My Notes on Ralph Martin’s Book: “Fulfillment of All Desire”
Pages: 2, 153: Holiness is willing as God wills; that’s our life goal.
3, 141, 231: Now that Christendom is no longer a dominant force in western civilization, Christians must live their faith deeply and deliberately. Eliminate non-essentials to make room for God; this detachment isn’t an end in itself, but prepares one for a greater love.
7, 8, 57, 58, 97, 215: Sin is the source of our unhappiness. Union with God is the purpose of our existence–the fulfillment of all our desires. Our human relationships will be deeper in Heaven. Losing inordinate desires for things allows us to enjoy them more. Pleasures are shadows of the pleasure of knowing God. As ends in themselves, pleasures make us less than human.
21, 23, 95, 113, 119, 155, 156, 158, 217, 218:No deliberate sin is little. Our affection for venial sin offends God. Avoid whatever leads to temptation. Temporal goods aren’t sinful; being attached to them is. Disordered desires enslave us. An illicit attraction must be countered by a greater attraction.Immediately reject temptation; don’t linger on it. Avoid whatever leads to a temptation.
24, 122, 125, 126, 127, 134, 135, 152, 163, 174:Wherever and whenever, follow promptings to private prayer.Be aware of what you’re praying, and realize to Whom you’re praying. Interrupt your verbal/written prayers with mental/personal prayer, at the Spirit’s leading. Practice Lectio Devina, interrupting your readings with mental prayer. Prayer is sharing between friends; it’s a relationship. Practice solitude, even in a crowd, by making light of slights and losses. By hanging on to grievances, one might be in a crowd while alone. Practice ejaculatory prayers, like repeating Jesus' name. Continue praying, even when there’s no pleasure in it.
28, 43, 51, 59, 91, 114, 138, 145, 151, 187: Inaccurate knowledge about God impedes one’s conversion and faith. Salvation and growing in holiness is from God’s grace. They aren’t rewards for our good works. One ends in Hell by rejecting God’s mercy, by choosing it. We should have a burning desire for the lost, allowing God to love others through us. Don’t be too disturbed by your imperfections; have confidence in God’s mercy. He knows our weaknesses. Indescrete zeal, overdoing sacrifices, leads to burnout. Rejecting God’s mercy leads to depression and despair.
46, 82, 234:We must not credit ourselves for the good we do. Titles and wealth are vain, as is everything apart from God.Humiliation can lead to humility, but only if we handle it well.
55, 190, The fear of God is learned by experience, not by lectures. It frees us from fears and leads to loving God.
164, 169, 170, 172, 236, 244, 416, 418, 423:In sickness, one desires to be healthy for service, but offer up the pain and be prepared for death. Even in the dark night of the soul, we can know an underlying peace and joy and develop a deeper desire for God. Whatever the suffering, it doesn’t compare to that of Jesus or to that of martyrs. Our virtues are tested and developed by the vices of others. We are proved by trials and abuse, leading us beyond a mercenary love (of loving God only for His benefits). We find God in forgetting ourselves.