Index : F
"There are four logical features in this passage from the Gospel of Matthew, each one of which deserves not a few minutes, but months of prayerful meditation. First, Peter's profession of faith in Christ; then, Christ's acceptance of this profession; third, Christ's promise to make Peter the visible foundation of His Church; and finally, the awesome description of the power of papal authority." - Fr. John A. Hardon, S.J.
Faith therefore in the Holy Eucharist is THE TEST of whether a person is a Catholic or not. And no one cheats here because God knows whether a person believes or not. Given this foundation, the faith in the Holy Eucharist is the test of being a true Catholic." - Fr. John A. Hardon, S.J.
What is Faith? Why is Faith important in the life of a Christian? How is
"Faith imperative in the life of a Catholic priest? We can give summary attention to the first two questions and concentrate on the third; yet I
do not think that, given the state of things in the Church today, we should glide over either the meaning of faith or its importance in the
life of every Catholic Christian." - Fr. John A. Hardon, S.J.
"If there is one lesson that we need to learn in life it is that our stay here on earth is a probation. We commonly speak of the trials of life. We should say that our life on earth is a trial. It is a test. It is God’s way of enabling us to prove our loyalty to Him. That is what life, or we correctly say, is - a valley of tears. It is an opportunity to prove our fidelity to the God from whom we came and the condition for our eternity with the God for whom we were made." - Fr. John A. Hardon, S.J.
Our plan here is to prayerfully reflect on three areas of a subject that is as broad and deep as the ocean. We shall ask ourselves: What are the challenges facing the family in our day? Why does the Catholic Church offer the only solution to these challenges? How are we to respond to these challenges?
Father Benedict Groeschel, CFR, internationally known for his writing, lectures, and retreats is a profound lover of the Eucharist.
He is a modern-day advocate of Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration. Through his ministry and communications, he encourages
all to grow closer to Our Living God through the habits of daily prayer, reception of the sacraments and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.
Father Damien, known the world over as the priest of the lepers on the island of Molokai, was truly an apostle
of the Eucharist. This love he had for the Eucharist was transmitted to the lepers. He brought them to closer union with
their Maker through the beautiful liturgies he organized, frequent Benediction, and Eucharistic Processions.
Father John A. Hardon, S.J. is considered one of the most prominent Roman Catholic theologians of our century.
He, as does Pope John Paul II, advocated the laudable practice of Eucharistic Adoration.
Some twenty years ago, our Holy Father John Paul II asked Mother Teresa of Calcutta to train her Sisters, the Missionaries of Charity, to be catechists. At the same time, the Holy See asked Father John Hardon, S.J., to organize the catechetical training program for the Missionaries of Charity.
Father John A. Hardon S.J. died at the very end of the 20th Century, December 30, 2000. He was born in 1914, the same year that World War I began. He was ordained in 1947, just after the end of World War II. During his career as a Jesuit, he wrote over 40 books, led hundreds of retreats, founded several organizations and gave a huge number of lectures around the world.
Quotations from the early church fathers and documents, including the
Didache, St. Ignatius, St. Justin the Martyr, St. Irenaeus of
Antioch, Tertullian, Origen, St. Clement of Alexandria, St. Cyprian of
Carthage, Council of Nicaea, Aphraates the Persian Sage, St. Ephraim,
St. Athanasius, St. Cyril of Jerusalem, St. Hilary of Poitiers, St. Basil the
Great, St. Gregory of Nazianz, St. Gregory of Nyssa, St. Epiphanius of
Salamis, Theodore of Mopsuestia, St. John Chrysostom, Apostolic
Constitutions, St. Ambrose of Milan, St. Jerome, and St. Augustine.
Why…does God periodically communicate certain messages to the world, through such mystics as St. Francis of Assisi, St. Catherine of Siena and St. Theresa of Avila? He does this, not in order to reveal something unknown before, but to alert people to a revealed truth that had been ignored and that desperately needs to be met at certain periods of human history.
As we begin the New Year, we are all hoping that God will continue showering us with His blessings and providing us with the graces we need to do His will. We casually wish people a Happy New Year. But we know from experience that we can only be as happy as we surrender our wills to the mysterious will of God. By now we know that this Divine will can be very demanding. Faith tells us that the more our Lord asks of us, the more strength He gives us to respond faithfully to His loving demands.
"On the occasion of celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of my ordination to the priesthood, there is
literally an ocean of thoughts that come to mind, on which I could speak and you could patiently listen. But I thought I
would address myself to just three subjects, expressed in three words, gratitude, concern, and confidence." - Fr. John A. Hardon
"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 faithful, children were also affected. With the advent of Pius X, however, and his clear legislation in favor of frequent and early Communion and Confession, the moral rigorism of former days had subsided. And until the early sixties, it was taken for granted that children should receive both sacraments shortly after reaching "the age of discretion." But in the last ten years new ideas began to appear that indicate the rise of a problem which deserves the attention of parents, pastors and Catholic teachers." - Fr. John A. Hardon, S.J.
"We hope to see what have been the outstanding features of the Church's history in the New World in the past half millennium. Even more pertinently, we will ask ourselves: What lessons does the Church's experience teach us today, as we begin the next five hundred years of Catholic history in the New World." - Fr. John A. Hardon, S.J.
Jesuit Fr. John Hardon, this country's foremost theologian and catechist, died December 30 at the Colombiere Retreat House in suburban Detroit. He was 86. "He was a one-man army of God," said Wanderer publisher Al Matt, Jr., on hearing the news of the theologian's death after a long illness. "He was a model priest and his parish was the world."
The experience of the Eviches illustrates, probably as well as any other,
the dramatic — and largely untold — story of Fr. Hardon. The 85-year-old
theologian and literary giant is most known for his prodigious output of
40 books, including his major opus, the 1975 Catholic Catechism: A Contemporary
Catechism of the Teachings of the Catholic Church, published by Doubleday.
That 623-page book is in its 26th printing by Doubleday and is still selling
strongly at more than one million copies.
The longer you live the more important it is to be in contact with God through prayer. The prayers we offer for others are more powerful than any exchange of correspondence. With most of my correspondents this is what I have learned, prayer is the best way I can express both my affection and my readiness to be of service.
My three weeks in Calcutta this January were the experience of a lifetime. They were the answer to years of prayer, since my first inspiration to enter the Society of Jesus was St. Francis Xavier. In his ten years in India, he converted and personally baptized over 100,000 natives. My hope was to follow in his footsteps.
Commit to spending an hour per week with Jesus!!!
Chapter 1 of Fr. John A. Hardon's prayer book.
Chapter 2 of Fr. John A. Hardon's prayer book.
Chapter 3 of Fr. John A. Hardon's prayer book.
Chapter 4 of Fr. John A. Hardon's prayer book.
Chapter 5 of Fr. John A. Hardon's prayer book.
Chapter 6 of Fr. John A. Hardon's prayer book.
Chapter 7 of Fr. John A. Hardon's prayer book.
Chapter 8 of Fr. John A. Hardon's prayer book.
Chapter 9 of Fr. John A. Hardon's prayer book.
Chapter 10 of Fr. John A. Hardon's prayer book.
Chapter 11 of Fr. John A. Hardon's prayer book.
