Letter from Saint Peter of Alcantara to Saint Teresa of Avila Regarding the Revenues of Her Monastery

Feb 28, 2025

Saint Teresa, having consulted our Saint [St. Peter of Alcantara] on whether she should accept revenues for her monasteries, received an admirable response from him, written in Ávila on April 14, 1562. This letter clearly demonstrates that he possessed only the virtue of poverty and that his spirit was attached solely to the riches of Heaven. However, to fully appreciate his words, one must read the entire letter he wrote to her on this pious subject.

“The Holy Spirit give you His grace and His love. I have received your letter, delivered to me by Monsieur Gonzalo de Aranda. I was astonished to learn that your zeal and piety lead you to submit to the judgment of learned men matters that are beyond their expertise. If it were a question of law or a case of conscience, I believe it would be good to seek the advice of jurists and theologians. But when it comes to deciding on matters concerning the perfection of life, only those who have advanced in it and who practice it are truly capable of offering sound counsel. For, ordinarily, only those who perfectly do good are able to guide others who, like them, seek perfection and the path of the Gospel.

There should be no question of whether it is good to follow these counsels or whether they can be observed; to doubt this would be a kind of infidelity. God’s counsels will always be infallibly good. Only unbelievers, or those who lack trust in God, or those who rely solely on human prudence, can find them difficult. For if Divine Providence gives the counsel, it will certainly provide the means to fulfill it.

If your zeal and fervor lead you to follow the counsels of Jesus Christ, observe them with the greatest perfection possible, for they have been given equally to men and women. You will receive the same merit and the same reward as those who have followed them before you. If you prefer to follow the advice of learned men who do not have the Spirit of God, then seek great revenues, if they can find them for you. But undoubtedly, it is far more excellent to have none and instead follow the thoughts of our Savior.

If there is poverty in the monasteries of women, it is because they are poor against their will, and not because they have followed the evangelical counsels. Therefore, I do not simply praise indigence, but I esteem those who endure it patiently for the love of God, and even more so, those who desire it, seek it, and embrace it for that same love.

If I firmly believed otherwise, I would not be confident in my faith. But I am fully persuaded of these truths, which Jesus Christ has taught us, and I know they are excellent, for what can come from God that is not perfect? And though His counsels do not impose an obligation under pain of sin, they nonetheless lead a person to greater perfection, urging them always to aspire to it and to attain it. I hold, as Jesus Christ says, that the poor in spirit are blessed, meaning those who are so by choice, and I have experienced this myself. But I believe even more in the Word of God than in my own experience. And I know well that those who have embraced poverty with all their heart live, by the grace of the Lord, a life of true happiness, trusting and hoping entirely in Him.

I pray that God may give you the light to understand and practice these truths. Do not believe those who say otherwise, whether out of lack of understanding, disbelief, or because they have never tasted how sweet and lovable the Lord is to those who fear Him, love Him, and renounce all things of the world for His sake. Such things are unnecessary for a soul that is content with God and desires to possess nothing but Him. Those who say otherwise are enemies of the Cross of Jesus Christ; they do not know the glory of those who have borne it, nor the blessings that accompany it. For though others may indeed attain salvation by faithfully fulfilling their duties, they lack the light needed to go beyond that. The counsel of Jesus Christ is always holier than that of men. He knows what He advises, He gives the grace to accomplish it, and He rewards perfectly those who trust in Him rather than in earthly wealth.”