Are we supposed to give up everything?

[dendenden]

I read in the bible when the Lord was asked “what must I do to achieve eternal salvation” responded by saying sell all that you have and give it to the poor and follow me. I am a little confused with this answer. Is this to be taken literally. I practice my faith do volunteer work and donate to the poor monthly. However, I own a fishing boat, a snowmobile and a rec vehicle. Am I jeopardizing my salvation by owning these items?
Thank you for your help,
dendenden

 

[Fr.Charles_Grondin]

The call for that individual to give up his possessions was a call to him specifically.

Jesus ate and drank at the homes of many people in the Gospels and did not tell them to give up their possessions.

Jesus recognized that the individual in this case was too attached to his possessions and therefore called him to break away from them. The individual then went away sad (Matthew 19:22; Mark 10:22; Luke 18:23). The statement from Jesus was a specific response to a specific person, it was not a commandment to every follower.

What we can learn from this story is that Jesus calls for all of His followers to place Him first in their hearts, minds, and priorities. How that takes shape for each of us is a personal call from Christ Himself that we need to discern through prayer and the sacraments.