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"Eleven ...I will ponder this strong maxim of the spirit of mystical death in the three religious vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience.  I will imagine my self as dead in poverty.  I will say to myself, a dead person has  nothing but what is put on him, nor does he care whether it is good or bad.  A dead person asks for nothing and wants nothing because he no longer belongs to this world and to this earth.  I will be the poorest, like a dead person. Insofar as possible, I will not keep anything for myself.  My sole thought will be that I must possess nothing, and that everything is superfluous as in the case of a dead person.  Everything which is put on him is superfluous.   I will accept in charity whatever is given to me, without ever complaining.  I will consider that  it is always too much, because I deserve nothing.  I shall not ask for anything except in extreme necessity, and I will accept this in pure charity.  I will be slow in asking for it so as to experience and suffer the inconveniences of holy poverty.  As for food and clothing, I will always seek the worst and die to every desire and pleasure of the senses.  I shall not ask for or ever keep anything without the permission of my superiors.  I will ask these superiors to be strict with me always and to satisfy me to the least extent possible, by entrusting me in everything to God.

   Thus, I will seek to imitate Jesus, who was poor in everything.  He, the Lord of heaven, was not ashamed to embrace this extreme poverty.  He was not ashamed to live a very poor and lowly life in everything out of love for me and as an example for me. I will despise myself  and will take pleasure in being despised by others.  I will take pleasure in being passed over by everyone.  The real poor man of Jesus is the man who is dead to himself.  He cares not about honors and contempt.  Therefore,   I  shall  show  neither  desire  nor  inclination for anything, so that I may not experience satisfaction.  In a word, I shall try to be extremely poor, to be deprived of what I have, because it is not mine.  I shall always try to become poorer so as to be  conformed to the very poor Jesus.  May I die poor on the cross like you!..." Continue...

Paul of the Cross'
Mystical Death