Christian Spirituality

Father Hardon’s writings on Christian spirituality guide readers in deepening their relationship with God through prayer, virtue, and the life of grace. These articles explore holiness, spiritual growth, the interior life, and the Catholic path to union with Christ.

How to Live in the Presence of God

By Father John A. Hardon, S.J. The Closing Conference of a Retreat We are first told to pray continually. The first time we meet this injunction of Christ is in the Gospel of St. Luke. Luke, by the way, is the evangelist of the Holy Spirit. The Savior is described by St. Luke as telling […]

How to Follow Christ Today

By Father John A. Hardon, S.J. The heart of Christian spirituality is the following of Christ. God became man in the person of Jesus Christ in order to show us by word and example how we are to live in this passing world on the road to eternity. The single most important directive in the […]

How to Grow in the Love of God

By Father John A. Hardon, S.J. While there is probably no subject in the spiritual life about which we have heard and reflected more often than this one, nevertheless it is always worth more reflection, because it is infinitely deep and has implications that we can never exhaust. The expression “love of God” has more […]

TRUE

By Father John A. Hardon, S.J. An American brewing company uses the word “True” as a slogan in its popular commercials. Even more audaciously, advertisements for a well-known beer imported to this country exhort the reader in large print to “Seek the Truth.” I’m aware of the ancient saying In vino veritas (in wine there […]

Living in the Presence of God

By Father John A. Hardon, S.J. There is no single subject in spiritual literature that is more highly recommended or insisted upon as more indispensable than the spirit of recollection or living in God’s presence. There is no question about its fundamental role. The important thing is, how do we grow or develop in this […]

Contemporary Spirituality

By Father John A. Hardon, S.J. There is an obvious risk in talking about contemporary spirituality. The suspicion may be raised that the spiritual life has different forms in different ages, and that perhaps even the essence of sanctity changes with the times. It may also suggest that Christian perfection somehow depends on being up-to-date, […]

Achieving Peace of Mind

By Father John A. Hardon, S.J. There is hardly much need telling ourselves or proving to others that ours is a restless age. Instability and insecurity are everywhere. There is uncertainty among the young who are worried about their future. These is uncertainty among parents who are concerned about their children. There is uncertainty among […]

Perpetual Adoration, True Peace in the World

By Father John A. Hardon, S.J. We begin by making a simple statement. The true peace about which we are speaking is peace of heart. There is no need to explain why we should talk about peace of heart. If there is any single recommendation, and even mandate, that His followers received from Christ, it […]

The Real Presence and Sanctity

by John A. Hardon, S.J. In speaking about holiness it is remarkable how we can overlook the obvious. For example it is obvious that we cannot become holy unless we obtain the extraordinary graces needed to reach sanctity. Hearing about holiness; reading about it; even seeing holiness, does not make one holy. We need grace. […]

The Priesthood of the Faithful

By Father John A. Hardon, S.J. There is more than passing value in looking at the meaning and implications of the priesthood of the faithful. There is much confusion these days in some quarters about who and what is a priest; there is an overwhelming amount of what they call identity crisis in many priests. […]

The Value of Suffering in the Life of Christian Perfection

By Father John A. Hardon, S.J. Why should we consider this subject? Although we will deal with the subject academically, it is by no means an academic subject, particularly in its relationship to the sanctity to which we all aspire. Suffering by itself is not sanctifying. Many people who are suffering are not necessarily profiting […]

Examen of Conscience

By Father John A. Hardon, S.J. The examination of conscience is an essential part of the spiritual life. All intelligent people make a periodic self-assessment. Our purpose here is to speak of the daily examen of conscience which is recommended by all the writers of the spiritual life. For most people, the examination of conscience […]

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