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Category: Discipleship

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Acts of the Apostles, Discipleship

Conversion (Acts 9)

January 27, 2026 / Michael Haverkamp
In An Introduction to the Devout Life, St. Francis de Sales writes of the necessity, and the ongoing nature, of conversion for followers of Christ. The conversion of St. Paul, recounted by Saint Luke in Acts 9, was an extraordinary conversion that birthed St. Paul’s ministry across the Mediterranean world. St.
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Acts of the Apostles, Discipleship

The Community of Believers (Acts 4)

September 23, 2025 / Michael Haverkamp
Twice in Acts Saint Luke wrote short paragraphs describing the life of the early Church. These short vignettes serve as models for how the Church in every age should live together as a community of believers. Let’s look in detail at how the early Church followed Christ: “They devoted themselves
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Discipleship

One hundred million years from now…

January 28, 2025 / Michael Haverkamp
In the early years of Peanuts (1955-56, to be precise), Charles Schultz had a recurring punch line that Linus would deliver. Lucy would call him inside for lunch, or tell him it’s time to go to bed, or inform that he should color giraffes yellow rather than green, or warn
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Discipleship, Gospel of Luke, Jesus of Nazareth

Jesus loves children (Luke 18)

August 28, 2024 / Michael Haverkamp
If you want to know Jesus, you need to know that He loves children. Read chapter 18 of the gospel according to Saint Luke here. Jesus tell His disciples, “Amen, I say to you, whoever does not accept the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it.” Why, or in
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Discipleship, Divine Mercy, Gospel of Luke, Jesus of Nazareth

Jesus is Just (Luke 16)

July 30, 2024 / Michael Haverkamp
If you want to know Jesus, you need to know that He is just. Read chapter 16 of the gospel according to Saint Luke here. The parable of the rich man and Lazarus is in many ways a reverse image of the parable of the prodigal son and the parable
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Discipleship

The Wisdom of the Little Flower

October 4, 2023 / Michael Haverkamp
The Catholic Church celebrated the Feast of the Little Flower, Saint Therese of Lisieux, on October 1. Therese Martin was born in Alencon, France, in 1873, the youngest of nine children of Saints Louis and Zelie Martin. She entered a Carmelite convent at the age of 15, and died of
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Discipleship

The End of Families?

August 22, 2023 / Michael Haverkamp
I’ve been reading Peter Kreeft’s four-volume work, Socrates’ Children: The 100 Greatest Philosophers. It’s an interesting review of the history of philosophy, and while Kreeft is thoughtful about presenting each philosopher in their own words as much as possible, he is not shy about critiquing dangerous and self-contradictory ideas in
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Discipleship, Jesus of Nazareth

“With One Voice Glorify God” (Romans 15)

June 1, 2023 / Michael Haverkamp
We who are strong ought to put up with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves; let each of us please our neighbor for the good, for building up. For Christ did not please himself; but, as it is written, “The insults of those who insult you fall upon me.” For
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Discipleship, Jesus of Nazareth, Salvation

“Whatever is not from faith is sin” (Romans 14)

May 18, 2023 / Michael Haverkamp
Chapter 14 of Paul’s epistle to the Romans isn’t easy to understand. It’s not a passage that comes up frequently in the cycle of Church readings. What is Paul saying to his audience? And what is the Holy Spirit telling us today? Welcome anyone who is weak in faith, but not
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Discipleship, Jesus of Nazareth, Salvation

“Love is the fulfillment of the law” (Romans 13)

May 2, 2023 / Michael Haverkamp
Paul concludes chapter 13 of his letter to the Romans by making two points that are essential to a virtuous Christian life:  Owe nothing to anyone, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery; you shall not
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Discipleship

“There is no authority except from God” (Romans 13)

April 18, 2023 / Michael Haverkamp
“Let every person be subordinate to the higher authorities, for there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been established by God. Therefore, whoever resists authority opposes what God has appointed, and those who oppose it will bring judgment upon themselves.” (Romans 13:1) Paul discusses the proper
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Discipleship, Jesus of Nazareth

A Living Sacrifice (Romans 12)

March 15, 2023 / Michael Haverkamp
While the principal theme of Saint Paul’s letter to the Romans is that we are saved from our sins through faith in Jesus Christ, Paul urges his audience to live out their faith. In chapters 12 through 14, he demonstrates how Christians ought to live as disciples of Jesus. These
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Discipleship

He Has Mercy Upon Whom He Wills (Romans 9)

February 14, 2023 / Michael Haverkamp
The ninth chapter of Paul’s letter to the Romans is a challenging one. He begins by lamenting that his fellow Israelites have in the main rejected Christ, saying he has “great sorrow and constant anguish in his heart” (Romans 9:2). Yet Paul understands that God’s ways are mysterious and inscrutable
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Discipleship, Salvation

Nothing can separate us (Romans 8)

January 31, 2023 / Michael Haverkamp
“We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28) Paul can pack a lot of punch and lot insight into one verse of his letters. He does it often in his letter to the Romans, not
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Discipleship

“Justified by Faith” (Romans 3)

November 8, 2022 / Michael Haverkamp
I want to jump ahead in the Paul’s letter to the Romans a bit, to a remarkable section about sin in Chapter 7. Paul writes: What I do, I do not understand. For I do not do what I want, but I do what I hate… So now it is
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Discipleship

“For I Am Not Ashamed of the Gospel” (Romans 1-2)

October 25, 2022 / Michael Haverkamp
Paul’s letter to the Christian community in Rome is the first of his epistles in the New Testament canon, as well as the longest. Paul wrote the letter between 55-58 AD, most likely while staying in Corinth. (1) It is the fullest expression of his belief that while all have
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Discipleship, Holy Spirit

The Humorous Saint

October 11, 2022 / Michael Haverkamp
“Well brothers, when shall we begin to do some good?” Saint Philip Neri had such an impact in his day that he is remembered as the “Apostle of Rome.” He experienced a profound conversion at the age of 18 and devoted himself entirely to our Lord thereafter. The Holy Spirit
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Discipleship, Divine Mercy

No Communion Without Suffering

August 2, 2022 / Michael Haverkamp
In a fallen world there can be no communion without suffering. (1) God will not give us more suffering than we can handle. All that we need to do is accept His grace. Our suffering, united to the Lord’s Passion, will bring us into communion with Him. He suffered for
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Discipleship

Catholic Charity

July 12, 2022 / Michael Haverkamp
In the year 361 A.D., Flavius Claudius Julianus became the new Roman emperor. A nephew of Constantine, he is known as Julian the Apostate, for he was the last pagan Roman emperor, and he desired to convert the people he ruled away from Christianity and back to the pagan beliefs
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Discipleship

Catholic Social Teaching

February 1, 2022 / Michael Haverkamp
This week’s post looks at the final four principles of Catholic Social Teaching. (4) Option for the Poor and Vulnerable: Both the Old and New Testament speak repeatedly to our obligation to show special concern for the poor and vulnerable. Jesus spoke of His concern for the poor many times:
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The Word of the Lord

“Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. But it did not collapse; it had been build solidly on rock.”

-Matthew 7:24-25

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