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Let everyone give as his heart allows,
not out of pity or compulsion: God loves him who
who gives gladly” (2 Cor. 9:1).
The Church of Christ is the Body of Christ, but it is not only a purely spiritual institution that takes care of heavenly affairs.
Without a doubt, the first and main task of the Church is to lead the faithful to salvation not only with the help of spiritual means (services, Holy Sacraments, preaching of God’s Word), but also visible material means, such as building churches, publishing Christian books, educating young people and new clergy. When the Apostolic Church was founded on Earth after the Ascension of Jesus Christ, from the very beginning, in addition to its main duty – the salvation of souls, the community also cared about the care of the poor, the sick, widows and orphans, and providing for the clergy. In the letters of the Apostle Paul, we do not find a clear obligation to sacrifice for the Church, because the faithful showed a great understanding of its needs and made considerable voluntary donations.
In 988, Christianity came to our lands, with it all ancient Christian customs, including donating. Almost from the very beginning, the Church in Ukraine was under the guardianship of the princes, receiving from them a large part of the income for “God”, as evidenced by the title of the Tithe Church in Kyiv, built by Prince Volodymyr the Great. Merchants, artisans, and ordinary people also donated large amounts of money for the upkeep of the church without any coercion. Icons, banners, liturgical books, and other valuable items could often be found among the donations.
What should be the offering for a modern Christian today?
A Christian’s donation should always be a gift, and the gift should be given in love, freely, and joyfully. This becomes the best expression of a person’s attitude towards God. By sacrificing, a person never loses, but always acquires new benefits. Let’s remember that when we donate either out of our desire or out of obedience to the Holy Church, we always receive a generous reward from God.
Our parish needs your support. We will be sincerely grateful for any of your help.
May the Lord bless you!