Maximus of Turin (Fifth Century CE) on the Reason Jesus Commanded the Rich Youth to Strip Naked

Now then, we are born naked in the world, naked we come to be washed, and naked also and unencumbered let us hasten to the gate of heaven. But how incongruous and absurd it is that one whom his mother begot naked and naked was received by the Church should wish to enter heaven rich! Consequently the Savior said to the young man in the Gospel who saw himself as righteous and holy and as one who had fulfilled all the commandments of the law: If you wish to be perfect, sell all that you have and give to the poor. To such an extent is bare virtue fitting for heaven that, no matter how righteous or holy someone possessing gold or riches is, he is unable to be perfect. For the Lord wanted that young man to return to paradise in the same state that Adam had been when he was cast down from paradise's height, for Adam was nude when he was a dweller in Paradise. But after the sin, seeing his own nudity, he covered his shameful parts with a leaf; before he had sinned, however, he was clothed in the condition of virtue. And thus it was not nature that created nudity as something vicious but criminal sin that revealed it to be so. Are the holy angels who are splendidly adorned clothed in tunics and mantles? Yet, although they are bereft of anything material by reason of their origin, they appear to be clothed because they are holy. So therefore Adam, maintaining the dignity of angelic virtue, was indeed unclothed as far as earthly apparel was concerned, but he was covered with the splendor of immortality. His eyes looked upon nothing evil, nor did his heart consider anything base; to virtuous minds nudity was itself clothed. For, as among wicked persons a vile thought is not kept from wanton desire by garments, so among holy men virtuous simplicity is not drawn to wanton desire by nudity [Sermon 58]