Build on Rock - Page 2 of 6 - Sharing the faith in God's beloved Son, Jesus Christ

Our Lady of Las Lajas

September 7, 2021 / Michael Haverkamp

Our Lady of Guadalupe is one of the best-known apparitions of Mary. A similar but less famous apparition took place in Guaitara Canyon, Colombia in 1754. As she did two centuries before in Mexico, Our Lady of Las Lajas (Our Lady of the Rocks) left behind evidence of her appearance

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Our Father

August 24, 2021 / Michael Haverkamp

Our Father, We are so blessed to be Your children! Your love and mercy have no end. May every knee bend before You, and may every tongue reverence Your Holy Name! May the communion of love that binds Your kingdom dwell freely in our hearts here on earth.

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What is Heaven like?

August 9, 2021 / Michael Haverkamp

On August 15 we celebrate Mary’s glorious assumption, body and soul, into Heaven. What is Heaven like? Heaven is a communion of love. It is a love that unites the Father, Son and Holy Spirit with those who trusted in His mercy and took up their cross. It is hard

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Predestination

July 27, 2021 / Michael Haverkamp

Controversy over predestination led to wars and schisms during the Protestant Reformation. For Catholics today, it may feel like a daunting topic best avoided. It wasn’t something I understood well until a priest explained it in a simple way in a homily. The Church’s teaching on predestination boils down to

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Freedom

July 13, 2021 / Michael Haverkamp

What is freedom? There is a modern definition of freedom that is freedom to. These are the freedoms enshrined in the Bill of Rights. We are free to speak as we choose. Free to write as we choose. Free to meet with who we choose. Above all, free to worship

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God is love

June 22, 2021 / Michael Haverkamp

Beloved, let us love one another, because love is of God; everyone who loves is begotten by God and knows God. Whoever is without love does not know God, for God is love. (1 John 4:7-8) God is love. If we want to know what love is, and how we are

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With a Father’s Heart (part two)

June 8, 2021 / Michael Haverkamp

“[Saint Joseph] also teaches us that amid the tempests of life, we must never be afraid to let the Lord steer our course. At times, we want to be in complete control, yet God always sees the bigger picture.” It’s not always easy to accept the fact that we’re not

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With a Father’s Heart

May 25, 2021 / Michael Haverkamp

On December 8th of 2020 Pope Francis declared a “Year of Saint Joseph.” The pope also wrote an apostolic letter, “Patris corde” (“With a Father’s Heart”) proclaiming the virtues of Saint Joseph and encouraging the faithful to follow in his footsteps. For fathers especially, the example of Saint Joseph is

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God in the 20th Century

May 12, 2021 / Michael Haverkamp

The 20th Century was one of the bloodiest in human history. The damage wrought in those years shook the faith of many. Yet God never abandons His people, and is often most active amidst the greatest storms. Consider God’s work amidst the storms of the 20th Century: July 28, 1914:

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The power of forgiveness

April 27, 2021 / Michael Haverkamp

Our parish priest shared a powerful story about God’s forgiveness recently that I had to share. The story concerns Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque, to whom Jesus revealed the devotion to his Sacred Heart. When Saint Margaret Mary shared Jesus’ message with her confessor, Saint Claude do la Colombiere, he was

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Jesus, I Surrender to You

April 13, 2021 / Michael Haverkamp

A friend shared a prayer with me, the Surrender Novena, that I had to share with you. This prayer was given to Servant of God Dolindo Ruotolo by Jesus. I found the Lord’s words in this prayer so profound and so comforting. About Father Dolindo. He was born in Naples

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Soon and very soon

March 31, 2021 / Michael Haverkamp

I like to end my nightly prayers by saying, “Good night, Jesus. Good night, Mary. I love you. I’ll see you soon.” In one of the Narnia books, Aslan, the lion who is the Christ-figure in the story, tells the children that something good is going to happen “soon.” The

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First Fridays and First Saturdays

March 16, 2021 / Michael Haverkamp

Many Catholics have heard of and made the First Fridays devotion that comes from a promise Jesus made to Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque. Other Catholics know of the first Saturdays devotion that Mary revealed to Saint Lucia dos Santos. And many Catholics know of neither of these devotions. So what

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The Sacred Heart and Divine Mercy

March 2, 2021 / Michael Haverkamp

In France in the year 1664, a seventeen year-old girl was enjoying herself dancing at a ball, when she saw Jesus as He looked during His Passion. Jesus asked her if she had forgotten about Him. That girl entered a convent, and added the name Mary to her given name,

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Mercy on Calvary

February 16, 2021 / Michael Haverkamp

“Say the word, Lord. I am ready to strike. Say the word, and I will destroy all those who kill you.” “Put away your sword, Michael. It is for their sake that my blood is being spilled.” (1275) “But you desire justice, Lord. It isn’t just for you to suffer.

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Hear His Voice

February 2, 2021 / Michael Haverkamp

Spending time in prayer talking with Jesus is an end to itself, but it is also necessary if we are going to perform works of mercy. Cardinal Angelo Comastri tells a remarkable story about meeting Mother Theresa that illustrates the intimate connection between a rich prayer life and a fruitful

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Talk to Him

January 19, 2021 / Michael Haverkamp

So how do we have a personal encounter with Jesus? We talk to Him. I’ve written elsewhere about the value of praying the Rosary and the Divine Mercy Chaplet. Those are exceptional, efficacious prayers that lead to the salvation of souls. They are prayers that Jesus and Mary have expressly

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Encountering Jesus at the well

January 5, 2021 / Michael Haverkamp

Pope Francis, at the beginning of his first exhortation to the world, invited “all Christians, everywhere, at this very moment, to a renewed personal encounter with Jesus Christ, or at least an openness to letting Him encounter them; I ask all of you to do this unfailingly each day. No

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A Child Will Lead Them

December 15, 2020 / Michael Haverkamp

1 A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. 2 The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him— the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord— 3 and he will delight in the

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Our Lady of Guadalupe

December 1, 2020 / Michael Haverkamp

As he walked up Tepeyac Hill to attend mass on December 9, 1531, Juan Diego had already seen so many dramatic changes in his life as to make the challenges we face in 2020 seem very small. He was born in 1474 and was given the name “Cuauhtlatoatzin,” which means

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