My daughters must believe that it is for their own good that the Lord has enabled me to realize in some small degree what blessings are to be found in holy poverty. Those of them who practice it will also realize this, though perhaps not as clearly as I do; for, although I had professed poverty, I was not only without poverty of spirit, but my spirit was devoid of all restraint. Poverty is good and contains within itself all the good things in the world. It is a great domain – I mean that he who cares nothing for the good things of the world has dominion over them all. What do kings and Lord’s matter to me if I have no desire to possess their money, or to please them, if by doing so I should cause the least displeasure to God? And what do their honors mean to me if I have realized that the chief of a poor man consists in his being truly poor?
From the book: The Way Of Perfection Saint Teresa Of Avila
Reality Meets Faith 