How does a faithful steward measure success?

In today’s secular society, success is often measured by the size of our house, exotic vacations, the car we drive or the luxuries we can or cannot afford! The “keeping up with the Joneses” mentality causes us to upgrade, upsize and outdo. The “more is better” culture is dangerous to the faithfulness of a good Christian steward. The struggle against selfishness and greed is relentless. Because it is harder today to accept the challenge of being a Christian steward, we must make a special effort to understand the true meaning of stewardship and live accordingly. 
In reality, how can we measure success unless we know our ultimate goal? Isn’t our ultimate goal to get ourselves and our loved ones to Heaven? In essence, the goal of a faithful Catholic steward is sainthood. Therefore, only God can be the judge of true success. The stuff we possess has nothing to do with true success!
St. Teresa of Calcutta said “God has not called me to be successful, He called me to be faithful.” 
The Gospel of Mark 10:17-30 delivers a difficult message on wealth and possessions. Too often we put the stuff in our life above God. Stuff is not going to help us achieve our ultimate goal, heaven.    
In St. Mark’s Gospel, a man asked Jesus how to inherit eternal life. Jesus replied, “You are lacking in one thing. Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.”  Jesus goes on to say, “It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of God." 
A wise lady once told me a true story. She was reading the obituaries when she noticed a local celebrity died. Pondering their fame and bountiful wealth, she asked her husband, “How much do you think they left?” Her husband quickly replied, “They left it ALL. There are no U-Hauls in heaven!”  
At the end of the day, we can’t take stuff with us to our eternal resting place. We are called to give generously to those in need and to tithe to our Church. 
­­— Shannon Roh is the Executive Director of the Office of Development and Stewardship for the Archdiocese of Mobile.