Yearly Archives: 2019

Every perfect gift is from above

December 17, 2019 / Michael Haverkamp

“God looked at everything he had made, and he found it very good. Evening came, and morning followed – the sixth day.” (Genesis 1:31) “Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers: all good giving and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom

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What is not in Heaven

December 3, 2019 / Michael Haverkamp

In reflecting on the mystery of suffering, we have looked at the redemptive value of suffering, and the compassion of Jesus who suffers with us. This post will address why there is suffering. For while it is a mystery why particular misfortunes afflict particular people, we do know from Sacred

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Hope amidst suffering

November 12, 2019 / Michael Haverkamp

The problem of evil is one of the oldest in theology. Evil in this sense does not refer to sinfulness (at least not entirely), but to disease, natural disasters and the like which afflict the good and bad indifferently, with no apparent reason. The ancient Greek philosopher Epicurus, writing three

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Meaning of the Real Presence

October 29, 2019 / Michael Haverkamp

Our Lord Jesus, who with God the Father and through the Holy Spirit created the heavens and the earth, fashioned the universe of a billion trillion stars and breathed life into one hundred billion souls, comes down from Heaven daily, taking the appearance of bread and wine, so that he

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Miracles of the Real Presence

October 15, 2019 / Michael Haverkamp

As we have seen from Saint Paul’s Letter to the Corinthians, the Eucharist was celebrated from the Church’s earliest days, and it is clear from the writings of the Church Fathers that they believed in the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. I will give two examples (you can

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The Bread of Life

October 1, 2019 / Michael Haverkamp

The first four Luminous Mysteries of the Rosary build up to the last and greatest one: the Institution of the Eucharist. As Jesus sanctifies the waters of our baptism, and as he turns water into wine at the wedding in Cana, he will now turn wine into his precious and

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The Transfiguration

September 17, 2019 / Michael Haverkamp

To understand the story of the Transfiguration, you have to know when it takes place. In all three synoptic gospels, the Transfiguration follows two critical events: First, Jesus asks his apostles who they say he is, and Peter proclaims that Jesus is “the Messiah, the Son of the living God”

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The Proclamation of the Kingdom of God

September 3, 2019 / Michael Haverkamp

The third Luminous Mystery, the Proclamation of the Kingdom, is the only mystery of the Rosary that does not deal with a discrete event in the life of Jesus or Mary. Rather, it calls our attention to the core message of the gospel: After John had been arrested, Jesus came

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Can you spare seven minutes to help a dying soul?

August 19, 2019 / Michael Haverkamp

“When I entered my solitude, I heard these words: ‘At the hour of their death, I defend as My own glory every soul that will say this chaplet [the Divine Mercy Chaplet]; or when others say it for a dying person, the pardon is the same. When this chaplet is

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The Wedding at Cana

August 6, 2019 / Michael Haverkamp

We live in a society that loves to create lists. We want to quantify, categorize and rank everything we can, even things that defy quantification. Some lists can lead to thoughtful debate, others devolve into mindless prattle. The Holy Spirit inspired Saint John Paul II to give us the Luminous

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The Baptism of the Lord

July 23, 2019 / Michael Haverkamp

Every good story has a beginning, a middle and an end. The Rosary is the story of our salvation, accomplished by Christ, as seen through the eyes of Mary. The traditional mysteries of the Rosary center around the three key events of salvation: the Incarnation, the Passion and the Resurrection.

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Mary, Our Mother

July 9, 2019 / Michael Haverkamp

Immaculate Mary. Mother of God. Holy Mary. Our Lady of Sorrows. Queen of Heaven. Mother of Good Counsel. Our Lady of Guadalupe. Morning Star. Our Lady of Lourdes. Mother of Mercy. Our Lady of Fatima. Refuge of Sinners. Mom. I’m not sure anyone in history has more titles than Mary.

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The Assumption and Coronation

June 18, 2019 / Michael Haverkamp

The Rosary is the life of Jesus, seen through the eyes of Mary. Thus the story begins with Mary’s Fiat, her saying yes to the will of God to become the mother of his Son, a necessary condition to our salvation. And the Rosary concludes with Mary, with the mysteries

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The Descent of the Holy Spirit

June 4, 2019 / Michael Haverkamp

When the time for Pentecost was fulfilled, they were all in one place together. And suddenly there came from the sky a noise like a strong driving wind, and it filled the entire house in which they were. Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire, which parted and came to rest on each one

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The Ascension

May 21, 2019 / Michael Haverkamp

Saint Luke gives us two accounts of Jesus’ Ascension, one at the end of his gospel, and one (more detailed) at the beginning of Acts. Let’s look at the gospel account first: “Then he led them out as far as Bethany, raised his hands, and blessed them. As he blessed

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The Resurrection

May 7, 2019 / Michael Haverkamp

The Resurrection of Jesus is fundamentally about hope. Hope that God can take even the greatest evil and use it for the greatest good. Hope that despair is always temporary. Hope that love must always triumph, because love is stronger than hate. The Church gives us the Sorrowful Mysteries of

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Divine Mercy

April 23, 2019 / Michael Haverkamp

The Feast of Divine Mercy is celebrated on the Sunday following Easter. It was added to the liturgical calendar by Pope Saint John Paul II in the Jubilee Year 2000. Following quickly upon the sacrifices of Lent, the solemnity of the Triduum and the joy of Easter, many Catholics may

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The Crucifixion

April 16, 2019 / Michael Haverkamp

Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered; and when he was made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him. (Hebrews 5:8-9) The anonymous author of the Letter to the Hebrews explains to his first century audience how Jesus is the

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The Carrying of the Cross

April 1, 2019 / Michael Haverkamp

There is a profound mystery alluded to in what seems like an interesting footnote to the Passion narrative: They pressed into service a passer-by, Simon, a Cyrenian, who was coming in from the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to carry his cross. (Mark 15:21) At first glance, it’s

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The Crowning with Thorns

March 26, 2019 / Michael Haverkamp

The second sorrowful mystery deals with the physical torture of our Lord. The crown of thorns, however, was not to meant to torture Jesus. Rather, the point was to mock him (just as he is mocked and belittled in so many circles today). Here is the full account from Mark:

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