SJC21 – Parting Advice: Loss of Self for the Greater Love – St. John of the Cross: Master of Contemplation with Fr. Donald Haggerty – Discerning Hearts Podcast In this series Fr. Donald Haggerty and Kris McGregor discuss the depths of prayer as explored by St. John of the Cross, the Mystical Doctor of the Church. An excerpt from St. John of the Cross: Master of Contemplation  The last counsel regarding solitude is not directed simply to physical solitude in a monastery. The...

SJC20 – Suffering for Love of a Crucified Beloved – St. John of the Cross: Master of Contemplation with Fr. Donald Haggerty – Discerning Hearts Podcast In this series Fr. Donald Haggerty and Kris McGregor discuss the depths of prayer as explored by St. John of the Cross, the Mystical Doctor of the Church. An excerpt from St. John of the Cross: Master of Contemplation  Certainly an atmosphere of great challenge pervades the writings of Saint John of the Cross. It is possible that the...

 SJC19 – Wounds of Love – St. John of the Cross: Master of Contemplation with Fr. Donald Haggerty – Discerning Hearts Podcast In this series Fr. Donald Haggerty and Kris McGregor discuss the depths of prayer as explored by St. John of the Cross, the Mystical Doctor of the Church. An excerpt from St. John of the Cross: Master of Contemplation  The concealment of God’s presence, mysteriously near to our soul, yet known only by love, is at the heart of contemplation. The hidden...

 SJC18 – Perseverance in Prayer – St. John of the Cross: Master of Contemplation with Fr. Donald Haggerty – Discerning Hearts Podcast In this series Fr. Donald Haggerty and Kris McGregor discuss the depths of prayer as explored by St. John of the Cross, the Mystical Doctor of the Church. An excerpt from St. John of the Cross: Master of Contemplation  What, then, of the feelings of love that may be experienced in prayer? Are they to be denied or mortified? Ignored or renounced?...

SJC17 – The Will in Prayer Inflamed by Pure Love – St. John of the Cross: Master of Contemplation with Fr. Donald Haggerty – Discerning Hearts Podcast In this series Fr. Donald Haggerty and Kris McGregor discuss the depths of prayer as explored by St. John of the Cross, the Mystical Doctor of the Church. An excerpt from St. John of the Cross: Master of Contemplation  It can be useful initially to recall the operation of inclination in the will, the first operation of the will, as...

SJC16 – Longing for God’s Love – St. John of the Cross: Master of Contemplation with Fr. Donald Haggerty – Discerning Hearts Podcast In this series Fr. Donald Haggerty and Kris McGregor discuss the depths of prayer as explored by St. John of the Cross, the Mystical Doctor of the Church. An excerpt from St. John of the Cross: Master of Contemplation  The ease with which contemplation can take place when a soul is accustomed to approach God with a deeper surrender of itself is evident...

 SJC15 – Receptivity to God’s Presence – St. John of the Cross: Master of Contemplation with Fr. Donald Haggerty – Discerning Hearts Podcast In this series Fr. Donald Haggerty and Kris McGregor discuss the depths of prayer as explored by St. John of the Cross, the Mystical Doctor of the Church. An excerpt from St. John of the Cross: Master of Contemplation  The whole matter is nonetheless very delicate in description. The beginning of contemplation is not just a passive drifting...

 SJC14 – Graces from Contemplation – St. John of the Cross: Master of Contemplation with Fr. Donald Haggerty – Discerning Hearts Podcast In this series Fr. Donald Haggerty and Kris McGregor discuss the depths of prayer as explored by St. John of the Cross, the Mystical Doctor of the Church. An excerpt from St. John of the Cross: Master of Contemplation  The more a soul in responding to contemplative grace becomes “habituated” to the calm that is drawing it from within, the more...

 SJC13 – The Incipient Signs of the Grace of Contemplation – St. John of the Cross: Master of Contemplation with Fr. Donald Haggerty – Discerning Hearts Podcast In this series Fr. Donald Haggerty and Kris McGregor discuss the depths of prayer as explored by St. John of the Cross, the Mystical Doctor of the Church. An excerpt from St. John of the Cross: Master of Contemplation  We turn our attention now to one of the most important contributions to spirituality in the writings of...

 SJC12 – Dawning Light of the Gift of Contemplation – St. John of the Cross: Master of Contemplation with Fr. Donald Haggerty – Discerning Hearts Podcast In this series Fr. Donald Haggerty and Kris McGregor discuss the depths of prayer as explored by St. John of the Cross, the Mystical Doctor of the Church. An excerpt from St. John of the Cross: Master of Contemplation  We are ready now to take up the teaching of Saint John of the Cross on contemplation. However, it can be...

 SJC11 – Barricades on the Road to Contemplation, Part 2 – St. John of the Cross: Master of Contemplation with Fr. Donald Haggerty – Discerning Hearts Podcast In this series Fr. Donald Haggerty and Kris McGregor discuss the depths of prayer as explored by St. John of the Cross, the Mystical Doctor of the Church. An excerpt from St. John of the Cross: Master of Contemplation  We can view this next chapter as an argument in defense of the rigors of purification proposed in the many...

 SJC10 – Barricades on the Road to Contemplation, Part 1 – St. John of the Cross: Master of Contemplation with Fr. Donald Haggerty – Discerning Hearts Podcast In this series Fr. Donald Haggerty and Kris McGregor discuss the depths of prayer as explored by St. John of the Cross, the Mystical Doctor of the Church. An excerpt from St. John of the Cross: Master of Contemplation  We can view this next chapter as an argument in defense of the rigors of purification proposed in the many...

 SJC9 – Purification of the Will for Love Alone – St. John of the Cross: Master of Contemplation with Fr. Donald Haggerty – Discerning Hearts Podcast In this series Fr. Donald Haggerty and Kris McGregor discuss the depths of prayer as explored by St. John of the Cross, the Mystical Doctor of the Church. An excerpt from St. John of the Cross: Master of Contemplation  After exposing these principles of asceticism, we turn to the purification of the will by the theological virtue of...

SJC8 – The Will’s Capacity for Love – St. John of the Cross: Master of Contemplation with Fr. Donald Haggerty – Discerning Hearts Podcast In this series Fr. Donald Haggerty and Kris McGregor discuss the depths of prayer as explored by St. John of the Cross, the Mystical Doctor of the Church. An excerpt from St. John of the Cross: Master of Contemplation  For Saint John of the Cross, it is not simply the pleasures and enjoyments of the senses in themselves that are the crux of the...

SJC7 – Asceticism: Recovery of a Neglected Value – St. John of the Cross: Master of Contemplation with Fr. Donald Haggerty – Discerning Hearts Podcast In this series Fr. Donald Haggerty and Kris McGregor discuss the depths of prayer as explored by St. John of the Cross, the Mystical Doctor of the Church. An excerpt from St. John of the Cross: Master of Contemplation  In this chapter we take up a subject planted more firmly on the ground, namely, Saint John of the Cross’ instructions...

 SJC6 – Intense Certitude of Love – St. John of the Cross: Master of Contemplation with Fr. Donald Haggerty – Discerning Hearts Podcast In this series Fr. Donald Haggerty and Kris McGregor discuss the depths of prayer as explored by St. John of the Cross, the Mystical Doctor of the Church.  In this episode, they continue their conversation on that which leads to the experience of the Dark Nights often associated with St. John of the Cross An excerpt from St. John of the Cross: Master of...

 SJC5 – Mystery of Believing – St. John of the Cross: Master of Contemplation with Fr. Donald Haggerty – Discerning Hearts Podcast In this series Fr. Donald Haggerty and Kris McGregor discuss the depths of prayer as explored by St. John of the Cross, the Mystical Doctor of the Church.  In this episode, they continue their conversation on that which leads to the experience of the Dark Nights often associated with St. John of the Cross An excerpt from St. John of the Cross: Master of...

 SJC4 – Pure Faith in Contemplative Prayer – St. John of the Cross: Master of Contemplation with Fr. Donald Haggerty – Discerning Hearts Podcast In this series Fr. Donald Haggerty and Kris McGregor discuss the depths of prayer as explored by St. John of the Cross, the Mystical Doctor of the Church.  In this episode, they continue their conversation on that which leads to the experience of the Dark Nights often associated with St. John of the Cross An excerpt from St. John of the Cross:...

 SJC3 – Contemplative Faith: Certitude in Darkness – St. John of the Cross: Master of Contemplation with Fr. Donald Haggerty – Discerning Hearts Podcast In this series Fr. Donald Haggerty and Kris McGregor discuss the depths of prayer as explored by St. John of the Cross, the Mystical Doctor of the Church.  In this episode, conversation leads to the experience of the Dark Nights often associated with St. John of the Cross An excerpt from St. John of the Cross: Master of...

 SJC2 – Caverns of Longing within the Soul – St. John of the Cross: Master of Contemplation with Fr. Donald Haggerty – Discerning Hearts Podcast In this series Fr. Donald Haggerty and Kris McGregor discuss the depths of prayer as explored by St. John of the Cross, the Mystical Doctor of the Church. Here is the excerpt from the The Living Flame of Love by St. John of the Cross that Fr. Haggerty references in the podcast: Songs of the soul in the intimate communication of loving...

 SJC1 – The Hiding Place of the Beloved – St. John of the Cross: Master of Contemplation with Fr. Donald Haggerty – Discerning Hearts Podcast In this introductory episode, Fr. Donald Haggerty and Kris McGregor discuss the depths of prayer as explored by St. John of the Cross, the Mystical Doctor of the Church.  Fr. Haggerty helps the listener understand the nature of mystical contemplation and more specifically “What or who is a mystic?” He also helps us understand the dwelling of God in...