In the early Church as described in the Acts of the Apostles, “no one claimed private ownership of any possessions, as everything they owned was held in common”. That is not what the Church asks of people today. Cardinal Hume once suggested that wage earners might consider one hour’s pay as the basis for deciding the amount of their giving. In reviewing what we give, perhaps compare the amount we give each week with the cost of common items we might spend the money on and compare that with how we much value the Parish – a bottle of wine, a take-away meal, cigarettes, a cinema ticket maybe.
Obviously, individuals must look at their own circumstances in deciding how much to give each week and, in these difficult financial times, no-one is asked to give what they cannot afford.