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“If you wish to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the
poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow
me.” When the young man heard this statement, he went away
sad, for he had many possessions. Matthew 19:21–22
This is the conclusion to the conversation that Jesus had with a
rich young man who came to Him and asked, “Teacher, what good must
I do to gain eternal life?” Jesus went on to tell him to keep the
commandments. The young man said he has done so from his youth and
wanted to know what else he could do. So Jesus answered his
question. But the answer was more than the young man could
accept.
“If you wish to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the
poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
Do you want to be perfect? If so, then Jesus has set a high bar for
such a goal. It seems that many followers of Christ are okay with
simply being okay. In other words, it seems that it is rare to find
a person who is wholeheartedly committed to perfection. Many may
have good intentions, but it seems that there are few who fully
commit themselves to all it takes to truly obtain the perfection to
which we are all called.
It’s interesting to note that Jesus’ initial response to this rich
young man explained the requirements for entering eternal life,
that is, the minimal requirement for obtaining Heaven. Simply put,
Jesus said that if you refrain from serious sin by keeping the
commandments, then you will inherit eternal life. Of course, that
also presumes that you have the gift of faith and are thus open to
the gift of salvation. So is that what you are content with? Are
you satisfied with doing the minimum it takes to get to
Heaven?
The idea of perfection can appear to be beyond us. Too often we can
think, “I’m only human.” But as a human who is called by God, we
are invited to work toward the obtainable goal of greater holiness.
Though we will always fall short, we must strive to become as holy
as we can, holding nothing back.
Though the invitation given to this young man to “go, sell what you
have and give to the poor” is not a requirement that our Lord
places on everyone, He does call some to do this literally. But for
everyone else, the invitation still remains—but in a spiritual
sense rather than a literal sense. This is the spiritual call to
interior poverty of spirit. Everyone of us is called to be
interiorly detached from the things of this world in a complete
way, even though we retain our possessions. We must have as our
single possession the love of God and the service of His will. This
depth of spiritual detachment means that God and His holy will is
all we desire in life. And if He ever were to call us to literally
give everything up, we would do it without hesitation. And though
that may seem extreme, it is, in fact, exactly what will benefit us
the most. It is the only way to become fully human and fully the
person we were meant to be. And the end reward is not only the
attainment of Heaven but an incomprehensible amount of glory in
Heaven. The holier we become here on earth, the greater will our
eternal reward be in Heaven. Do not hesitate to do all you can to
build up that treasure that will be with you forever.
Reflect, today, upon the high calling to perfection given to you by
God. Ask yourself in a very sincere way whether or not you are
simply okay with being okay or if you want so much more. Do you
want the greatest riches in Heaven? Do you want your eternity to be
one in which the spiritual treasures you build up now are with you
forever? Do not hesitate to accept this high calling from Jesus.
Allow His invitation to this rich young man to echo within your
heart as His personal invitation to you, also. Say “Yes” to Him and
know that you will be eternally grateful you did.
My loving Lord, You invited the rich young man to strive for
perfection. You also invite me and all Your children to this holy
and high calling. Give me the grace I need to detach from all that
hinders this goal so that I can make You and Your holy will the
central and only goal of my life. Jesus, I trust in You.
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