One of the most celebrated passages in the Bible occurs in St Matthew’s gospel. A rich young man asked Jesus: “What good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?” Jesus responds: “If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor.” Alas, charity has always been easier said than done. “But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful,” Matthew’s text continues, “for he had great possessions.”..