Holy Spirit

Father Hardon’s writings on the Holy Spirit explore the Third Person of the Blessed Trinity and His role in the Christian life. These articles examine sanctifying grace, spiritual gifts, divine inspiration, holiness, and the Spirit’s work within the Church and the soul.

The Work of the Holy Spirit in the Church and in the World

By Father John A. Hardon, S.J. The subject of this article on “The Work of the Holy Spirit in the Church and in the World” is an ocean. We might even say that all of Christianity is summarized in this one statement. As we know, Pope John Paul II has recommended that 1998, the second […]

The Annunciation

By Father John A. Hardon, S.J. It is not without deep reason that St. Luke is called the “Evangelist of the Holy Spirit.” When Our Lady asked the angel at the Annunciation how she was to conceive a son since she was vowed to virginity, the angel assured her that, “the Holy Spirit shall come […]

Gift of Counsel

By Father John A. Hardon, S.J. Father Hardon: We still have two full days, remember? Friday and Saturday and even part of Sunday. Remember the Gift of the Holy Spirit, I’ll identify first in the prophet Isaiah. And the Gift of Counsel, is the first gift mentioned in Isaiah. Evidently, an important gift. We’re talking […]

Gift of Fortitude

By Father John A. Hardon, S.J. Tape 10, Side 1 So the Gift of Fortitude, first of all, implies, that doing the will of God is not easy. We need help from the God who tells us what His will is, to do His will. Again, the Gift of Fortitude implies that there are obstacles […]

The Holy Spirit Sustains the Virtue of Hope

By Father John A. Hardon, S.J. On the first Ascension Thursday, just before Jesus ascended to His heavenly Father, He made a promise to His apostles that we desperately need to hear in our day. He said, “You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you shall be witnesses for me […]

The Holy Spirit as Power

By Father John A. Hardon, S.J. We speak of the Holy Spirit in many different ways: as Love, as Gift, as the Paraclete, as the Advocate. All of these titles are biblical and identify some of the profound attributes of the Spirit promised by Christ before his Ascension into Heaven. But there is one that […]

Mission of the Holy Spirit

By Father John A. Hardon, S.J. As Catholics, we believe that the Second Person of the Holy Trinity was sent into the world to redeem the human race and restore our friendship with God. But we also believe that the Third Person of the Holy Trinity was sent by Christ on Pentecost Sunday to sanctify […]

The Holy Spirit and Community Life

By Father John A. Hardon, S.J. The subject of our present conference is The Holy Spirit and Community Life. We are hearing so many things about the Holy Spirit these days that it might be well to reflect on the sequence of events which took place on Pentecost Sunday. My plan for the conference is […]

The Catholic Church and the Communion of Saints

By Father John A. Hardon, S.J. The ninth article of the Creed proposes our faith in the second great work of the Holy Spirit after the Incarnation. It is by His power that the Church came into being on Calvary. It is by His power that the Church continues to sanctify a sinful human race. […]

The Virtue of Faith

Retreat for Women, 7-13-1998 By Father John A. Hardon, S.J. First of all a brief reminder. Although the time is so short, be sure to make a good confession. Now then, as you know, we’ll have a question and answer period and, as I tell people, stuff the question box. Make the questions asked precise […]

Our Natural Knowledge of God

By Father John A. Hardon, S.J. We said we would have certain master themes found in the scriptures and revealing to us the spiritual life, as the Holy Spirit, the source of the spiritual life, inspired the authors of the scriptures. As we approach these master themes, we should immediately recognize that the two Testaments […]