Sin

Father Hardon’s writings on sin explore the reality of moral evil and the soul’s need for repentance and grace. These articles examine temptation, mortal and venial sin, conscience, conversion, and God’s mercy in the Christian life.

First Confession: An Historical and Theological Analysis

By Father John A. Hardon, S.J. The subject of first Confession for children is a late development in Catholic thought. Until recently, about the only literature on the subject was an occasional reference in theological monographs on Jansenism in the nineteenth century. Since the Jansenists had restricted the reception of the sacraments for all the […]

Conversion from Sin

By Father John A. Hardon, S.J. Our present lecture is on conversion from sin necessary for salvation. This, as you know, is our reflection on the Scriptures and, concretely, on what the Sacred Scriptures tell us about conversion. First, by way of introduction, Christianity is unintelligible without conversion from sin. Had there been no sin […]

Lesson Eleven: Forgiveness of Sins

By Father John A. Hardon, S.J. The Holy Spirit is the Soul of the Church. He is her source of supernatural life. In the same way, the Holy Spirit is the source of the Church’s power to reconcile sinners with our offended God. In covering the tenth article of the Apostle’s Creed, the catechist should […]

Sin and its Consequences

By Father John A. Hardon, S.J. Our theme is sin and its consequences. We shall first look at what the Old Testament tells us and then the New. Before we start however, I thought I would read a few lines from a book, which you may know exists. I won’t say where I got it. […]

Personal Sin

By Father John A. Hardon, S.J. We are privileged to bring to you another series of retreat conferences given by Father John A. Hardon S.J. Professor at the Jesuit School of Theology in Chicago and at Saint John’s University in New York. Father Hardon is a well-known retreat master, author and spiritual director. Each conference […]

Sin in the Providence of God – Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius Conference Retreat

By Father John A. Hardon, S.J. No one, if they have a spark of faith can fail to be moved by the logical approach which Father Hardon gives in this meditation. Just one of the many jewels to be found throughout this talk is the fact that heaven is beyond our grasp without grace. The […]

Choosing a Good Confessor

By Father John A. Hardon, S.J. One of the most remarkable developments in Catholic doctrine has been the practice of frequent Confession. Of course, the Sacrament of Penance must be received when a person has committed mortal sin. And Holy Communion should not be received until after going to Confession and receiving priestly absolution. But […]

Confession of Sins: A Divine Institution

By Father John A. Hardon, S.J. During his first visit to the United States, Pope John Paul II pleaded with the bishops to do something about the drastic drop in confessions in many American dioceses. “In the face of a widespread phenomenon of our time, namely that many of our people who are among the […]

The Problem of First Confession

By Father John A. Hardon, S.J. It all seems to have happened so suddenly. As late as 1960, few would have dreamed that such complete reversal of policy on the age for first Confessions could take place in so short a time. What makes the situation still less intelligible is that nothing in the sixteen […]

The Spiritual and Psychological Value of Frequent Confession

By Father John A. Hardon, S.J. Judging by the drastic drop in confessions in countries like the United States, the false opinion is gaining ground that Confession is not to be received, or made, frequently. No doubt, one reason for this sad state of affairs is the prevalence of some wild theories about mortal sin. […]

Looking For Peace? Try Confession

Book by Mary Ann Budnik Book Review by Father John A. Hardon, S.J. Looking for Peace? Try Confession! This is a masterpiece of simplicity. It spells out what our risen Lord gave to us on Easter Sunday night. He appeared to His disciples and told them, “Peace be with you.” Then He instituted the Sacrament […]

An Integral Part of Confession

By Father John A. Hardon, S.J. The penance assigned by the priest is an integral part of the Sacrament of Confession. According to the Church’s Code of Canon Law “the confessor is to enjoin salutary and suitable penances in keeping with the quality and number of sins, but with attention to the condition of the […]

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