionate: This giving reflects one's gratefulness to God. Most people use the biblical concept of a tithe, a tenth, as a guide. There is no right or wrong amount, but it should be sacrificial and truly commensurate to what God has given you. It is also a goal to work towards. Sacrificial Giving takes time to re-orient your priorities and reevaluate your values. It truly reflects your gratefulness to God for what He has given you.
Sacrificial: This gift must come from substance rather than remainders. You know your gift is sacrificial when something in your life must change for you to be able to give. This is one way we can truly walk in the footsteps of Jesus, who gave up everything so that we might have life. The focus transfers to our true source of security, God. The focus is no longer placed on the stuff we have acquired. Just as Paul asked the Corinthians to give to the impoverished saints of Jerusalem, the goal being no one would have too much or too little, we are called to give so that no one has too much or too little now.
Time and Talent: Sacrificial Giving includes time and talent as well as our financial resources. Giving of our time and talent expresses our gratitude to God for all the gifts that he has bestowed upon us at Confirmation. Giving of money does not substitute for our gifts of time and talent, nor does time and talent substitute giving of our financial means. Consider the guideline of 5 hours a week to parish or other church ministries and activities, community work or other kinds of social service; you can do more or less depending on your season of life.
Sacrificial Giving is a necessary expression of our faith, of what we say we believe. We channel a portion of our giving through our parish because it is the body which most clearly bears witness to the meaning and values we find at the center of our lives.
For more information on how sacrificial giving works.
