Jesus said to him, "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." Matthew 19:21
Remember Veruca Salt from Charlie And The Chocolate Factory? I can never choose between the old Gene Wilder movie or the remake with Johnny Dep. She was so spoiled by her father that she not only wanted everything, she wanted it now! I would call our society today Veruca Salt. Want to hear your favorite song? Download or stream it instantly. Need something? Buy it on Amazon and have it the next day. Feel like you need to lose a little weight? Buy this DVD and watch the pounds melt away. I imagine us all walking around like Veruca saying "I want it now daddy!"
Today in Matthew we hear the familiar story of the rich man who asked Jesus "what good must I do to gain eternal life?" I think he expected Jesus to tell him something he could do right then, get his card punched, and bam eternal life! But what Jesus gave him made him go away sad instead. There is no instant fix for eternal life. We are called to follow Jesus and that means more than simply upholding the commandments. It means we are called to live the same kind of sacrificial life that Jesus did.
