Prayer

Father Hardon’s writings on prayer explore the heart of the Christian spiritual life and the soul’s relationship with God. These articles examine meditation, contemplation, devotion, perseverance in prayer, and the role of prayer in growing in holiness and grace.

What Is Prayer Before the Blessed Sacrament? Part One

By Father John A. Hardon, S.J. December 29, 1987 Our present conference, the first of two, will be on prayer before the Blessed Sacrament. As we come to the end of our series of conferences on the priestly spirituality of Father Gerald, we approach what I consider the heart of his distinctive spirituality. For Father […]

Prayer Before the Blessed Sacrament

By Father John A. Hardon, S.J. When we speak of the Blessed Sacrament, we can mean the Real Presence of Christ in the Holy Eucharist or the Holy Communion that we receive during the Eucharistic Liturgy. And the language of Catholicism does not separate the two, even while it distinguishes them. My present purpose is […]

The Value of Prayer and Sacrifice for Priests

By Father John A. Hardon, S.J. I would like to address myself to the subject of the value of prayer and sacrifice for priests – the value of prayer and sacrifice for priests. If there was ever a need to pray and sacrifice for priests for their preservation and sanctity it is today. It is […]

Adoration and Praise in Our Prayer

Excerpted from a conferenceby Father John A. Hardon, S.J. Asking the average person what prayer means he might say, “it is asking God for what we need.” That answer is correct but not adequate. Many people when they pray are asking God for some favor, either what they want or something they wish to avoid. […]

Our Lady of the Rosary – Marian Retreat: Introduction

By Father John A. Hardon, S.J. Why a Retreat on Our Lady of the Rosary? We’re about to begin what we are calling a Marian Retreat. I chose, and I trust Our Lady is pleased; our focus will be on Our Lady of the Rosary. So the next logical question is, why a retreat on […]

Our Lady of the Rosary – Marian Retreat: History of the Rosary

By Father John A. Hardon, S.J. Our present meditation is on the History of the Holy Rosary. As we enter into our reflections on Our Lady of the Rosary during this Marian retreat, we first wish to see something of the history of this devotion. You might wonder, what purpose is there in doing this? […]

Our Lady of the Rosary – Marian Retreat: An Effective Way of Praying the Rosary

By Father John A. Hardon, S.J. How to Say the Rosary Our present meditation is on how to say the Rosary. As we saw in our previous conference the Rosary of Our Lady has a centuries old history on its doctrinal side. There has been a phenomenal development, not in the sense of an accumulation […]

Our Lady of the Rosary – Marian Retreat: Joyful Mysteries – The Annunciation

By Father John A. Hardon, S.J. We’re now ready to begin the reflection on the Mysteries of the Holy Rosary and the first, obviously, is The Annunciation. We might begin by observing that there is no single event in the Gospels that has inspired more artists and more poets than the scene described in St. […]

Our Lady of the Rosary – Marian Retreat: Joyful Mysteries – The Visitation

By Father John A. Hardon, S.J. Our present conference is on the second Joyful Mystery, the Visitation of Our Lady. This mystery is really two mysteries in one. First the Visitation itself and then the Magnificat which Mary said – or as we may believe – sang on the first day she visited Elizabeth. Our […]

Our Lady of the Rosary – Marian Retreat: Joyful Mysteries – The Birth of Jesus

By Father John A. Hardon, S.J. Our present meditation is on the Third Joyful Mystery, The Birth of Jesus in Bethlehem. We shall take the whole story of Our Lord’s Birth at Bethlehem as one unit and concentrate on certain features of the event. Features, I should add, that now for centuries the great spiritual […]

Our Lady of the Rosary – Marian Retreat: Joyful Mysteries – The Presentation

By Father John A. Hardon, S.J. Our present reflections on the Fourth Joyful Mystery: The Presentation of Our Lord in the Temple. The narrative as described by St. Luke is one of the longest, sustained stories about Jesus in the Gospels. In sequence: St. Luke gives us the account of the Annunciation, then of Mary’s […]

Our Lady of the Rosary – Marian Retreat: Joyful Mysteries – Christ Being Found in the Temple

By Father John A. Hardon, S.J. Fifth Joyful Mystery – Christ’s being found in the Temple. This Fifth Joyful Mystery of the Rosary is a mixture of joy and sorrow. You might say it is the link that joins the Joyful Mysteries with the Sorrowful Mysteries that are to follow. It is also the last […]

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