Interview with Susie Lopez

Part Three from our “The Call to Stewardship: What Offering Our Best Looks Like For Young Adults” Series

Introduction

Stewardship has been a call on the human heart since the genesis of man: “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it” (Gen. 1:28). This is a call not only for our first parents, but for us as well. We are each called to build up the Kingdom through the particular gifts God has given us –– whether monetarily, ability, or circumstantially.

While there can often be the temptation to think that we are “doing our part” by offering one thing, either our time or our money, we are called rather to see everything as from God, and thus, all an opportunity to give back to Him and His Body. We must not be satisfied with offering only our leftovers. When we each bring our best to the table, the collective feast mirrors the abundance and goodness of heaven.

As in all things, learning the balance that Christ asks of us takes intention, discernment and openness. We hope these interviews inspire you to evaluate how to more intentionally live a life of stewardship, and so build up the kingdom of God through who He made you to be.

Interview with Amanda

Photo of Amanda

Susie Lopez is a spirited, 28 year-old living in Houston, Texas. She is a conference coordinator and team leader at the St. John Paul II Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to proclaiming the Good News about life and family. She is also a life-long Texan who enjoys running, meal prepping, taking Rosary walks, painting, and exploring all of the delicious food that Houston has to offer.

Stewardship in general refers to taking care of something. How do you understand/define stewardship as a Catholic?

When I hear the word stewardship, I think of the word “stewarding” and that brings to mind other words like “caring,” “nurturing,” “guarding.” I think of the set of earrings I received from my grandmother when she passed away. They are probably something she picked up in a market on a Saturday morning, but they are so precious to me. A few years back, one of them fell to the ground and cracked, and I remember quickly finding a way to glue it back together because I couldn’t imagine them being thrown away, like I would have with other jewelry I owned if they broke.

When I think about this idea of “stewarding” in the context of the Church, I can’t help but see how everything - literally everything - that we come to possess on earth is truly just on loan to us, and therefore really isn’t ours, but something that is gifted to us to help us on our journey to Heaven. Whether that be our gifts and talents, or our wealth and physical goods.

So if something is on loan to me, shouldn’t I do my best to take care of it, to nurture it, to guard it, but additionally, to share it? This is perhaps where we have to fight our pride a little bit, because who wants to share something that is so precious and meaningful to them? But that is indeed what we are called to do as Catholic Christians, to go out on mission and spread the Gospel, the Good News, with the world!

How does stewardship apply to your personal charisms/gifts as well as your personal monetary gifts?

The Parable of the Talents is one that has always resonated with me, mostly because I’m a pragmatist and not a risk-taker (by nature, anyways), so the young man who buries his talent in the ground, in my mind, did the safe and practical thing. However, as I allow myself more and more to be a channel through which the Holy Spirit can do work, I am realizing that the Holy Spirit isn’t a pragmatist. He is bold, and wild, and a little risky!

Whenever I find myself with a decision to either accept or decline an opportunity to use my gifts [and] talents, I try to remember that God created me in this moment and time, with a specific purpose in mind. God created us all to be the saints of today, not tomorrow, or next month - today! Being a professional event planner, I always try to find ways to assist the Church, or friends and family, using my own unique charisms of hospitality and planning. Maybe it’s offering a friend help to plan her wedding, or greeting newcomers at my parish, or coordinating meals for a vacation with friends, all of these things excite me (and probably stress out others) so I try to offer a helping hand when I can, knowing that this is my opportunity to share my gifts.

Additionally, as someone who has always worked in the non-profit sector, I learned very quickly how generous financial giving can make an incredible impact in the Church and in our society at large. Unfortunately, I have found that many young people today haven’t learned the value of giving and also the benefit that it has on you as an individual and the entity with which you are supporting. Although we may not be able to give big dollar amounts, the Lord asks us to bring to the altar what we have to offer, and he will multiply them. For example, when I bring $5 to the table, and you bring $5 to the table, our $5 becomes $10, and just like that, our gifts have multiplied. But this only happens when we give as a community. All of us must offer our gifts at the altar, not just some. I encourage you to offer up a Starbucks coffee a week, or bring your lunch one extra day a week to save a work lunch tab, with that you can start giving to your parish or to an organization that you are passionate about. I promise you, that organization will be forever grateful for your sacrifice and your generosity!

How do you incorporate stewardship into the practices of your personal life (your actions, involvements and choices)?

Incorporating stewardship into my life has always come quite naturally, probably because growing up my family was always involved with the Church. I still remember my mom writing out checks to put into the weekly offering basket, even when we were going through hard times. What I think I struggle the most with is finding a balance of giving of myself, but not over-giving. As one of those over-achiever types, I wish I could always say “yes” to everything that came my way. (Sometimes I just wish there were more hours in the day, but alas, there are still only 24).

Taking a look at my current status as a single young woman, I recognize I have much more time on my hands than say, a young mother with two toddlers. Because of this, I do feel a more intense sense of responsibility to give more time, talent, and treasure while I have the ability to do so. This intense sense of responsibility has definitely failed me at times in my life when I was unable to balance my many commitments (burnout is real, y’all), which is why I now ask myself some simple questions whenever I am faced with a decision: “If you don’t say yes to this, is there someone else who would jump at the opportunity?” or “Will you be able to give the very best of yourself to this project?”

I am constantly reminding myself that I must be a steward of my time, talent, and treasure, which means I must respect myself (including my body) when I am feeling overwhelmed, or exhausted, or on the brink of a physical, mental, or spiritual breakdown. For those of you who fall into this category of trying so hard to give of yourself and you feel like you have to do everything, all the time, I promise you do not! I have learned the hard way that sometimes, you aren’t able to be excellent for all people all the time. It has taken many failed endeavors, but I have found that letting go of perfection and pride goes a long way to opening up my heart (and my calendar) to lots of new and exciting opportunities to say “yes” to. And when I least expect it, in His goodness, the Lord lays something beautiful in front of me - at the right time, and in the right place - and makes it abundantly clear that this is exactly what He has been saving for me, all for me.

Do you see a connection between stewardship and living simply and/or sustainably? If yes, in what way?

Absolutely! Living simply is something that I have recently been speaking a lot about to my various groups of friends, because it’s a way that we can “preach” the gospel without words but with our actions. For me, it all started with my 1st Whole30 experience about two years ago. What started as a way to lose weight and eat healthier soon turned into this life-altering practice. It taught me to ignore certain sins of the flesh (i.e. when I really wanted a cookie, I chose a banana instead) and begin to choose, as St. Paul says, “the more excellent way” with my little everyday choices.

One area I have really made an effort to temper and reduce is my (mostly) online shopping sprees. Now obviously, this can be extremely tricky since we live in the digital age and consumerism is something that we see (creepily) pop up on our screens all day long. Clickbait actually works, and soon we find ourselves surrounded by all these “things” that are supposed to bring us joy. Instead, I’ve found that winning those little battles with myself and saying “do you actually need that shirt when you have a closet full of options?” has brought way more joy both in the moment and long term than the shirt. Don’t get me wrong, Ann Taylor still has a way of getting me, but I am beginning to see the fruits of my small sacrifices and so is my bank account!

Living sustainably also has been something particularly on my heart over the last year or so. Asking myself some really big picture questions like: where does my food come from, where do my clothes come from, are their workers treated with dignity, respect, and have a just wage? When I look at the world through this lens of stewardship, I begin to see that I have to be an advocate for those who have none. I need to encourage the world around me to be dedicated to the values we hold so dear in our faith, for example, the value of every human life. Each and every one of those workers is made in the image and likeness of God, so am I contributing to their overall dignity as a beloved child of God? I can’t say that I have figured out the magic formula, but I have been making an effort to shop small and support business owners who are authentically living out this call to respect others through the products and services they provide.

Understanding stewardship as an offering back to God of what is his, how do you maintain detachment toward your gifts (personal, financial, etc) as ultimately his, while simultaneously nourishing/investing in them?

I would say “trying to achieve detachment” would more closely describe my current phase of life. Let’s be honest, the devil is sneaky, and attachment to things, people, our status, are all ways to keep our gaze on things of this world instead of the eternal. I constantly have to ask myself if this thing/title/status is drawing me closer to God or further from Him. Sometimes it can be tricky to discern, but most of the time, I am completely aware that I am either choosing something out of pride or humbling myself at the feet of the cross and saying “your will, not mine.”

Having an eye towards stewardship also means that you are constantly nourishing, fine-tuning, and investing in your gifts. For me, I know I can always be a better professional in my job and for my team members. I am always keeping an eye out for new trends, ideas, solutions, and have learned to humble myself and to be docile to constructive criticism. Although it’s never easy to hear that you could’ve done better, I see it as an opportunity to give greater glory to God through my willingness to excel in my craft.

I think there is a strong balance of prudence, judgment, and trust that goes into managing one’s finances with an eye towards stewardship. For example, right now I am currently working to pay off my student loans, so while I am fiscally responsible and maintain a budget (I love spreadsheets), I also don’t hesitate to give to the Church or organizations in times of need. I can remember numerous occasions where I might have stretched myself a little, having felt the push to donate to a specific cause, and it was a great opportunity to grow in the virtues of patience and trust. Now, of course, hindsight is 20/20, but looking back I have personally seen the Lord give so generously when my family or I have not given into the fear that if we gave, we would have nothing left to feed us or put a roof over our heads. The Lord will always find a way to provide if we just trust in him.

Additionally, we live in an age where retirement funds and financial planners are aplenty. What a gift they can be to us! I am definitely no expert in finances, but I see these tools as a chance for me to take the little extra that I have and make the most of it. Right now, I live a fairly stable lifestyle (thanks be to God), so I am able to give any extra funds I have to the Church or to an organization I care about. The way I see it, there will always be someone in your life who has a need, and I see saving accounts and other “piggy banks” as a gateway to be even more charitable instead of selfish and stingy. We must have our eyes always on the good of others and be ready to release those funds when an opportunity arises.

There are so many good organizations and causes to support financially. How do you discern which things to contribute to?

When it comes to discerning which organizations I choose to support, I have my “core” set of organizations that I have been giving to for a long time because I have seen the impact my donations are having on a specific cause/ministry, but I also love finding out about new ministries.

Typically before I begin giving to a new organization, I will go and either volunteer or ask someone I know who is active with the organization what their experience has been. Learning about the culture and dynamic of a non-profit is a great way to see if they will be good stewards of your money as a donor. If they take care of their employees and volunteers as people, I am much more willing to give to them financially, because I know that they recognize the gifts that are being brought to them, both physically and monetarily.

I had the great opportunity to lead a young adult ministry in Houston a few years back, and it really opened my eyes to all the good work the Church is doing in our community. If you are currently giving to a secular organization (food bank, clothing donation center, women’s center), I would encourage you to google that particular type of charity and put “Catholic” at the end of your search, to see what your local community is offering and direct some of those extra funds to those organizations. Also having worked in the non-profit sector for my entire career has shown me that many secular non-profits receive large financial assistance from large corporations and institutions, but many of those same corporations and institutions are more hesitant to give to a faith-based organization doing the same important work. This is where I think I personally can “give” the most, by drawing attention to the good works the Church is doing through these ministries, and encouraging others, who may be able to give larger gifts than me, to join me in supporting these important initiatives.

The charity I prioritize giving to the most is my own parish. Especially now that Mass offerings have been diminished due to the pandemic, I can see the financial strain it is having on our priests and the parish community. Even our small weekly offering helps to employ parish staff, or run the AC in the heat[...], and most importantly, continue to offer the Sacraments for us during these times. Each of us can make a sacrifice within our own means, and that is different for every person, so don’t be discouraged if your gifts are small, you never know what the future holds and how you will be asked to be generous in the future.

How have you seen your spiritual life change as you change your perspective on stewardship?

When I began to see how my own charitable works, big and small, were not for my own glory but for the glory of God, everything changed. Now I find it really hard to go through a day without asking myself, “how am I offering myself as a gift for someone today?” I use this amazing journal called the Monk Manual, and every day you have to plan your “Ways I Can Give” and it’s really amazing to see the transformation in my daily activities and my decisions. Some days, it’s super easy for me to come up with one or more instances where I can offer myself as a gift, and other days I have to be much more intentional about it. In both instances though, I find myself pushing through the grind or the monotony to be a gift of self and offer any small discomfort for a particular person or intention. These small daily decisions to “offer it up” make giving even more valuable because I am doing both the actual act itself and then there is this even greater good that can come from them.

Looking back on “past Susie” I can attest to times in my life when I thought I was doing all the right things, but for all the wrong reasons (pride, glory, status). I was constantly overwhelmed and never could find any sort of balance and peace in my life, but the moment I decided that I was no longer going to stand in God’s way and I was simply going to be his instrument I was able to offer myself more and more. I constantly have to remind myself of the words from the Gospel of John: “He must increase; I must decrease.” I really believe that stewardship is this amazing opportunity for us to empty ourselves, to become a vessel through which the Incarnate Word can make himself known to the world around us, if only we give him the space to work!

What are some first steps you would advise to cultivating a lifestyle of stewardship?

I’m a perpetual list maker, so I really think it’s important to write down organizations/people you would like to support and/or invest in. It doesn’t need to be a long list, 2-3 names is a fantastic place to start. Take those names to prayer next time you are at Mass or having some private prayer time in your home, simply ask for God to move your heart to what He desires most of you in this moment, and revisit that list every couple of weeks/months to see if you need to shift your priorities.

Next, take some action! Maybe this pandemic has put you in a difficult financial spot - go and volunteer at Catholic Charities; maybe you are staying at home more lately - call your parish office and see if they have an ministry where you can call and chat with the elderly parishioners in your parish who may be isolated; maybe you are still doing fine financially and can actually give monetarily to organizations - please do so! There is no wrong way to begin offering yourself as a gift, except not to do so.

One of my favorite saints, St. John Paul II, famously [said] “Be not afraid.” So, sister, I urge you to be not afraid, be not afraid to give the gift of yourself to others when it’s inconvenient, be not afraid to stretch your grocery bill to help stock the food pantry, be not afraid to turn down an expensive trip with friends to give a large donation to your parish. Remember that Christ no longer has hands or feet on earth, except through YOU. You, my beautiful, gifted, beloved sister - when you offer yourself as a total gift of self, you are able to bring Christ to others, and oh what a most wonderful gift that is in the eyes of the Father.

This interview was compiled and edited by Amelia Arth.