Recent mischaracterizations regarding the finances of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in a Washington Post article raised questions about the church’s assets, investments and reserves along with member contributions. The voices of the critics and disaffected wonder, loudly, “If there are substantial reserves, should the church really ask every member to give 10% of their increase each year as a tithing donation?”

Those cynically questioning may not understand the magnifying math found in the principles the church holds up, as the Lord’s law of finance, or the eternal arithmetic which compounds the widow’s mite, then amplifies that offering’s impact on receiver and giver.

The widow described in the New Testament cast her two mites into the treasury. She gave out of her want, not out of great abundance. The widow did not see this as a transaction. She was wise and wasn’t interested in just having someone take her mites and hand them over to someone else in need. The widow understood that combining her offering with those of others would create a great compounding effect that would bless more people over a longer period of time. Had the widow only wanted a transaction, she could have given her mites to a needy person on her own. It would have been a one-time transaction. The best way to honor the sacrifice of the widow’s mite is to ensure her offering is maximized and perpetuated.

I have met many people, of many different faith traditions, who honor the law of tithing. I have never had anyone who truly lived the law complain about it or wonder if it was worth it. Like the widow, they recognize blessings large and small that come from following the principle. For those who live it, tithing is a spiritual principle with a practical application.

Compared to the U.S. tax code, containing thousands of pages, the law of tithing is completely described in a single verse of Old Testament scripture. The principle of tithing is powerful in its simplicity and profound in its impact on those who give and those who receive.

But what of the large sum being accrued and held in reserve? Shouldn’t extra funds just be handed out and given away? Truly honoring the widow’s mite includes making it perpetual. The Church of Jesus Christ carries out a vast ongoing mission, including erecting buildings and temples for more than 30,000 congregations in 190 countries, support for the faith’s 65,000 missionaries, maintaining educational institutions and learning programs, along with billions of dollars contributed to humanitarian efforts and welfare needs for members of the church and those of other faiths. The church has also set aside and invested a portion of its surplus resources each year, over many years, as a rainy-day fund for economically turbulent times.

Building a reserve is wise and the appropriate way to honor the widow’s mite. Having such a reserve ensures that the impact of the widow’s mite will continue regardless of the economy, natural disaster or man-made catastrophe.

Having such a reserve ensures that the impact of the widow’s mite will continue regardless of the economy, natural disaster or man-made catastrophe.

Where governments continue to fall short in providing help and relief, religious organizations, like the Church of Jesus Christ, and nonprofit partners continue to fill the gaps. Churches are increasingly meeting the needs of children along the border, providing refugees a chance at a better life and lifting those who have fallen through cracks of societal safety nets and government programs.

It is also worth pondering what would happen in the event of a significant economic downturn, let alone a complete collapse. Where will the poor, the needy and the most vulnerable look when the government becomes unwilling or unable to assist? It will be churches and nonprofit organizations, with reserves and resources, that will be able to continue to make a difference.

In a statement released Friday, the church said, “The sacred funds donated by members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are an expression of faith, devotion and obedience to the biblical law of tithing and a desire to build Christ’s church through living the two great commandments to love God and neighbor.”

My guess is that the widow in the New Testament account had probably already dropped off some bread to a sick neighbor, delivered a blanket to the mother of a newborn and donated her time in service at the local synagogue — all before she cast in her two mites.

In 1996, then president Gordon B. Hinckley was interviewed for the “60 Minutes” television program by Mike Wallace. Mr. Wallace pressed President Hinckley on the law of tithing and the resources of the church. President Hinckley responded, “I keep on the credenza behind my desk a widow’s mite that was given me in Jerusalem many years ago as a reminder, a constant reminder, of the sanctity of the funds with which we have to deal. They come from the widow, they are her offering as well as the tithe of the rich man, and they are to be used with care and discretion for the purposes of the Lord… they are used as we feel the Lord would have them used for the upbuilding of His work and the betterment of people.”

The cynics and critics will continue to completely miss the eternal arithmetic which multiplies loaves and fishes, preserves seven years of resources before the seven years of scarcity, magnifies talents properly invested and ultimately compounds the value of the widow’s mite.

In honoring the widow’s mite in the 21st century, there are practical lessons and blessings to be learned and received. They are the same as those discovered by an Old Testament widow, who also gave of her want to one in need, but found in giving what she had that the measure of meal and the cruse of oil did not diminish during the time of famine.