Episode 8: Giving God The First and Best

What it the quality of the gifts we should give to God? In this episode, Father Andrew explains how our gifts should be "holy." That means we set aside the first 10% of what we have received and give it to God honestly and charitably. And our gifts should be "precious." Thus they should be the best of what we have to offer. This is in thanksgiving for what God has done for us. Father Andrew notes that tithing is modeled in the Bible. 11 of the 12 tribes of Israel inherited land. The 12th tribe, the Levites, provided the priests to the community, and they were supported by the tithes of the other tribes. The Levites, in turn, took one tenth of their goods and tithed those to the poor. These were the "first and best" of livestock or the harvest. This "tithe of tithes" practice is continued by Catholic parishes today which deliver one tenth of their donations to other charities.  

Father Andrew Kemberling is a parochial vicar of Immaculate Heart of Mary in Northglenn, Colorado. For 14 years he was pastor at St. Thomas More Parish in Centennial, CO. With Mila Glodava, Director of Communications and Stewardship, he wrote the book "Making Stewardship a Way of Life: A Complete Guide for Catholic Parishes" (published by Our Sunday Visitor, 2009). The parish received many awards for its pioneering embrace of stewardship as a touchstone of parish life.  Fr. Andrew was born in Tucson, Arizona and joined the Benedictine order in 1985. He was ordained a priest in 1988.