401 Q. What is the Easter time?  A. The Easter time is, in this country, the time between the first Sunday of Lent and Trinity Sunday, inclusive.

Trinity Sunday is the eighth Sunday after Easter.  Therefore the whole Easter-time is from the first Sunday of Lent—­that is, seven weeks before Easter—­to Trinity Sunday, eight weeks after it, or fifteen weeks in all; and anyone who does not go to Holy Communion sometime during these fifteen weeks commits mortal sin.

402 Q. Are we obliged to contribute to the support of our pastors?  A. We are obliged to contribute to the support of our pastors, and to bear our share in the expenses of the Church and school.

And any charitable institution connected with the Church.  The Holy Land was divided among the tribes of Israel, who were the descendants of the twelve sons of Jacob.  Now, one of these twelve tribes was made up entirely of priests and persons who served in the temple of God, called Levites.  They received none of the land, but were to be supported by the other eleven tribes.  All the people were obliged by the law to give what they called first-fruits, and tithes—­that is, one tenth of their income in goods or money each year to the temple for its support and the support of those who served it.  In the New Law no definite amount is assigned, but every Christian is left free to give what he can to God’s Church according to his generosity.  But if God left you free, should you therefore be stingy with Him?  Moreover, all that we have comes from God, and should we return Him the least and the worst?  For every alms you give for God’s sake He can send you a hundred blessings; and what you refuse to give to His Church or poor He can take from you in a thousand ways, by sending misfortunes.  We read in the Bible (Gen. 4) that Adam’s sons, Cain and Abel, both offered sacrifice to God.  Abel’s sacrifice was pleasing, but Cain’s was not.  Why?  Because, as we are told, Cain did not offer to God the best he had, but likely the worst; or at least, he offered his sacrifice with a bad disposition.  Then when he saw that his brother’s sacrifice was pleasing to God, being filled with jealousy, he killed him; and in punishment God marked him and condemned him to be a wanderer on the face of the earth.  We are told he was always afraid of being killed by everyone he saw.  See, then, what comes of being unwilling to be generous with God.  What we give Him He does not need, but by giving, we worship and thank Him.  Do not people in the world often give presents to those who have done them a favor, that they may thus show their gratitude?  Now, God is always doing us favors, and why should we not show our gratitude to Him by giving generously in His honor?  When we give to the orphans, etc., we give to Him; for He says:  “Whatsoever you give to these little ones you give to Me.”  Again, when Our Lord tells what will happen on the Day of Judgment (Matt. 25:31, etc.), He says, the Judge will divide all the