Chastity

Father Hardon’s writings on chastity present the virtue of purity as essential to authentic Christian living and holiness. These articles examine Catholic teaching on self-discipline, marriage, temptation, and the moral life with clarity, fidelity, and pastoral insight.

Chastity

By Father John A. Hardon, S.J. Giving into one’s lustful drives is irrational. Chastity is more than prudent self-control. To practice chastity there must be chastity of the eyes, chastity of the ears, chastity of thought and chastity of desire. The Holy Eucharist is the principal source we have for obtaining the distinctive grace we […]

Chastity and Eternal Life

By Father John A. Hardon, S.J. The clearest teaching of our faith on the necessity of chastity for attaining eternal life is in Christ’s sermon on the mount. He is telling his followers that the Old Testament prohibition of adultery is not enough. If we wish to reach heaven we must not only control our […]

Christian Chastity and the Pro-Life Movement

By Father John A. Hardon, S.J. For many people the subject of our present conference must seem strange. What connection is there between chastity and the pro-life movement? There is more than a connection. There is the dependence of a building on its foundations. Chastity is the foundation of the pro-life movement. You can call […]

Contraception: Fatal to the Faith and to Eternal Life

By Father John A. Hardon, S.J. On the thirtieth anniversary of Humanae Vitae, it seems only proper to identify what contraception really is. It is at once fatal to the true faith and to the eternal life which our faith promises. You might say this piece will be two articles in one. First we shall […]

The Eucharist and Chastity

By Father John A. Hardon, S.J. Our subject for tonight’s conference is “The Eucharist and Chastity.” It could just as well be, “The Necessity of the Eucharist for Chastity,” or even, “There Can Be No Chastity Without the Eucharist.” To understand how indispensable the Eucharist is to the practice of Christian chastity is to understand […]

Prayer and Chastity

By Father John A. Hardon, S.J. Our title for the present conference is “Prayer and Chastity.” It could just as well be “Without Prayer There Can Be No Chastity.” Or again the title could be “Christian Chastity Is Impossible Without Prayer.” All that we have so far seen about Christian chastity tells us that this […]

Confession and Growth in Chastity

By Father John A. Hardon, S.J. The present article must seem strange for two reasons. What can we possibly mean by growth in chastity? In the language of all cultures and the experience of all people, chastity is a virtue that you struggle to preserve. Seriously, is there such a thing as growing in chastity? […]

Modesty is Always in Style

By Father John A. Hardon, S.J. If there was ever a strange title for a talk on the Pro-Life movement it is surely, “Modesty is always in Style.” The reason why this title seems so strange is that people just do not associate modesty with the pro-life movement or, as the Holy Father calls it, […]

Sex and Sanctity

By Father John A. Hardon, S.J. The first reaction to a subject like sex and sanctity is wonder or misgiving. We have become so accustomed to associate sex with sin that even our vocabulary has been affected by the association. The first thought that comes to most people’s minds on hearing words like impurity or […]

Sex Stimuli and Christian Chastity

By Father John A. Hardon, S.J. Our subject for this evening’s conference is Sex Stimuli and Christian Chastity. A subtitle for this conference could be: Sex Stimuli and Christian Sanctity. Everything in our lives is intended by God to draw us closer to Him in this world and bring us to the possession of Him […]

Consecrated Chastity – A Mystery of Faith

By Father John A. Hardon, S.J. It is remarkable how frequently we now hear or read about celibacy, among priests or religious, and how comparatively less often we hear about consecrated chastity. One reason may simply be a cultural preference. The word “celibate” has a definite meaning in our society and people use it without […]

Psychology and Christian Chastity

A Catholic Evaluation of Sex Education By Father John A. Hardon, S.J. It must seem strange to associate two subjects like Psychology and Christian Chastity and A Catholic Evaluation of Sex Education. My hope is that this conference will help you to see how these two issues are not only related, but one depends on […]

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