“In the fear of God, get rid of everything that does not contribute to the health of your soul…also for the love of Christ, give up that stubborn part of your will which does not contribute to the refreshment of your soul, for the many riches of this world alienate mankind from the justice of God, and diminish it so much that it can scarcely be seen. Therefore, hold on to only so much as you can use to benefit others with the seed of your wisdom, and also only enough to stretch out your hand with alms to the needy and the poor.”
Hildegard of Bingen in The Letters of Hildegard of Bingen, Volume 3 (New York: Oxford University Press, 2004) 146.