A common misunderstanding is that almsgiving and tithing are not distinct, that they are the same thing, or that one can substitute for the other. In reality, they are two different acts of justice which are both required by the Gospel.
Almsgiving is an act of justice which falls under the principle of the Universal Destination of Goods. This principle of Catholic Social Teaching comes from Genesis, where God gives all the goods of the earth to mankind for our use. Thus, the goods of the earth, natural resources, are meant to be used by all people who need them. Every person has the right to those goods which they need to live a decent life. Each person has a right to work to procure these goods—suitable employment with a just wage is a human right. If someone is in need or is poor, then they have a right to receive alms—and Christians have a duty to give them alms. Many Fathers of the Church assert that failing to give alms to those in need constitutes stealing from them (Stealing From the Poor).
Christ is clear that we must give alms; it is not optional:
Beware of practicing your piety before men in order to be seen by them; for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. Thus, when you give alms, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by men. Truly, I say to you, they have their reward. But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your alms may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. (Matthew 6:1-4)
Almsgiving is divided into the seven spiritual and seven corporeal works of mercy, so there are a many ways we can give alms and many different causes or organizations we could support with them (Thomas Aquinas, ST II-II, q. 32, a. 2). We can certainly choose to give alms to charitable organizations (non-profits) who will use the money well. We can also boycott organizations involved with various evils (those recommending contraception for example—recent reports indicate that Catholic Relief Services is referring people to abortion and contraception providers in Africa). So in almsgiving, we can take account of how the alms may be used.
Tithing is a completely different practice. These two acts are similar only in material manifestations: both are acts of giving away money. Formally, they are distinct acts. While almsgiving is a matter of justice towards others, towards the poor, tithing is a matter of justice towards God. Tithing is an act of the virtue of religion, which is concerned with giving God His due worship (Aquinas, ST II-II, q. 81, 87). Tithing is about giving a portion of our wealth back to God from whom it came. To do this, we give it to Christ’s Body, the Church. Further, it is a matter of justice towards the Church who feeds us spiritually. St. Paul writes, “If we have sown spiritual good among you, is it too much if we reap your material benefits? If others share this rightful claim upon you, do not we still more?” (1 Corinthians 9:11-12).
Traditionally, tithes were paid at a ten-percent rate. One took ten-percent of one’s income and gave it to the temple (in the Old Testament) or to the Church. While the Church no longer prescribes a set amount of tithes, Catholics are still bound on pain of mortal sin (sin of grave matter) to monetarily contribute to the Church (CCC 2043). As a precept of the Church, this is as grave a duty as attending mass on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation.
Unlike almsgiving, where we ought to have some concern that the money we give will be used well (that is the whole point of almsgiving, to help poor people), tithes take no such considerations into account. We are bound to give money to the Church as an act of worship towards God and justice towards the Church who spiritually nourishes us through the sacraments. This obligation remains even if the members of the Church in charge of finances are evil, even if we are certain the money we give will be squandered, even if we are sure the clerics will use our tithes to fund their lusts with prostitutes. When we tithe, we give money to God. If clerics then abuse that money, the sin is entirely theirs.
While this seems hard, it is what Christ Himself did. In Luke 21, Christ famously praises the poor widow who gave her last two coins to the temple. Christ also pays the temple tax in Mathew 17:24-27. Even though Christ, as the Messiah and Son of God, is exempt from tithing, He chooses to pay it to avoid scandal to others. Yet, the temple system was especially corrupt in Christ’s time. He drives out money changers from the temple with just anger in all four gospels (Matthew 21, Mark 11, Luke 19, John 2). Christ denounces the many sins of the scribes and Pharisees in Matthew 23. Ultimately, the temple assembly chose to execute Christ. A Church filled with corrupt members, like the temple at Christ’s time, would not remove our obligation to tithe.
Tithing and almsgiving are distinct. Both are necessary. They cannot be substituted for each other. One cannot neglect either. One cannot choose only one option. One cannot do extra almsgiving instead of tithing, or extra tithing instead of almsgiving. We must both give to God and give to the poor.
Photo by Leiada Krozjhen on Unsplash
