The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)

Episode Archive

Episode Archive

634 episodes of The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz) since the first episode, which aired on October 7th, 2022.

  • Day 134: The Forgiveness of Sins

    May 14th, 2023  |  17 mins 14 secs
    apostles creed, article 10, baptism, concupiscence, confession, forgiveness of sins, grace of baptism, i believe in the forgiveness of sins, in brief, inclination towards evil, nugget day, one baptism, power of the keys, power to forgive sins, reconciliation, repentance, sacrament of penance

    The Catechism provides an overview on how Jesus grants the Church the ability to forgive sins through both Baptism and the sacrament of Reconciliation. Fr. Mike doubles down on the revelation that there is no sin that Jesus can’t forgive—and no one is disqualified. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 976-987.

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    Day 133: Devotion to Mary

    May 13th, 2023  |  12 mins 45 secs
    annunciation, assumption, blessed virgin, bvm, call me blessed, devotion to mary, doulia, dulia, fiat, hyperdoulia, hyperdulia, icon of the church, in brief, latria, magnficat, mary, mother of god, mother of the church, new eve, virgin mary

    When we show devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, we fulfill her prophecy that “all generations will call me blessed.” The Catechism clearly shows us how such devotion does not compete with devotion to God, but in fact fosters adoration of God. Fr. Mike declares that the better we know Mary, the better we know Jesus, and the more we love Mary, the more we love Jesus. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 971-975.

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    Day 132: Mary Mother of the Church

    May 12th, 2023  |  16 mins 4 secs
    advocate, annunciation, assumption, benefactress, blessed mother, bvm, dormition, helper, immaculate virgin, intercession, mary, mediation of christ, mediatrix, mother of christ, mother of god, mother of men, mother of the church, one mediator, order of grace, sole mediator, theotokos, type, typus, virgin mary

    Earlier in the Catechism, we unpacked Mary as the Mother of Jesus. Now, we look at what it means for Mary to be the Mother of the Church. Fr. Mike makes it clear that, when he entrusts his disciples to Mary, his Mother, from the Cross, he’s entrusting us to her as well. Today’s readings are from Catechism paragraphs 963-970.

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    Day 131: The Communion of the Church

    May 11th, 2023  |  16 mins 16 secs
    2 maccabees, 3 states, church militant, church suffering, church triumphant, communion of the church, communion of the church of heaven and earth, communion with the dead, communion with the saints, in brief, in the one family of god, intercession of the saints, mystical body of christ, nugget day, people of god, pilgrims on earth, second maccabees, sleep in the peace of christ, spiritual goods, three states of the church

    The Catechism further unpacks the communion of saints and shows us how the Church lives in communion with those members who have passed on to eternal life with Christ in heaven. If you’re listening to this podcast and you’re not Catholic—or if you still have questions about the communion of saints—Fr. Mike has a word for you. This is your family, interceding on your behalf that you might receive the fullness of Faith here on earth. Today’s readings are from Catechism paragraphs 954-962.

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    Day 130: The Communion of Saints

    May 10th, 2023  |  16 mins 2 secs
    all suffer together, assembly of saints, communion in charity, communion in the faith, communion of charisms, communion of goods, communion of saints, communion of the sacraments, everything in common, god’s holy gifts, god’s holy people, holy catholic church, manifestation of the spirit, paragraph 5, rejoice together, riches of christ, sacraments, sancta, sancti, sanctorum communio, solidarity, special graces

    The Catechism begins Paragraph 5 and dives into the communion of saints. This communion is “in holy things (sancta)” and “among holy persons (sancti).” Fr. Mike emphasizes that “the least of our acts done in charity redounds to the profit of all.” At the same time, every sin hurts every single member of the Church. No one is an island—we belong to each other. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 946-953.

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    Day 129: Many Vocations

    May 9th, 2023  |  12 mins 46 secs
    ascension, bible, catechism, catechism in a year, catechism of the catholic church, catholic, catholic church, catholic doctrine, catholic faith, catholic teachings, catholicism, father mike, father mike schmitz, foundations of faith, fr mike, fr mike schmitz, hierarchy, in brief, institution, jesus, laity, pope, review, scripture, surrender, tradition, unity, vocation

    This "In Brief" section reviews all that we have learned in recent episodes. In the Church, “the faithful" refers to clerics and the laity with various callings in each.

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    Day 128: Unique Calls to Holiness

    May 8th, 2023  |  16 mins 44 secs
    calling, chastity, holiness, obedience, poverty, religious, secular, vocation, vows

    The Lord calls everyone to live a life of surrender, and we have been looking at the various ways God calls people to grow in holiness. Religious life includes the public profession of vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience; members of secular institutes dedicate themselves to living in the world and helping to sanctify it. We also learn that those in societies of apostolic life devote themselves to a particular apostolic purpose without religious vows. These calls to holiness are gifts to the Church and the world. Today's readings are Catechism paragraphs 925-933.

  • Day 127: Consecrated Life

    May 7th, 2023  |  21 mins 36 secs
    ascension, bible, catechism, catechism in a year, catechism of the catholic church, catholic, catholic church, catholic doctrine, catholic faith, catholic teachings, catholicism, chastity, consecrated, father mike, father mike schmitz, foundations of faith, fr mike, fr mike schmitz, hermits, jesus, obedience, poverty, scripture, tradition, vocation, widows

    There are many ways that God calls people to lives of holiness. Just as he calls lay people to holiness, he also calls individuals to consecrated life, including hermits, consecrated virgins, widows, and religious. In a very intentional, specific, and lifelong way, those in consecrated life commit themselves to the evangelical counsels of poverty, chastity, and obedience.

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    Day 126: Prophetic and Kingly Offices

    May 6th, 2023  |  19 mins 35 secs
    ascension, bible, catechism, catechism in a year, catechism of the catholic church, catholic, catholic church, catholic doctrine, catholic faith, catholic teachings, catholicism, evangelize, father mike, father mike schmitz, foundations of faith, fr mike, fr mike schmitz, jesus, king, leadership, office, prophet, scripture, tradition

    In addition to Christ's priestly office, lay people are called to participate in Christ's prophetic and kingly offices. They take part in Christ's prophetic office by evangelizing and proclaiming Christ by word and with the testimony of their lives.

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    Day 125: Vocation of the Laity

    May 5th, 2023  |  19 mins 36 secs
    ascension, bible, bishop, catechism, catechism in a year, catechism of the catholic church, catholic, catholic church, catholic doctrine, catholic faith, catholic teachings, catholicism, father mike, father mike schmitz, foundations of faith, fr mike, fr mike schmitz, jesus, laity, lay people, priests, salvation, scripture, tradition, universal, vocation

    The term "laity" refers to all the faithful, except those in Holy Orders and those who belong to a religious state approved by the Church. We learn about the special vocation lay people have to seek the Kingdom of God as they engage in temporal affairs.

  • Day 124: Teaching, Sanctifying, and Governing

    May 4th, 2023  |  22 mins 23 secs
    ascension, bible, bishops, catechism, catechism in a year, catechism of the catholic church, catholic, catholic church, catholic doctrine, catholic faith, catholic teachings, catholicism, episcoal college, father mike, father mike schmitz, foundations of faith, fr mike, fr mike schmitz, governing office, infallibility, jesus, pope, sanctifying office, scripture, teaching office, tradition

    There are three offices that belong to the episcopal college: the teaching office, the sanctifying office, and the governing office. Fr. Mike gives us an overview of the functions within these offices and clarifies the charism of infallibility in matters of faith and morals. As we learn about the authority of the episcopal college, Fr. Mike encourages us to approach the teachings of the Church with docility. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 888-896.

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    Day 123: The Pope

    May 3rd, 2023  |  17 mins 5 secs
    ascension, bible, bishop rome, catechism, catechism in a year, catechism of the catholic church, catholic, catholic church, catholic doctrine, catholic faith, catholic teachings, catholicism, college of bishops, episcopal college, father mike, father mike schmitz, foundations of faith, fr mike, fr mike schmitz, jesus, papacy, peter, pope, roman pontiff, scripture, st peter, tradition

    What is the purpose of the Pope? Today, we focus on the role of the Pope in the Catholic Church as the Vicar of Christ and pastor of the entire Church. The Catechism teaches us that the institution of the papacy dates back to that powerful moment in the Gospel when Jesus changed Simon’s name to Peter, the “rock”, and handed him the keys of the Church. Fr. Mike unpacks this pivotal moment and helps us understand why the Pope is so foundational to the Faith. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 880-887.

  • Day 122: Christ’s Faithful

    May 2nd, 2023  |  20 mins 30 secs
    ascension, bible, bishops, catechism, catechism in a year, catechism of the catholic church, catholic, catholic church, catholic doctrine, catholic faith, catholic teachings, catholicism, college of bishops, consecrated life, ecclesial ministry, father mike, father mike schmitz, foundations of faith, fr mike, fr mike schmitz, grace, hierarchy, jesus, laity, mission, priest, sacraments, scripture, tradition

    There are three primary roles among Christ’s faithful: the hierarchy, the laity, and consecrated life. Fr. Mike explains the difference between these three roles, emphasizing that they are equal in dignity but different in the way they support the Church’s mission. We also learn that all of Christ’s faithful share in the priestly, prophetical, and kingly office of Christ. Lastly, Fr. Mike reviews the mission and characters of ecclesial ministry. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 871-879.

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    Day 121: The Apostolate

    May 1st, 2023  |  17 mins 45 secs
    apostolate, apostolic, ascension, bible, catechism, catechism in a year, catechism of the catholic church, catholic, catholic church, catholic doctrine, catholic faith, catholic teachings, catholicism, father mike, father mike schmitz, foundations of faith, fr mike, fr mike schmitz, fruitfulness, jesus, kingdom of christ, lay people, mission, priests, scripture, soul of the apostolate, tradition

    For the Church to remain truly apostolic, she must exercise the apostolate, which is the mission “to spread the Kingdom of Christ over all the earth.” Today’s readings remind us that all members of the Church are “sent out” on a mission to proclaim the Good News. Most importantly, Fr. Mike emphasizes that charity, drawn from our unity with Christ, is the “soul” of the whole apostolate that leads us to bear fruit. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 863-870.

  • Day 120: The Apostolic Church

    April 30th, 2023  |  16 mins 11 secs
    apostles, apostolic church, apostolic succession, ascension, bible, bishops, catechism, catechism in a year, catechism of the catholic church, catholic, catholic church, catholic doctrine, catholic faith, catholic teachings, catholicism, father mike, father mike schmitz, foundations of faith, fr mike, fr mike schmitz, jesus, peter, pope, priests, scripture, successors, tradition

    The fourth mark of the Catholic Church is her "apostolic" nature. Fr. Mike explains the three ways the Church is apostolic and discusses how this characteristic shapes the unique structure and Tradition of the Catholic Church. He also encourages us to pray for our local bishops, who continue to shepherd us in the Faith today as the Apostles' successors. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 857-862.

  • Day 119: The Church’s Missionary Mandate

    April 29th, 2023  |  17 mins 17 secs
    mission, missionary, missionary mandate, patience

    Together, with Fr. Mike, we explore the many aspects of the Church’s missionary mandate. Fr. Mike emphasizes the importance of engaging and living out Christ’s great commission. We conclude today with a reflection on the fact that it is the love of Christ that urges us on in our mission of patience in bearing witness to the Gospel. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 849-856.