The Fulfillment of All Desire

Ralph Martin, drawing upon the teaching of seven acknowledged “Spiritual Doctors” of the Church, presents an in-depth study of the journey to God. This book provides encouragement and direction for the pilgrim who desires to know, love, and serve our Lord. Whether the reader is beginning the spiritual journey or has been traveling the road for many years, he will find a treasure of wisdom in The Fulfillment of All Desire. It is destined to be a modern classic on the spiritual life.

Fr. Benedict Groeschel, C.F.R., founder of Friars of the Renewal and author of many books on the spiritual life, including Spiritual Passages and The Journey to God praised this latest book from Ralph Martin: “This is a book to keep at your place of prayer for years to come. Ralph Martin has given us the fruit of years of study of the spiritual life in the great Catholic tradition. It is a treasure chest of quotations of the greatest writers on the journey to God. Careful reading and rereading will be a source of powerful inspiration for all those on the spiritual journey.”

Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ix
Abbreviations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xi
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xiii
1. Called to Holiness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
2. An Overview of the Journey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

 

3. Awakening and Conversion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
4. The Biblical Worldview of the Saints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
5. The Transformation of Thought, Desire, and Action . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
6. The Struggle against Sin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
7. The Importance of Prayer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
8. Temptations and Trials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137

 

9. A Certain Stability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
10. Growing in Freedom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
11. Growing in Love . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251
12. Growing in Prayer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 281
13. Help from Heaven . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 305
14. A Deeper Purification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 337
 

15. Deep Union . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 373
16. The Fruits of Union . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 385
17. There’s Always More . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 415
Final Encouragement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 441
Endnotes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 445
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 465
 

This reliable and challenging synthesis, which is obviously the fruit of lots of prayerful reflection and study, abounds in wisdom, offers practical guidance, and deserves to be a classic. Ralph Martin does an excellent job in showing the harmony of the various Doctors of the Church both with each other and with scripture, and in drawing out the practical wisdom needed for the transformation of our lives.
- Fr. Patrick Collins, C.M., author of many books on the spiritual life

Ralph Martin has written a much needed, articulate analysis of the spiritual life showing us how the approaches of the past masters interrelate.
- Fr. Michael Scanlan, T.O.R., Chancellor, Franciscan University of Steubenville

I've benefited greatly over the years as I've come into contact with the Spirit-inspired wisdom of great men and women of God like Bernard of Clairvaux and Teresa of Avila. Ralph Martin has written an excellent book that gathers together the wisdom of Bernard, Teresa and others as well who have left us with a great store of wisdom about how we can cooperate with the transforming work of the Spirit. Ralph has researched and taught these themes for many years and has put these truths into practice in his own life. Without watering down the depth of these writers Ralph has made their teachings understandable and accessible and given us a true "guidebook" for the journey to God. Men and women in all parts of the Body of Christ will find this book both inspiring and practically useful. A great help for our life of prayer.
- Pastor Mike Bickle, Founder, International House

About the Author

Ralph Martin has been a leader in renewal movements in the Church for many years, and the author of many books, articles, and audio albums on contemporary issues in the life of the Church and the teachings of the saints. He is currently Director of Graduate Programs in the New Evangelization at Sacred Heat Major Seminary in the Archdiocese of Detroit and Assistant Professor of Theology. He continues to lead the work of Renewal Ministries, an organization devoted to Catholic Renewal and Evangelization and hosts the weekly television program “The Choices We Face.” He and his wife Anne are parents of six children and grandparents of five and reside in Ann Arbor, Michigan.