"Brother Bernard was the first brother the Lord gave me. He was the very first to begin and to fulfill the perfection of the Holy Gospel by distributing all is goods to the poor. For this reason and for the many other good qualities in him, I am bound to love him more than any brother of the whole Order." --Writings of Leo, Rufino, and Angelo, 42As someone who has "vowed" to declutter her house the thought of distributing all my goods to the poor is rather sobering because most of what I own would be of no use to anyone. After I gave away everything of use I'd still have a house full of things to dispose of. So why am I having such a hard time getting started giving away the things in the "not of use" category? In fact, it would be easier to give away the useful things because I'd know I was helping someone in need. This points out to me is that we live in a society that encourages accumulation by touting consumerism every time we turn around. If I would just refrain from buying things I did not really need and instead gave the money to those who had a real need, I would not only be serving the Lord but taking care of my clutter problem.
