Spiritual poverty is detachment.
Being poor in spirit does not mean having nothing; it simply means being free from attachments. To practice the virtue of poverty, one must try to free his heart from all earthly attachments.
The first step toward living the virtue of poverty is to break away from whatever causes you to sin. When a man is spiritually poor, he will want nothing that will lead him to sin. Everything that leads to sin must go. He desires union with God so much that he eliminates as much competition as possible. The purpose of abandoning something is ultimately to have fewer bonds holding you back from God.
"The great secret to union with God is complete detachment from creatures." - Fr. Gabriel
Our love of earthly things must be rightly ordered so we can use them wisely according to God's law. Only with this proper ordering of love can we escape becoming slaves to earthly attachments.
To be detached from earthly things is to be attached to God above all else, above all people and things. A person is truly detached when he loves God and God's will more than anything else. A detached person refuses to be a slave to anything on Earth, and refuses to sin for any person or earthly satisfaction.
This virtue seeks to abandon what is not necessary, to turn away from preoccupations with earthly success and turn to heavenly success. For the spiritually poor, relationship with God is the most important priority of life, thus earthly interests are limited in order to give God the most attention and affection. When a man wants God above all else, he is not sad of being deprived of some thing on Earth.
The spiritually poor seek first the Kingdom of God: “blessed are the poor and spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven." Woe to them that make this wretched life the object of their love! Woe to them who cling closely to this perishable life and care nothing for the Kingdom of God!
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To be spiritually poor is to:
Seek things that please Jesus and bring you closer to Him
Imitate Jesus in your daily life; live for Jesus and His interest and His glory
Employ all strength and ability to the service of Jesus; produce works worthy of Him and agreeable to Him.
Use necessities wisely and sinlessly with the intention of pleasing God.
Love things only in-so-far as they help you to do God's will.
Be free from distraction; choose God in all things instead of seeking earthly satisfaction.
Be free from inordinate and unreasonable attachments. Do not love what is speedily passing away, do not strive for perishable riches or fix your hope in them.
Tend all desires upwards to eternity.
Exterior things, fame, earthly glory, have no longer any attraction for me; is it not vanity, a simple succession of circumstances which will soon cease to be? The only life which attracts me and which will last forever, beyond all earthly contingencies, is that of intimate union with God.
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