Category: Jesus of Nazareth

The Counsel of Gamaliel (Acts 5)

November 5, 2025 / Michael Haverkamp

“When they heard this, they became infuriated and wanted to put them to death. But a Pharisee in the Sanhedrin named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, respected by all the people, stood up, ordered the men to be put outside for a short time, and said to them, ‘Fellow

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Why do the heathen rage? (Acts 4)

September 3, 2025 / Michael Haverkamp

After their release they went back to their own people and reported what the chief priests and elders had told them. And when they heard it, they raised their voices to God with one accord and said, “Sovereign Lord, maker of heaven and earth and the sea and all that

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God forgives (Acts 3)

August 19, 2025 / Michael Haverkamp

In chapter 3 of Acts we see the work of Pentecost continues. There is another miracle – Peter, invoking the holy name of Jesus, heals the man lame from birth – that draws the crowds to the apostles. Peter proclaims the gospel message: that Christ was raised from the dead,

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Pentecost: The necessity of the Holy Spirit

July 29, 2025 / Michael Haverkamp

The transformation of the apostles by the power of the Holy Spirit is one of the primary themes of Acts. The Holy Spirit empowered the apostles to boldly proclaim the Good News of Jesus at the risk of their own lives. The contrast between the apostles’ words and deeds in

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The Ascension of Jesus and the Last Hour

July 14, 2025 / Michael Haverkamp

The Ascension of Jesus is the transitional point between Jesus’ earthly ministry and the Age of the Church. Luke both ends his gospel and begins Acts of the Apostles with this event. The Ascension is also the culmination of the Resurrection. Jesus did not defeat death for its own sake,

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Acts of the Apostles (Introduction)

June 25, 2025 / Michael Haverkamp

On Sunday morning, May 24, in the year 33 A.D., 120 people were gathered together in the city of Jerusalem. Their leader had been killed seven weeks earlier, and they were in hiding. They were men and women, mostly humble workers, fishermen and the like, who lived outside the big

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Share the Love of Christ

June 10, 2025 / Michael Haverkamp

Pope Francis concludes his encyclical He Loves Us with an impassioned plea for the disciples of Christ to share the Good News with others: “Christ asks you never to be ashamed to tell others, with all due discretion and respect, about your friendship with him. He asks that you dare to tell

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Consoling the Sacred Heart of Jesus

May 30, 2025 / Michael Haverkamp

Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Pope Francis wrote in his encyclical He Loved Us, naturally prompts us to ask what we can do for our Lord: “Saint Ignatius brings his contemplations to a crescendo at the foot of the cross and invites the retreatant to ask the crucified Lord

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Saint Therese of Lisieux and the Sacred Heart of Jesus

May 20, 2025 / Michael Haverkamp

In his final encyclical He Loved Us, Pope Francis devoted particular attention to the reflections of Saint Therese of Lisieux on the sacred heart of Jesus. In her inimitable, childlike love of Christ, Saint Therese embodied the sanctity of this devotion in a special way. Pope Francis wrote: “As we contemplate

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Reflections on the Love of Christ

April 29, 2025 / Michael Haverkamp

In his recent encylical, He Loved Us, Pope Francis connects the Sacred Heart of Jesus to the Father and the Holy Spirit: “When the Son became man, all the hopes and aspirations of his human heart were directed towards the Father. If we consider the way Christ spoke of the Father,

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He Loved Us

April 22, 2025 / Michael Haverkamp

Jesus loves every person deeply. He desires to spend all eternity with each of us. He wants us to share in His joy. So many people are unable or unwilling to see this. It is the great tragedy of our time. Pope Francis wrote his latest encyclical, He Loved Us, to

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Five Reasons to Believe

April 3, 2025 / Michael Haverkamp

There are many good reasons to believe in God and more specifically in Jesus Christ. Individually these reasons are compelling; collectively, they make a powerful case for Christianity. I want to highlight in this post some of the top arguments for God. I have written about these individually before, so

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Jesus is the King (Luke 24)

December 12, 2024 / Michael Haverkamp

If you want to know Jesus, you need to know that He is our risen King. Our hope is in Him. Read chapter 24 of the gospel according to Saint Luke here. The Resurrection of Jesus changes everything. Jesus conquered two enemies, sin and death. He conquered sin by facing

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Jesus loves you (Luke 23)

November 27, 2024 / Michael Haverkamp

If you want to know Jesus, you need to know that He loves you. He loves you so much that He was willing to die for you. Read chapter 23 of the gospel according to Saint Luke here. Since the fall of Adam and Eve, humanity was plagued by sin.

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Jesus is a priest (Luke 22)

November 7, 2024 / Michael Haverkamp

If you want to know Jesus, you need to know that He is a priest. Read chapter 22 of the gospel according to Saint Luke here. What is a priest? A priest offers sacrifice to God on behalf of the people. Why does God demand sacrifice? It’s not so much

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Jesus is a prophet (Luke 21)

October 23, 2024 / Michael Haverkamp

If you want to know Jesus, you need to know that He is a prophet. Read chapter 21 of the Gospel according to Saint Luke here. What is a prophet? While prophets are most famous for foretelling future events, at their core prophets are people who speak God’s truth. The

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Jesus Is (Luke 20)

October 2, 2024 / Michael Haverkamp

If you want to know Jesus, you need to know that He Is. Read chapter 20 of the gospel according to Saint Luke here. What is the nature of God? Do we have eternal souls? Will our bodies rise from the dead? The Jews of Jesus’ time wrestled with these

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Jesus sees us (Luke 19)

September 10, 2024 / Michael Haverkamp

If you want to know Jesus, you need to know that He sees us. Read chapter 19 of the gospel according to Saint Luke here. The encounter between Jesus and Zacchaeus is a vivid illustration of Jesus’ saving power at work. Luke tells us that Zacchaeus was a tax collector

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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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Jesus is the kingdom of God in our midst (Luke 17)

August 13, 2024 / Michael Haverkamp

If you want to know Jesus, you need to know that He is the kingdom of God in our midst. Read chapter 17 of the gospel according to Saint Luke here. What is the kingdom of God? Let’s start with what it’s not: an earthly kingdom, a worldly power. Most

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